Books : Deep Cuba: The Inside Story of an American Oceanographic Expedition
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 551.4635072073
EAN: 9780820324173
Edition: 1st Printing
ISBN: 0820324175
Label: University of Georgia Press
Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 296
Publication Date: September 15, 2002
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Studio: University of Georgia Press
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Geography, politics, and other factors have endowed Cuba with the region's most pristine coast and offshore marine environment. Deep Cuba recounts Bill Belleville's month-long journey around the island in the company of American and Cuban marine biologists and a Discovery Channel film crew. It was the first, and so far only, United States submersible research expedition in Cuban waters. From coral reefs to mangrove swamps to a submerged volcanic mountain, the voyagers encountered sublimely wild places unseen before by any American-or even by many Cubans. Belleville conveys the tempo of the scientists' workday, during which the routine gathering of data and specimens could be punctuated by trips in a state-of-the-art submersible, the discovery of new species, or a tropical storm. Throughout the trip, as well, all on board had to work through differences that arose from the expedition's contrary goals: to produce a commercially viable seagoing adventure film and to conduct controlled, methodical scientific investigations.
Belleville paces his coverage of the expedition with absorbing stories about the history and culture of the island's peoples, from the indigenous Taino to its current inhabitants of African and European heritage. Deep Cuba even includes a candid portrait of Castro himself. An avid diver, sport fisherman, and naturalist, El Comandante paid a visit aboard the research vessel.
Deep Cuba is an engaging mix of nature and travel writing, along with scientific reportage that is keenly attuned to current crises in research funding. Revealed here is a magnificent marine world with crucial ecological links to the Caribbean Basin and the southeastern United States.
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Bill Belleville amazed me with his incredibly detailed account of the daily activities going on board the RV Seward Johnson, on land, and aboard the Johnson Sea Link submersible. This book could almost be the Official Log Book of this once-in-a-lifetime expedition.
As one of the submersible crew members aboard this expedition, I was able to revive many moments that I had long forgotten. His account is extremely accurate and un-biased. In this book, Bill wrote events as they unfolded ... Read More
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I've dove Cuba a lot and this is the only authoritative Dive book on Cuba that I have ever seen.
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Bill Belleville's Deep Cuba book is part Cousteau adventure tale, part natural history, part cultural history, with a smattering of Hollywood documentary drama. It is enjoyable and engrossing to read- a must for those interested in protecting our fragile environments. Belleville's sensitivities and attention to detail give us greater understanding of the pristine waters and lands of Cuba, a place that seems so far away, yet is in reality right next door. Like many readers, I have grown up during ... Read More
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When the author climbed aboard the research boat hired by a Discovery Channel film crew bound for Cuba, he gained entry to two engrossing stories. One covers the exploration of Cuba's coral reefs, sunken ships, and sharks, whose mysteries are elucidated live-on-location by Discovery's consultant scientists and cultural experts. This story is by turns exotic science, pure travelog, and just plain spooky - expedition members in a submersible find two complete sets of diving gear hundreds of feet below ... Read More
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Bill Belleville, author of "River of Lakes: A Journey on the St. Johns River," again takes us down to the water to quench our thirst for adventure. In "Deep Cuba," we set sail with him aboard an expedition vessel for a journey that plies the waters of both politics and discovery.
Through his poetic telling, the island's previously unexplored waters come to life, populated by everything from mysterious bioluminescent creatures and toothy sharks to the simple souls whose livelihoods come with ... Read More
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