The ocean has long captured human imagination, from its mysterious depths to its teeming surface waters. Whether you’re a marine biology enthusiast, an adventurous reader, or simply someone who finds peace in the sound of waves, this curated reading list will take you on a journey through both real and imagined seas.
Non-Fiction
A fascinating exploration of consciousness and the remarkable intelligence of octopuses. Montgomery’s intimate portraits of individual octopuses at the New England Aquarium will forever change how you think about these remarkable creatures.
2. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey
Part science journalism, part adventure story, Casey’s book delves into the world of giant waves and the people who chase them. From professional surfers to marine scientists, discover how these massive forces of nature shape our world.
3. The Silent World by Jacques Cousteau
This classic by the legendary oceanographer provides an intimate look at the early days of scuba diving and marine exploration. Cousteau’s pioneering adventures opened up an entirely new world beneath the waves.
4 . The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina
A gripping investigation into lawlessness on the high seas, covering everything from illegal fishing to modern-day piracy. Urbina’s journalism reveals the dark side of our ocean-dependent global economy.
5. Reef Life: An Underwater Memoir by Callum Roberts (2019)
Reef Life is a marine science memoir – the story of how Britain’s pre-eminent marine conservation scientist, fell in love with coral reefs. Callum Roberts begins as a young university student who had never been abroad, spending a summer helping to map the unknown reefs of Saudi Arabia, from there diving and researching all over the world, including Australia’s imperilled Great Barrier Reef and the more resilient reefs of the Caribbean, spanning in a thirty-year career.
6. The Reef: A Passionate History by Iain McCalman (2019)
Though slightly older, this updated edition provides crucial insights into the Great Barrier Reef’s cultural and ecological significance, incorporating recent research on coral bleaching and climate change impacts.
Troy has fallen. After 10 years of war, the Greeks make their way back to their own lands – but what homes now await them? Agamemnon must return to his wife Clytemnestra, who has been nursing her rage since he sacrificed their daughter to the gods for a favourable wind. Her revenge will know no bounds. Meanwhile, Odysseus has angered the god Poseidon and he is cursed to wander the seas, facing angry monsters and possessive demi-gods as he attempts to return to Ithaca and his patient, clever wife Penelope.
8. The Secret Life of Fish by Doug Mackay – Hope
Embark on an extraordinary underwater journey through Doug Mackay-Hope’s expert exploration of marine life. With over 33,000 fish species outnumbering all other vertebrates combined, this captivating guide delves into the lives of 50 remarkable fish, from the lethal White-Spotted Pufferfish to the tiny Bargibant’s Pygmy Seahorse.
Organised into engaging chapters covering dangerous species, gentle giants, and minuscule marvels, each entry features detailed maps, stunning illustrations, and fascinating insights into their behaviour, hunting techniques, and survival strategies. Mackay-Hope’s expertise, combined with a foreword by renowned “River Monsters” host Jeremy Wade, offers readers an accessible yet comprehensive look at these remarkable aquatic creatures and their evolving place in our world’s oceans, rivers, and seas.
9. Spirals in Time – Helen Scales
“Spirals in Time” explores the fascinating world of seashells—the exquisite homes of molluscs, one of Earth’s most ancient and successful animal groups. Helen Scales takes readers on an underwater journey, revealing how these remarkable creatures have shaped human civilisation as jewellery, currency, and food, while warning of their occasionally lethal nature.
From flying snails and shell-pinching octopuses to the legendary golden fleece (possibly inspired by giant golden-bearded mussels), Scales weaves together tales of these extraordinary animals whose spiral shells follow nature’s mathematical blueprint. While celebrating their influence on medicine, culture and history, she also highlights their role as environmental indicators, facing threats from overfishing, pollution and ocean acidification. Rather than dwelling on potential losses, this book encourages readers to rediscover their connection with nature through these remarkable ocean architects.
10. Other Minds – Peter Godfrey-Smith
Through diving adventures and scientific expertise, philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith explores a fascinating evolutionary mystery in “Other Minds”: how did consciousness emerge separately in humans and cephalopods? By examining octopuses’ remarkable intelligence—including their self-thinking tentacles—and comparing our brains to these alien minds of the sea, he offers fresh perspectives on the origins and nature of consciousness.
11. 100 Dives of a Lifetime – National Geographic
Explore 100 breathtaking scuba diving sites around the world–from the cenotes of Mexico to the best wreck in Micronesia–through stunning National Geographic photography, expert tips, and cutting-edge travel advice.
12. The Whale in the Living Room – John Ruthven
“The Whale in the Living Room” follows award-winning wildlife producer John Ruthven’s captivating journey bringing ocean mysteries into our homes through his memorable, touching and often humorous underwater filming adventures.
Three brothers, Joe, Miles and Harry, are growing up on the remote south coast of Tasmania. The brother’ lives are shaped by their father’s moods – like the ocean he fishes, his is wild and unpredictable. He is a bitter man, warped by a devastating secret.Miles tries his best to watch out for Harry, the youngest, but he can’t be there all the time. Often alone, Harry finds joy in the small treasure he discovers, in the shark eggs and cuttlefish bones. In a kelpie pup, a big mug of Milo, and a secret friendship with a mysterious neighbour. But sometimes small treasures, or a brother’s love, are not enough.
Fiction
This timeless novella about an aging Cuban fisherman’s epic struggle with a giant marlin captures the majesty and unforgiving nature of the ocean. Hemingway’s spare prose mirrors the vastness of the sea itself.
2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
A pioneering work of science fiction that continues to captivate readers with its vision of underwater exploration. Captain Nemo and the Nautilus have inspired generations of ocean dreamers and innovators.
3. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
This Booker Prize-winning novel follows a retired theatre director to a solitary life by the sea, where the ocean becomes both setting and metaphor for the protagonist’s psychological journey.
4. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian coast, this novel weaves together multiple storylines across decades. The Mediterranean Sea serves as both backdrop and character in this enchanting tale of love and regret.
5. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan
While not exclusively about the ocean, this novel weaves together themes of environmental crisis and family drama, with Tasmania’s changing marine environment playing a crucial role in the narrative.
6. Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones
A haunting tale set partially in the waters off northern Scotland but written by an Australian author, exploring themes of sea folklore and family secrets.
For Young Ocean Enthusiasts
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Rachel Carson
Written specifically for young readers, this adaptation of Carson’s groundbreaking work introduces children to marine ecology and conservation.
2. Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia by DK Publishing
A stunning reference book filled with photographs and illustrations, perfect for sparking curiosity about marine life in readers of all ages.
“Blueback” is Tim Winton’s poignant tale of connection to family and sea, where a young boy’s friendship with a mysterious fish weaves together themes of environmental harmony and belonging in coastal Australia.
4. Saving the Reef by Jackie French (2023)
A middle-grade novel that combines scientific facts about the Great Barrier Reef with an engaging story about young environmental activists.
Whether you’re reading on a beach, by a pool, or nowhere near water at all, these books will transport you to the world’s oceans. Each one offers a unique perspective on our relationship with the sea—from the scientific to the spiritual, from the adventurous to the contemplative.
Remember, like the ocean itself, this list is just the surface. There are countless other literary treasures waiting to be discovered, each offering its own unique glimpse into the magnificent world of our oceans.
What’s your favourite ocean read? Dive in and let these books carry you away on the tide of imagination and discovery.
