Water and Light
A Diver's Journey to a Coral Reef
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times–bestselling author's memoir of diving in the Caribbean offers "in precise, lucid, prose, the marvels of the sea bottom" (New Yorker).
Author Stephen Harrigan spent months diving on the coral reefs of Grand Turk Island in the Caribbean. In this evocative account, he describes his many explorations, both personal and natural. Though he is there to learn about the history of the coral reef, Harrigan freely admits that his true motivation is to become, at least for a time, his "underwater self."
"Moving, intelligent and, in the best sense, literary. . . . Stephen Harrigan is anchored in reality; he knows that the environment he's describing is in serious jeopardy. At the same time, he has made this book sparkle with his remarkable ability to discuss the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of underwater exploration without ever sounding saccharine or murky." —New York Times Book Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
One of the great joys of diving, writes the author, is discovering the spaciousness of the underwater world. Novelist Harrigan ( Aransas )sic gives a sparkling account of an extended visit to the Caribbean's Grand Turk Island, where he explored a coral reef and observed such colorful sea creatures as polyps, stingrays and octupuses. Entranced by the grace with which turtles glide since one can't `fly' thru water? or stet `flights' as poetic effect?/meant for poetic effect, but glide is good.gs through water, he muses about the species in a long essay, amusingly noting that the leatherback is the only variety without staggeringly bad breath. Harrigan also reports on his encounters with other divers, one of whom he saved from drowning, and his experience as the first paying guest at an underwater lodge in Key Largo (Debussy's La Mer was among the records in his room). As he surveys diving through the ages, the author hopes for the development of lighter gear. The book may well inspire readers to check their equipment and begin planning their next trip to a coral reef. ( May )
