Linda Ianniello and Susan Mears have published a stunning guide to many of the creatures encountered during a blackwater dive in Southeast Florida. Lavishly illustrated with over 220 images, the book divides the creatures into groups with description and identifications

A must for all black water divers, Blackwater Creatures is available now, priced at $39.95 plus shipping (worldwide) and can be ordered via their website.

Press release

BLACKWATER Creatures - A Guide to Southeast Florida Blackwater Diving

Every night the largest animal migration on earth takes place in the oceans of the world. The zooplankton migrates vertically up from the deep to feed in the shallower water near the surface. With the plankton comes a variety of both pelagic and larval creatures to feed on the plankton and each other. This creates an opportunity for underwater photographers and divers looking for something new and unique. A “black water dive” means going out at night in the deep ocean and looking for these subjects, which include: fish and mollusk larvae, that will eventually settle on the bottom; pelagics that live their whole lives in this environment; and creatures like jellyfish and siphonophores, all traveling with the currents.

When divers first experience these dives, they often get back on the boat and say “I saw a lot of stuff, but I don’t know what any of it is!” The purpose of BLACKWATER Creatures is to introduce new black water divers to the critters they may see on an average dive in southeast Florida – both the more common subjects and a few rare ones. This will help them to recognize the creatures and, therefore, have a better dive experience. This book is also a useful reference for experienced black water divers and photographers worldwide to identify and learn more about the subjects.

The authors (Linda Ianniello and Susan Mears) have been doing these dives for five years and together have logged almost 300 black water dives. This book is a compilation of their images. BLACKWATER Creatures sells for $39.95 plus shipping (worldwide) and can be ordered via their website

BLACKWATER Creatures contains 170 pages, with over 220 images, in 8.5 inch x 8.5 inch softcover format. The creatures are divided into groups, with descriptions and identifications (where available).