The oceans are the single most important feature of our planet. They shape our climate, our culture, and our future. Yet their depths have remained a mysterious and unchartered expanse. This book, which accompanies a major BBC television series, draws on the most exciting stories from the fields of subaquatic archaeology, geology, marine biology, and anthropology to reveal an astonishing landscape of forgotten shipwrecks, submerged volcanoes, and hidden caves. For "Oceans", explorer Paul Rose and his team of expert divers filmed fluorescence in Red Sea corals for the very first time and explored the undisturbed waters of the Black Hole off the Bahamas. They witnessed rarely seen behavior in sperm whales in the Sea of Cortez and discovered a potentially unknown species below the arctic ice pack. Undertaking thrilling and often dangerous dives, Rose and his team reveal the importance of the oceans to human existence - and at the same time trace the possible consequences of climate change on their delicate balance. Beautifully illustrated with more than 160 color photographs, "Oceans" unravels the mysteries of the deep and provides illuminating insights into this vast undersea domain. 'It is my sincere hope that this work will make more urgent the chorus of voices crying out to save the oceans' - From the foreword, by Philippe Cousteau.