The Underwater Wild

August 9, 2021
Divers Foster and Frylinck bring the waters that inspired Foster’s Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher to the page in this fascinating tour of the Great African Sea Forest near Cape Town. Primarily through captions to his photos, Foster writes of rediscovering his childhood passion for the creatures of the sea, and of his friendship with Frylinck as they dove together, wet-suit-free, to relearn “our original dance with the wild.” Frylinck studied animal tracking under Foster and relates how swept up in ocean life his teacher was (in particular when Foster bemoans a missed encounter with a great white shark), tracing how their friendship grew amid dives featuring frigid temperatures, crackling winds, and treacherous currents. Jane Goodall’s introduction offers the keystone sentiment—“The barriers between humans and animals are just illusion”—though Foster’s photographic essays (of cuttlefish, spotted gully sharks, pyjama catsharks, and red roman reef fish) and Frylinck’s diaristic prose are equally as illusory. The two story modes mesh together well for the most part, though the perspective shifts can feel jumpy at times. Still, Foster and Frylinck’s affectingly personal and delicate storytelling will sit deep with naturalists of the ocean and land alike. Agent: Rachel Neumann, Idea Architects.

October 1, 2021
An exploration of the underwater habitats that inspired the Oscar-winning documentary. In an intriguing nature memoir packed with beautiful photos, Foster and Frylinck share memories of their adventures in and around the kelp forests off the coast of South Africa, which inspired My Octopus Teacher. Foster writes about how he committed himself to diving every day of the year and to do it without a scuba tank or a wetsuit in order to adapt to and reap the benefits of the cold waters. Frylinck was apprehensive about diving under these conditions and didn't always share the same level of enthusiasm. As they continued to dive, Foster notes how their regular diving schedule allowed them to learn the habits and preferences of these underwater creatures. Just as the animals taught him, Foster began to teach Frylinck how to track an animal. In time, Frylinck had an experience that enabled him to understand the state of "primal joy" that Foster had described numerous times. Foster also notes how our ancestors often sought this sense of wonder, which is often missing in contemporary life. In her foreword, Jane Goodall echoes the authors' sentiment that spending time in wilderness can be healing and transformative and that the "barriers between humans and animals are just illusion." The authors alternate their narration, which interweaves with stunning images that capture the intricate details of the marine life they have encountered--not just octopi, but also countless types of fish, sharks, mollusks, otters, and the blue dragon, which "lives by floating on the open ocean, eating bluebottles and storing their stinging cells in its own body to repel predators. The authors also share childhood memories. While these stories are important to understanding their current lives, some of the personal details are disturbing, including accounts of abandonment and abuse. A captivating call to take time to observe and live in the moment.

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Starred review from November 1, 2021
Cape Town, South Africa's capital, is known for its harbor, architecture, and Table Mountain. This beautiful book introduces a different attraction, the underwater kelp forest in the cold Atlantic waters off the city's coast. Diver and filmmaker Foster, whose My Octopus Teacher won the 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, taught himself to free dive, with no wetsuit or breathing apparatus, and over time began to form connections with the animals he met. He taught coauthor Frylinck how to handle the cold and the pain of free diving, and here both speak of the cleansing quality of the experience, both physical and mental. As they dove in what Foster calls the Great African Kelp Forest they began to learn its ways and secrets. The magical world they entered on each dive is illustrated with Foster's amazing photographs, revealing the true nature of this underwater forest as the sun's rays break through the ""trees"" (kelp fronds); the universe in a catshark's eye; a shark embryo's development, visible through the translucent egg case; an otter's inky tracks on the pebble beach; the intricacies of starfish spawning. This is a truly extraordinary glimpse into a realm few would otherwise see.

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