Bookshelf: Reef Fishes & Corals

Reef Fishes and Corals: East Coast of Southern Africa – Dennis King

We used this book and its sequel (More Reef Fishes and Nudibranchs) extensively while we were in Sodwana. The Advanced students sat with it after their Fish ID dive, and tried to match up the drawings on their slates with the photos in the book.

It was my first time diving in warm, tropical waters, and I didn’t know the name of a single fish! It’s a slim volume with pictures and a small amount of information – habitat, behaviour – about each fish. It’s great for travelling as it’s not very thick or heavy.

The book also contains names and information about various types of coral, which is helpful because Sodwana is bursting at the seams with gorgeous coral formations, all of which were unfamiliar to me as a Cape Town diver.

Frustrations: owing to poor editing, the index doesn’t tie up with the pagination, so things aren’t always where they’re meant to be. It’s also really just selected highlights, so you won’t find all the fish you see on dives in this book. Having the sequel on hand helps, but I still need to sit at Tony’s place with a more comprehensive book and my photos, to identify some of the more mysterious specimens.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.