|
Book
Reviews
by
Brian Pitkin
Reproduced
from in focus 46. (Dec.
92) |
| Underwater
Indonesia. A guide to the world's greatest diving. Kal Muller.
Edited by David Pickell. Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. 1992 ISBN
0-945971-14-1. 205 pp. + endpapers. Softback cover. |
 |
This
multi-author guide to diving Indonesia edited by David Pickell
covers Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara (Lombok, Flores, Lembata,
West Timor and Roti), Sulawesi, Muluku, and Irian Jaya.
The
book is the first available dive guide to a nation that extends
across some of the richest tropical waters in the world. It
begins with an introduction to Indonesia and its diving. Sections
on Reef Ecology by David Pickell and Marine Life by Charles
Anderson and David Pickell follow.
The
first major part of the guide, on Java, is by Janet Boileau
and Debe Campbell, but apart from the introductions to each
of the islands or island groups and an article on the Padaido
Islands by David Pickell, the remainder of the guide is by
Kal Muller (in conjunction with Cody Shwaiko in the case of
Banda in Maluku). There are, however, features on reef ecology
and marine life by Rudie Kuiter, Helmut Debelius and Cody
Shwaiko. |
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The
book is liberally illustrated by more than 120 fine underwater
photographs, mostly by Kal Muller but some by a variety of photographers.
There are also 33 extremely useful sketch maps of dive sites,
including those in Bali and Banda by Wally Siagian.
The
book is very readable and is packed with information on travel,
accommodation, dive operators, dive sites, local restaurants,
sightseeing - in fact all you need to know to enjoy diving
in Indonesia's tropical waters. A travel advisory section
towards the end of the guide covers everything from air travel
to visas, customs, equipment, health, money exchange, clothing,
accommodation, food, weather and travel agencies. The guide
concludes with sections on underwater hazards, Indonesian
Dive terms (with English, French and German equivalents),
a list of Indonesian reef fish (in English, Latin, Indonesia
and local languages), a bibliography and an index.
Anyone
planning to dive in Indonesia will find this book indispensable
and I highly recommend it. I wish the guide had been available
when I dived in Menado, Sulawesi and Maumere Bay, Flores.
|
|
Book
Reviews
by
Brian Pitkin
Reproduced
from in focus 46. (Dec.
92) |
| Tropical
Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific. Indonesia and adjacent
waters. By Rudie H. Kuiter. Penerbit Pt Gramedia Pustaka Utama,
Jakarta, Indonesia. 1992. 314 pages. Soft back cover. ISBN 979-511-058-6.
Hardback Rp 100,000,000. Soft back Rp 50,000,000 |
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|
Another
first, this identification guide to the coral reef fishes
of Indonesia and neighbouring waters of the west Pacific by
Rudie Kuiter includes photographs of almost every fish likely
to be encountered by divers or snorkellers.
The
book starts with a list of contents, a brief introduction,
a very brief section on using the book (with details of terms
used), a brief discussion on fish faunas and a map of the
area covered.
Similar
fish, illustrated by almost 1300 quality photographs, are
grouped together to facilitate identification, whilst scientific
order is generally maintained. Highly variable species or
those which appear totally different as juveniles or have
different looking males and females are illustrated by several
photographs. The photographs are accompanied by the name of
the fish in English and Latin and the legends provide details
of the location and depth of the photograph and the distribution,
habitat preference and size of each species. |
|
The
majority of photographs were taken with Nikon F2 & F3 cameras
in a housing. Small species were taken with 105 mm Macro and
many of the larger species with 50 mm Macro. A few photographs
were taken with a Nikonos with a 20 mm wide-angle lens. Except
for wide-angle photographs, two flash units were used and with
the F3 set up one of the flash units was TTL.
The
book concludes with a short bibliography, an article on fish
photography, separate indexes to the common and scientific
names of the fishes included in the guide and a brief background
to the author.
I
can also highly recommend this book to anyone visiting the
Western Pacific, Indonesia in particular, who is interested
in identifying the fishes they encounter.
|
|
Book
Reviews
by
Brian Pitkin
Reproduced
from in focus 46. (Dec.
92) |
| Underwater
Photography. By Charles Seaborn. AMPHOTO, an imprint of
Watson-Guptill Publications, a division of Billboard Publications
Inc, 1515 Broadway, New York. 1988. Available in hardback. ISBN
0-8174-6335-6 or Paperback ISBN 0-8174-6336-4. 144 pages. 149
colour plates. 4 colour illustrations.£16.95 |
 |
This
book on underwater photography by professional underwater
photographer Charles Seaborn discusses the fundamentals of
underwater photography - measuring light, calculating exposure,
focusing, framing and composing.
Overcoming
the dramatic reduction in both quality and quantity of light
to achieve striking images - of humpback whales in Hawaii,
shipwrecks in Bonaire, and coral reefs in the Caribbean -
is revealed. Using his own high quality photographs as examples,
Charles Seaborn describes in detail how to take and compose
effective close-up and wide-angle pictures. |
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The
book also contains sections on preparing for a dive, planning
a shoot, and selecting and maintaining camera equipment and
accessories. The book is illustrated by 149 fine colour plates
each with a detailed description of the subject and the way
in which it was photographed including equipment, film stock
used and exposure. A list of photographic subjects illustrated,
with English and common names, and an index complete the book.
Underwater
Photography is an excellent introduction and a useful addition
to any underwater photographer's book shelf. |
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