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Rating: 
Summary: A Unique Guide to the Underwater World
Review: An avid scuba diver and underwater photographer myself, I own and enjoy many "coffee-table-style" underwater books, as well as a fair collection of field guides to coral reefs and marine life. What I appreciate most about the Tackett's new book is the way it has combined beautiful underwater photography with valuable commentary, annotations, and even arrows defining particular points of interest. "Reef Life" represents a wonderful melding of the science and the esthetics of the marine environment. Equally appealing to adults and children, it has provided me with additional knowledge and appreciation. I now look forward to sharing this appealing new book with my young nephews.
Rating:
Summary: A must for the UW Photographer
Review: I have been waiting for this book! Burt Jones got me focused on the 'one metre' dive a few years back and I've been enjoying macro critters and muck diving ever since. In this awsome new book, the Tacketts bring you their personal experiences with the macro world and incorportate a great deal of useful information which can help all of us better understand the interrelationships amongst all the critters. That understanding is one of the keys to making better images of the critters.If you are a diver and you really want to get acquainted with the underwater world, stop swimming and start looking. And this book gives you step by step pointers on how to go about looking and helps you understand what you are seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A must for the UW Photographer
Review: I have been waiting for this book! Burt Jones got me focused on the 'one metre' dive a few years back and I've been enjoying macro critters and muck diving ever since. In this awsome new book, the Tacketts bring you their personal experiences with the macro world and incorportate a great deal of useful information which can help all of us better understand the interrelationships amongst all the critters. That understanding is one of the keys to making better images of the critters. If you are a diver and you really want to get acquainted with the underwater world, stop swimming and start looking. And this book gives you step by step pointers on how to go about looking and helps you understand what you are seeing.
Rating:
Summary: Not just another coffee table book -
Review: The Tackett's new book is a must read for divers, aquarists, and anyone who enjoys the fish and critters of the undersea world of coral reef environs. My wife and I belong to a guild of scuba divers known as "critter hunters." We love to dive and find some of nature's most crytpic creatures which inhabit the coral reefs and nearby, sometimes mucky, environs. Larry and Denise's new book is not only a fabulous collection of great underwater photographs but also contains a vast amount of the latest, most useful information regarding the habits and habitats of some of nature's most interesting creatures. It is readily apparent that the Tacketts have spent considerable time underwater in some of the most exotic locales of our water planet. They also have the unique ability to share their experiences with the reader. There are a lot of books currently available dealing with various underwater topics but this is easily one of the most informative and has already become a treasured addition to our library.
Rating: 
Summary: much more than pretty pictures
Review: The Tacketts have achieved something remarkable with this book. Not only is the quality of the photographs consistently high, but the detailed information within the text is logical and accessible to any diver whether they be experts in marine biology or simply curious fish watchers.
This American husband and wife team seem to have lived many divers dream existence. Travelling the Indo Pacific for 13 years, they would camp on a beach with their own compressor and make three dives a day collecting sponge specimens for medical research.
The scientific information is clear and broken down into digestible chunks, enlivened by well annotated pictures - everything from mantis shrimps eating coral shrimps, to frogfish camouflaged against cup corals. Predation, reproduction, camouflage, feeding and mimicry are all wonderfully explained. And, in keeping with the mood of the times there is a final section on reefs in danger - overfishing, cyanide, pollution etc, complete with appropriate photos including a poignant shot of an octopus trying to cover itself with a piece of broken plastic audio-cassette.
A substantial glossary at the end of the book covers everything from allelopathy to zooxanthellae.
The strength and value of this book is that it is not just a collection of good underwater images, I suspect it will become an invaluable primer for any diver who wants to look at reefs in an intelligent way.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: This is a beautiful book with incredible pictures. Additionally it has very informative text. It is a great book for anyone with a serious interest in reefs & reef life.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: This is a beautiful book with incredible pictures. Additionally it has very informative text. It is a great book for anyone with a serious interest in reefs & reef life.
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