"What the Wild Sea Can Be" by Helen Scales

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In 2017 in Atka Bay, Antarctica, an adult emperor penguin (above) makes a desperate leap into the sea after being trapped on a high ice shelf when the sea ice melted earlier than normal. Without a full coat of adult feathers, a lone chick (below) won’t survive the jump.

Critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark

Species seen in a cubic foot of coral reef during a 24-hour period, Mo‘orea

Endangered Nassau groupers gather to spawn

Mangroves and seagrasses nurture life and protect coastlines

Almaco jacks hunt in a floating sargassum forest, Sargasso Sea

At 130 feet, rebreather divers explore a mesophotic coral reef in Tahiti

Black rockfish shelter in a Pacific giant kelp forest

Octopus seen by the author, Brittany, France

Critically endangered sunflower sea star

Acknowledgments

This book arose from more than two decades of exploring the ocean, combined with two years thinking of little else but what the future may hold for it. Countless people along the way have taught me, talked with me, taken me places, dived with me, shown me things, explained to me their discoveries and ideas, and most of all fostered my fascination in what lies underwater. My great thanks to you all. From the explorations that appear in this book, special thanks to my dive buddies all those years ago in Belize, in particular Alice el Kilany, and later to John Bruno for introducing me to my first misplaced lionfish.

The book was written at a time when, for various reasons, I was disinclined to fly off to distant places, but I went on a few trips by land and sea to explore parts of the ocean I had not yet seen. Thanks to Jon Dunn for encouraging me to come to Shetland and for hosting, together with Sarah Cuttle, quite the best dinner party beneath the bright, northern midnight skies. My thanks to Billy Arthur for guiding me through the enchanting underwater forests of Shetland. Thanks to Bryce Stewart and Áine Purcell-Milton for chats about ocean protection in Arran and advice on good snorkelling spots.

My thanks for various conversations about the ocean and its future to Matthew Witt, Jake Davies, Jason Hodin, Cayne Layton, Luiz Rocha, Erika Gress, Kylie Lev, and Yi-Kai Tea. Thanks to Ali Hood, Ian Campbell, Al Edwards, John Bruno, Rachel Millar, and Sarah Hamylton for reading and commenting on early drafts of chapters and for sharing your honest thoughts.

It’s an absolute pleasure to be working with the teams at Grove on both sides of the Atlantic. Thanks to George Gibson for guidance and enthusiasm and for patiently waiting for my return from the waves to chat. Thanks to Clare Drysdale and Peter Blackstock for heartily embracing my oceanic explorations, and to Karen Duffy and John Mark Boling for so brilliantly handling publicity. Thank you to Amy Hughes for helping shape the manuscript with yet another impeccable copyedit, and to Emily Burns for all the critical finishing touches. My deep thanks to my agent, Margaret Sutherland Brown, for indispensable support, advice, and untiring cheering on, and to Melissa Sarver White for superbly handling the international translations. And my continuing gratitude to my retired agent, Emma Sweeney, and to Simon Winchester for crucial early encouragement. Without them both I doubt any of this would be happening at all.

My love and appreciation, as always, to all my family and friends who continue to celebrate and sustain me through my writing and watery life, and especially to David Thorp and Lydia Sefton-Minns for finding that amazing octopus. And my love to Ivan, and thanks for being by my side above and below the waterline. I wonder what we’re going to find together next.

Photo Credits

(t = top, b = bottom, l = left, r = right)

P. 1: © Billy Arthur (t); © Shane Gross (b). P. 2: © Stefan Christmann (t and b). P. 3: © Christopher Vaughan-Jones. P. 4 and p. 5: © David Liittschwager. P. 6: © Shane Gross (t and b). P. 7: © Shane Gross (t); © Alexis Rosenfeld (b). P. 8: © Shane Gross (t); © Helen Scales (br); © Shane Gross (bl).

Additional Resources

Many organisations around the world are working hard to safeguard the ocean and ocean life. Support them in any way you can, be that with your time and expertise, or with your passion and enthusiasm to learn. Some offer memberships and accept donations.

The following list gives a small selection, including organisations focused on certain habitats and species mentioned in this book, and it’s by no means complete. Be sure to search in your local area too. If your town or city has an aquarium or a science or natural history museum, those institutions are often a good place to start.

ORGANISATIONS CAMPAIGNING TO PROTECT THE OCEAN

Blue Marine Foundation www.bluemarinefoundation.com

Mission Blue www.mission-blue.org

Surfers Against Sewage www.sas.org.uk

Sustainable Ocean Alliance www.soalliance.org

REGION-SPECIFIC GROUPS

Australian Marine Conservation Society www.marineconservation.org.au

COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) www.arrancoast.com

Marine Conservation Society (UK) www.mcsuk.org

Oceana (international and regional branches) www.oceana.org

Our Seas Our Future (Aotearoa/New Zealand) www.osof.org

SPECIES AND HABITATS