Underwater Wild by Craig Foster, Ross Frylinck | Black Inc.

Underwater Wild: My Octopus Teacher’s Extraordinary World

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About the author

Craig Foster

Craig Foster is one of the world’s leading natural history filmmakers and co-founder of the Sea Change Project. His Academy Award–winning film, My Octopus Teacher, follows the story of his year with a wild octopus, at the same time honouring …

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Ross Frylinck

Ross Frylinck is a writer and photographer, and a former commissioning editor at Cambridge University Press. He has been working in ocean conservation for the past fifteen years, and is co-founder of the Sea Change Project.

Photo: Ross …

More about Ross Frylinck


Praise for Underwater Wild

‘An intimate guide to the wonders and mysteries of the ocean – this is a book created to be cherished, full of glorious photographs and text that illuminate a hidden world, inviting us to explore further and love more deeply’ —Yo-Yo Ma, cellist and Sea Change Foundation Patron

‘It is truly, truly magnificent. We need to make sure more books like this exist … every page is quite extraordinary’ —Mike Wills

‘I am absolutely astounded by Underwater Wild. I am reading it very, very slowly (and will immediately read it again). I think it is the most amazing book I have ever read (and that covers quite a selection!) What remarkable work. A truly beautiful book.’ —Lesley Beake

‘It is a kind of Carlos Castaneda wisdom quest, but instead of wandering through the Sonora desert and eating peyote we have plunging into freezing sea and encountering a wonderland of psychedelic animals. I love the vision and ambition of the project: weaving together the personal quest and wilderness exploration. Documented through extraordinary photography, this is a story of deep healing through resonance between inner and outer. It is a mind-change of a book!’ —Professor Louis Herman, author of Future Primal

‘I just returned to LA and have not even unpacked. Too busy poring over Underwater Wild. What an inspiration! I have rarely, if ever, seen a book which is as equally visually and textually stunning as this one. And that it comes now, when we are ruining the oceans, their reefs and the life that they sustain … I am completely knocked out by this achievement. How can I thank you?’ —Ann Druyan, Emmy and Peabody Award–winning writer, producer and director 

‘The beauty and fragility of the oceans can inspire a deeper empathy and the sense of wonder we need to heal our world. This book immerses you in the unknown, with observations and storytelling that challenge you to rethink who we are, question what is truly “other”, and remember that we are participants within a web of life far larger and more complex than our understanding of it.’ —Cyrill Gutsch, CEO and Cofounder of Parley for the Oceans

‘A truly magical celebration of being still and observing the wonders of the world. Ross and Craig capture in word and picture the poetry we miss just chasing the present. Love it!’ —Will Travis, Mission Blue board member

‘I’ve just finished reading Underwater Wild and I am happy to tell you that I couldn’t put it down! No mean feat for such a physically heavy book! I am shocked at the depth and breadth of this surprising book. I thought it would be an exquisite document of the abundance of underwater life and that it was … but it was also so much more. The book holds at its centre the theme of reconnection: to the creatures of the natural world, to our fellow humans blood related or not, to the ease our shared ancestors felt in their humanity, and ultimately this is a book about reconnection to ourselves. A reconnection which can be found when we feel ourselves no longer separate from all living beings and respectfully awed by the profound heritage that we all share. I am enriched! Enkosi! Siyabonga!’ —Zolani Mahola / The One Who Sings

‘This book plunges the reader into wonder, a place of deep magic that is sometimes shocking … It’s a BEAUTIFUL book in every way, but not in the pretty way of the usual coffee-table book – the images are often eerie and trippy. In fact, the whole book is a trip, and that makes sense, given that something the authors explore is the concept of “wilderness rapture” and “primal joy” – the experience of transcendence brought about by immersion in nature and deep recognition of our place in it as one more (lethal and horrendously destructive) creature in a awe-garnering web of life.’ —Helen Moffat

‘A journey into a hitherto alien but surprising world of colour, texture and patterns ... the intimate, beautifully written prose and stunning photos will fill you with wonder.’ —Five-starred review, Good Reading Magazine