Reviewing a book by Ila France Porcher inevitably comes with a certain awkwardness. She has long been one of X-Ray Magazine’s most thoughtful and prolific contributors, particularly on shark behaviour and marine animal cognition. Complete neutrality may therefore be difficult to claim outright. Still, Yes, Fish Feel Pain raises questions that deserve engagement regardless of familiarity with the author.

Drawing on research across geology, palaeontology, marine biology and climate science, the book connects the long history of coral evolution and extinction with the urgent challenges of the Anthropocene—climate change, ocean acidification, sea-level rise and habitat degradation.

The book offers a deep dive into the various marine species inhabiting these waters, from the shallow coastal zones to the deeper offshore environments.

This guide is structured to cater to both casual observers and serious marine enthusiasts. It begins with a detailed introduction to the North Sea and English Channel, describing the physical and biological processes that define these marine environments. Wood discusses the impact of geographical changes over millennia on current marine habitats and elaborates on the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on local marine life.

A deeper understanding of safety concepts will make us both better and safer divers. So, it is no coincidence that I chose to review this book, written by elite soldier Claudio Gino Ferreri, who was a member of the Australian SAS. He is also a sport and technical diver and is active in the recreational diving industry.

About the Author

Claudio Gino Ferreri BSc (Security) has made risk management his life’s work, having dived as a member of the Australian SAS, been a permanent acting police senior sergeant with the Western Australia counterterrorism and bomb disposal teams, and a government security manager for the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Corruption and Crime Commission. He holds recreational diving qualifications to TDI Trimix level and has served as a committee member and diving officer for the Underwater Explorers Club of Western Australia. 

An enlightening trip down memory lane and into the annals of early technical diving is Simon Pridmores latest opus, Technically Speaking.

Yes, it is about technical diving but more about crucial events and turning points that have profoundly affected how we teach and practice both recreational and technical diving today.  As such it puts our current practices into a historical context and teaching and procedures that we now take for granted or self-evident often only came about after a long and often twisted evolution.   

The era of splendorous coffee-table books is not over after all.

True to this classic format, the graphic design is elegant and photographs are given lavish space across the spreads of the book so it can truly showcase the vibrant underwater diversity of Oman.

Many other coffee-table books offer little more in terms of texts than perhaps expansive captions and are thin as regards putting images into a wider context. many are just showing off photographic prowess.