THE AUTHORS
REVIEWS

SHARKS AND RAYS Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann.
"A Shiver of Sharks" - what an imaginative way to describe a bunch of elasmobranches. Luv ‘em or loathe ‘em, sharks and rays demand respect. From the tiny Catsharks to the great Whale sharks; from the docile Zebra sharks to the Great White, each animal has its own fascinating characteristics, and each is detailed in this new title in the IKAN series of marine publications. Lets go beyond the public sensationalism of shark attacks and get to know the species better.  With over 600 photographs taken in their natural habitats by more than a dozen renown photographers, Sharks and Rays provides a detailed description of their taxonomy, habitats and distribution - an excellent identification guide to 240 species, including, for the first time, a deep sea species, photographed from a submersibles in their natural habitat. You wont find a photo of Rod Fox's punctured torso here, but like all the titles in the IKAN series, this book is made all the more enjoyable by the  thirty-three ‘picture stories' - mini chapters on specific aspects related to sharks and rays - some of which you may find disturbing, many amusing and intriguing - all interesting. No doubt many elasmobranch enthusiasts became encouraged in their observations when Fernande Herwarth hand-fed sharks in the Maldives for the tourist divers. The fact that she was complete nude was, no doubt, beside the point. (Yes, yes, there is a photo of Fernande in the book). Most of us however take diving with sharks more seriously, and if an adrenalin-pumping opportunity arises to do so, we tend to have a better knowledge - and respect - of these magnificent creatures. (There is a picture story on ‘The Ethics of Shark Feeding'). You will not be impressed, (but no doubt not surprised), by the wholesale slaughter of sharks in Indonesia - just for their fins to satisfy the Asian market. As for the body of the animal, the nutrient rich meat, it just goes to rot on the seabed. Perhaps your outraged emotions will be balanced by the charming symbiotic relationship between the Angelfish and Hammerheads, or the "Dance of the Stingrays". Whereas Sharks and Rays has none of the drama of shark attacks, it does include several increcible photographs of the Great White. There is a wealth of knowledge in Sharks and Rays, not only as a ID guide, but as a great read. With the imaginative design by IKAN editor and producer Helmut Debelius, Hennemann has produced surely the finest book of elasmobranch identification and information currently available.
Review by Peter Stone. Scuba Diver magazine.

CRUSTACEA GUIDE OF THE WORLD  by Helmut Debelius.
When Helmut Debelius publishes a new guide, it's a fair bet that it will prove to be the ultimate of its kind.  In this volume the German writer/photographer has'lovingly compiled a register of practically every shrimp, crab, lobster and amphipod a diver could hope to encounter.  Any divers who once thought they knew a thing or two about these critters, will come to realise the depth of their ignorance when confronted with these 321 densely-packed pages of creepycrawlies.
With each species, we get a Latin name (and a common name, where possible); length and distribution; and general information and descriptions of the animal's behaviour.  This isn't the sort of book you can knock together after a misspent adolescence in the Red Sea - the sheer amount of data, matched with excellent colour images from Debelius and a cast list of world-class photographers, means that it is a one-off.  Quite simply, no one else could have done it.  Crustaceans were his first love, and this is a book born of love (the kind of love which borders on obsessive madness).
Debelius might have the instinct of a biologist, but he is also a populist, and makes a point of breaking up the text with features, indepth essays, and oddities such as Lionel Pozzoli's photograph of a pair of cleaner shrimps beavering away at Mrs Pozzoli's teeth.
Elsewhere, we get illustrated places on moulting lobsters, the hulking Alaskan king crab, the mangrove habitat, the red crabs of Christmas Island, and freshwater crustaceans.  Prize of place goes to the colourful tropical lobster Enoplometopus debelius, one of the author's own discoveries.  But my favourite section is a photo-feature contributed by Bob Halstead, in which for absolutely no reason we are treated to the sight of a mantis shrimp, roughing up a toy dinosaur placed close to its lair by the mischievous snapper.
With this book, Debelius brings the bizarre world of crustacea vividly to life, for everyone.  A fine achievement, and worthy of a place in any serious diver's library.
Review  by Simon Rogerson. Sport Diving magazine, Aug/Sept 2000

CRUSTACEA GUIDE OF THE WORLD by Helmut Debelius.
I had the pleasure of meeting Debelius last year and soon appreciated why he is such a remarkable man. His knowledge of the marine world, coupled with a keen eye and brilliant underwater photography skills, complement his attitude toward perfection in all that he does. His IKAN series of books, now numbering eight in the English language alone, have established him not only as a brilliant author but a likewise publisher. Crustacea Guide of the World is the latest in the series (although not for long, with Coral Sea Reef Guide due out mid 2000). This book covers the general shrimps, crabs, lobsters, mantis and harlequin shrimps, and amphipods, within the regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. Rarely do we dive without experiencing the pleasure of seeing a cleaner shrimp assisting a fish or moray to performing their ablutions, or a sponge crab trying desperately to disguise itself. And if we fail to catch a cray scurrying across the seabed, at least we can learn more of their biology and habitat.  Like all IKAN titles, Crustacea is a superb identification guide and reference, covering aspects of behaviour and habitat. Hardcover, full colour, 318 pages.
Review by Peter Stone. Scuba Diver magazine.

CORAL SEA REEF GUIDE by Bob Halstead. Publisher: Sea Challengers.
Dugong Dudley is just one of the many marine creatures listed in this magnificent reef guide; he gets a special mention as one of the interesting  ‘picture stories' scattered throughout the book. Exceptionally well laid out, the Coral Sea Reef Guide is one of the superb IKAN series of books produced by photographer/writer/publisher Helmut Debelius. The full colour identification guide contains exquisite underwater photos of over 1000 marine species, from Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia - those nations that border the Coral Sea. And who better to write and photograph such an ambitious project than Bob Halstead, well known for his dive expeditions around PNG, and his many books and articles. Coral Sea Reef Guide covers the fishes, corals, crustacea, snails, mollusca, gorgonia, soft corals (not the hard corals), and anemones, cephalopods, plants and sponges, reptiles and mammals - its all here in one hardcover volume, the definitive guide to the marine life at the most popular dive destinations visited by Australian divers. The book is divided into phylum down through class and family to the individual species. The descriptive text is concise; the  colour photographs are excellent, clear and relevant, with generally three to a page and some full page plates. Photo locations are indicated, and the distribution of all animals. Along with the descriptive information to identify each species, the book includes interesting behavioural and habitat information, and twenty-four excellent ‘picture stories' such as ‘coral spawning', ‘crocodile with gills', ‘how to catch a sea urchin', and the whimsical ‘what really happened to the dinosaurs'.
Review by Peter Stone. Scuba Diver magazine.