The World Beneath

“Smith’s passion for coral reefs, their inhabitants, and their protection shines through in this gorgeous, fascinating, informative, immersive book. Divers (and readers who would rather appreciate remote underwater habitats from the comfort of home) will cherish this book.” —Library Journal

“Packed with vibrant images of sea life large and small, scientist and photographer Smith’s volume is a splendid and thorough look beneath the surface of the ocean.” —Publishers Weekly

“Smith vividly documents the amazing diversity of marine life associated with coral reefs and eloquently argues for their protection.” —Library Journal

“This book by Dr. Richard Smith is a surprise-filled delight from start to finish.” —DIVER magazine

“I was completely on board with Dr. Richard Smith’s gorgeous new book and his aim to engage and educate the reader … and Dr. Smith does not disappoint… . I would recommend it without hesitation.” —The Linnean

“A dazzling display of the deep’s endangered denizens, from color-changing crustaceans to secretive sea dragons, and whale sharks to seahorses so small they are almost invisible.” —The Lady, Books of the Year, 2020

“Richard Smith [reveals] secrets of coral reefs and some of their smaller, less well-known inhabitants in this fascinating and accessible book.” —X-Ray International Dive Magazine

“I guarantee that once you have read this remarkable book, you will never again look at the reef in the same way again; your understanding of the workings of the reef, the total dependence of everything that exists upon everything else, will all suddenly fall into place.” —British Society of Underwater Photographers

Dr. Richard Smith is a marine biologist and conservationist, an award-winning underwater photographer, an acclaimed public speaker, and the leader of diving expeditions around the world; he’s been on more than four thousand dives since 1996. Dr. Smith has written hundreds of articles, published internationally, with a primary focus on conservation and marine life. His photographs have been featured around the world, including on dozens of magazine covers and in exhibitions. In 2018 he identified a new species of pygmy seahorse, having first photographed it five years previously. The new species, Hippocampus japapigu, is the size of a grain of rice and from the temperate waters of Japan. In 2020 he named the first pygmy seahorse to be found in the Indian Ocean, the South African Pygmy Seahorse, H. nalu. Dr. Smith has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology, a master’s degree in Marine Ecology and Evolution, and a PhD that he received for his pioneering research on pygmy seahorses; it was the first PhD ever awarded for the subject. Dr. Smith is a member of the IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group and the focal point for pygmy seahorses in the group. He lives in Oxfordshire, England.