Beneath Cold Seas

This softcover version of David Hall’s acclaimed book of breathtaking underwater photography introduces the magnificent marine life of North America’s West Coast to a wider audience.

The Pacific Coast of North America features the most diverse and visually spectacular marine life of any temperate or cold-water ecosystem on the planet. From tiny, candy-striped shrimp to the giant Pacific octopus, from luminous moon jellyfish to Steller sea lions, and so much more, David Hall’s stunning underwater photographs reveal both the symbiotic and the predatory relationships in this web of life. Through state-of-the-art camera equipment and lighting, he has captured our underwater world in a way that will surprise even scuba divers and amaze the rest of us.

Beneath Cold Seas Photo Slideshow:The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest

David Hall is an award-winning photographer and photojournalist whose work has been published in National Geographic, Smithsonian, Natural History, Sierra, Time, Science, Scientific American, and other magazines. He is also the author of ten children's books in Scholastic's Undersea Encounters series. He lives in Woodstock, New York.

Christopher Newbert is the author of the best-selling photography book Within a Rainbowed Sea.

"Dispelling the myth that cold, murky waters equal boring waters, Hall has captured the staggering beauty and variety of marine life found in the Pacific Northwest. Although the animals themselves are truly amazing, it is Hall's creative eye and masterful photographic technique that really sets this book apart." -Jemima Greaves, Outdoor Photography Magazine

" . . . his gorgeous images of the weird, wild and watery should help spark public interest in a zone we need to know better." -Georgia Straight

"Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest is a coffee-table book of spectacular underwater photography by David Hall, a writer and photographer who is also an accomplished diver. The jellyfish, tubeworms, nudibranch and anemones are otherworldly in their beauty and a reminder that the Northwest has some great dive spots." -Oregon Live

"Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, by David Hall, transports readers to frigid waters off the west coast of Canada. The diversity of creatures in this ecosystem is astonishing; Hall's colour photographs of them are astonishing, too. Steller sea lions loom out of the darkness. A Pacific prawn crawls over a barnacle-encrusted ledge. Crimson anemones and red soft coral brighten the kelp forest on the sea bottom." -Montreal Gazette

"David Hall's award-winning photography captures the magnificent marine life of the West Coast: the most diverse of any cold-water ecosystem on the planet. Through state-of-the-art camera equipment and adventurous shots, he depicts our underwater world in a way that will amaze scuba divers and art-lovers alike." -Vancouver Sun

"David Hall has created a dazzling book filled with dazzling sea creatures, showing us an astonishing marine domain." -Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness

"Battling buffeting currents, hindered by thick gloves and an 18-kg belt, the New York-based shooter has nevertheless captured page after page of dreamy images with stunning clarity." -Westworld

"An award-winning photographer, Hall reveals both the symbiotic and the predatory relationships in this web of life with both macro and panoramic shots." -Vancouver Sun

"In Beneath Cold Seas, Hall reveals a vibrant and multi-coloured world of marine life off our Pacific Coast, which is also home to the most diverse marine life of any cold-water ecosystem on the planet . . . this book is a must for exposing the mysterious and beautiful fragile life in our local waters." -Janice Williams, Tri-City News

"Like no other photographer I am aware of, Hall has consistently managed to capture patterns, textures and colors and used all of these skillfully in compositions in such a tight and controlled manner, as if they were created on an easel . . . Not only is the book just a pleasure to go through, but the images are also an inspiration and a challenge for all other underwater photographers to go out and do better . . . David Hall is an inspirational master who clearly hasn't yet gotten all of the recognition that he deserves." -Peter Symes, X-Ray Magazine

"Photographer David Hall . . . found stunning images to record when he went diving off North America's West Coast. His amazing pictures show everything from candy-striped shrimp and wolf-eels to white-sided dolphins and the giant Pacific octopus." -Waterloo Region Record

"The level of consistency and standard of imagery is quite exceptional and it captures the wild spirit of this corner of the planet, page after page…Beneath Cold Seas has taken over 15 years to achieve but the hard work has been worthwhile and it is difficult to imagine that there will ever be a better collection of photographs to come out of this area." -Peter Rowlands, Underwater Photography Magazine

"This book is a work of art from every possible angle — from the exquisite photographs, to the book’s design, to its flawless printing and production process. There’s no other way to describe it: David Hall has created a masterpiece. . . . A complete and moving immersion in the breathtaking underwater world of the Pacific Northwest." -National Outdoor Book Awards

"You won't find SpongeBob SquarePants here, but you will find great photos of critters and phenomena from the deepest deeps of the Pacific Northwest. There isn't much light down there, and that makes these photos (and the colours!) of kelp forests and 'scalyhead sculpin' that much more remarkable." -Globe & Mail