Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean Through Pictures, Poems, and Stories

Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean Through Pictures, Poems, and Stories — page 3

Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean Through Pictures, Poems, and Stories — page 4 — Foreword A day at the beach was absolutely magical when I was a young boy It was a pretty long car ride to get to the ocean and I couldn’t wait to get out of there and run into the water Living in New England that water was always a little chilly but I didn’t care I just needed to submerge myself in those waves The longer I spent in the water or the more seaweed I touched brought me closer to this place that beckoned me to explore The ocean was like an old friend that I hadn’t seen for a while and needed to hug I remember looking out at the expansive seascape and wondering what might be discovered beneath those waves Staring at the sea stirred my soul and ignited within me a passion to explore It seemed to be a place of endless discoveries and adventures and I yearned to journey farther out beyond the water’s edge When I was in my teens I became a scuba diver and then an underwater photographer Since then I have spent my life exploring the sea with a camera making pictures and sharing stories of all that I have learned I have been nose-to-nose with sharks on tropical coral reefs and dived with seals beneath 25-foot 7.6-m thick ice I have spent days photographing shrimps smaller than a grain of rice that were living on anemones and hours swimming with whales that allowed me into their world The experiences I have had with ocean wildlife have been beyond my wildest childhood dreams I often think of my life as an endless string of extraordinary moments in nature I have fallen in love with being in the company of ocean animals and seeing the amazing ways they live After decades of undersea exploration I realize that I have only scratched the surface of what remains to be seen The majority of ocean realms and the species that exist there are waiting to be discovered Given that every other breath we take comes from oxygen created by organisms in the ocean it is vital that we explore and protect it As you read Beneath the Waves you will find yourself on an undersea odyssey with each chapter revealing revealing a rich tapestry of life that is connected to all others Your undersea exploration begins here Brian Skerry Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer photographer for National Geographic magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories In 2014 he was named a National Geographic Fellow He has published more than 25 stories for National Geographic magazine on a range of subjects from sharks and whales to dolphins and coral reefs Brian’s work has also been featured in publications such as the New York Times BBC Wildlife Paris Match the Washington Post the Wall Street Journal Smithsonian Esquire Audubon and Men’s Journal Brian is the author of 10 books including the acclaimed Ocean Soul and his latest monograph entitled SHARK 7

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