Blowfish's oceanopedia - Blowfish

A New Scientist Gift Pick 2017From luminous squid to invisible plankton, from sandy shorelines to the bone-crushing pressure of the deep, marine conservationist Tom "The Blowfish" Hird takes us on an incredible journey revealing what lurks beneath the waves. A treasure chest of fascinating facts, full-colour photos and vintage line drawings, Blowfish's Oceanopedia is a stunningly beautiful guide to all we know about our oceans and the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit them.

The Blowfish is a Yorkshireman, Halifax-bred, the son of a vet who catered, James Herriot style, to the local farming community. This heritage, and an early exposure to the Great White Shark, thanks to a viewing of Jaws, led Blowfish to become a marine biologist. Not just a profession, but an all-consuming passion ever since. He's also a qualified dive master - swimming with sharks remains an especial fascination. An accomplished bass player, Blowfish is one of the very few, perhaps the only fully-signed up heavy metal marine biologist on the planet.

A lively, sumptuous cornucopia of all things oceanic. Who knew a squid could fly, or that hagfish drown their prey in slime?
Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows

A marine marvel... Tom Hird applies his boundless enthusiasm to give us a smorgasbord of bite-sized oceanic and fishy facts.
Brian Clegg, author of The Universe Inside You

Thoroughly entertaining and enlightening. Packed with first-hand experiences and fascinating facts, this is the most accessible encyclopaedia you'll ever read!
Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter and RSPB President

Amazing facts for ocean-lovers.
New Scientist (Gift Pick 2017)

Packed with proper science, brought alive by marine biologist, Tom "the Blowfish" Hird's entertainingly blokey turn of phrase.
BBC Wildlife Magazine