Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Cover Art: David Hall.
2/29/2012. Candy stripe shrimp, opalescent nudibranchs, sunflower sea stars, mosshead warbonnets, and red Irish lords. Just hearing the names of these colorful marine creatures brings to mind images of tropical coral reefs and the sun-drenched waters of the Caribbean. What a surprise to discover that these beauties are actually found in the cold dark waters of the Pacific NW.
Beneath Cold Seas by award-winning photographer David Hall is an awe-inspiring look at the incredible diversity of life that exists beneath the surface of the Northwest’s gray-green ocean. The photographs are hauntingly beautiful, but it’s the range of color that’s so striking. The bright oranges, lemon yellows, royal blues, crimson reds, and deep rich purples found in the deep.
Hall is clearly an artist, wielding an underwater camera in place of the traditional palette and brushes. With a natural eye for composition, he has created some truly stunning alien landscapes. His action shots are as intriguing as those taken of wildlife roaming the dry expanse of the Serengeti. And his over/underwater images are almost surrealistic, tying life beneath the waves to earth and sky above. (like the lion’s head jellyfish shown on the book’s cover)
Interior shots feature sea pens and anemones, wolf eels, sculpins, hermit crabs, harbor seals, illuminated squid, stellar sea lions, gooseneck barnacles, and jellyfish galore. Not to mention a few salmon. To sample some of the book’s photographs, please check the the Sea Photos website.
Beneath Cold Seas is the perfect addition to anyone’s library. A “must have” for nature and underwater enthusiasts. The photographs are incredible, and the tales of David Hall’s diving adventures here in the Pacific NW proved just as interesting as the photos.