A book with great intentions, and even greater photographic class – but one whose ultimate purpose may be just too much out of reach for it. What we have is over 50 stories from people who know our seas and what lives in them – or, if you read this too far in the future, what lived in them. From dragging the seabed up in fishing, to coral bleaching, to this and to that, there are numerous threats to the oceans, but here is testimony at least that people are trying their best to do something about it. Each subject is generally on four, sometimes six, pages, and there's not a spread without a fabulous image on.

But I think you can see where this is going. The text is often reduced to half a dozen paragraphs, and so each and every essay is more or less an introduction only to the issue. Don't get me wrong, it's not all doom and gloom – there is space here for a nudibranch specialist just to tell us what inspired him, as well as praise their looks for their photogenic qualities. Someone fell in love with Californian rays, and there are balls of them swirling around here in all their glory. But even given six sides they only get enough text for two pages of a paperback novel, we only get a good glimpse at things, and the whole thing is on to the next one, with everything washing over us.

This then is one of the more verbose coffee table books – I think it's rightfully unapologetic about how wonderful it all looks, but what will the glamour do in the finish? Draw the eye for a while, and then what? Yes this is all honest science and reportage, yes it is straight from the sea-horse's mouth, so to speak, but with the best will in the world this is probably just preaching to the converted. And I think many more people will see that and move on than will stay with this and join in with any necessary change. This may possibly inspire enough of its readership to think again and make a mini-change, and become more sea-aware, and I can only hope it does at least that, but part of me still thinks that beyond its gorgeousness it's on a hiding to nothing and remains on the 'inessential' shelf.

I fell entirely in love with this book. The photographs were stunning and each story featured was compelling. This takes you into unique perspectives that will have you thinking deeper about the ocean and how we treat it. It's one of my favorite books that I have read this year and I highly recommend everyone checking out this book.

Absolutely stunning book. I could sit and flip through it all day. Really loved all the background info and how the book was divided by ocean. This would make a beautiful gift for the ocean lover in your life!

The Ocean Speaks is full of reverence and concern for the oceans and marine life. It has so many absolutely gorgeous photos - sharks, whales, seahorses, turtles, coral reefs, seagrass and even icebergs - with accompanying short essays focusing on the beauty of the marine life as well as dangers to its survival and need for conservation and protection of habitats that are vulnerable due to human activity and climate change.

The photos are fantastic and the beauty of nature is spectacular and stunning. It’s hard not to feel awed and mesmerized — and also a little bit responsible for at least trying to not harm life on this wonderful planet of ours.

As always in those books, I want more details and more explanations of the wonderful nature, but this book actually gives just enough to capture attention and peak interest and perhaps encourage more research after all the lovely photos.

4 stars. I just may have to get me a physical copy of this book.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. The photos were gorgeous! This would be a great addition for anyone interested in the oceans and sea life.

A gorgeous and informative read - I loved how the different sections were divided, and the pictures were simply fantastic.

The Ocean Speaks by Ocean Culture Life is an utterly spectacular book loaded with 200 magnificently detailed photographs and information on the oceans and the teeming life therein. Information separated into geographical regions written by various ocean enthusiasts includes topics such as conservation, an organization to ban bottom trawling fishing, cenote caves, importance of archaeology, pollution and invasive species.

What grabbed me most is the vast array of life in the depths. I learned more about dugongs, icebergs, luxuriant kelp forests, the eerie turtle tomb, stunning leafy sea dragons, cuttlefish mating (which I've seen in an aquarium), coral hermit crabs, whale sharks and Munk's devil rays. The ocean photography is amongst the most startlingly beautiful I've ever seen and swept me away. I am besotted by all things ocean and this book hit me in all the right places.

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group Group - White Lion and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this astounding book.

A stunning book with exquisite photographs and stories from ocean conservationists around the globe. A must read for everyone who wants to keep this planet healthy, including our oceans. Highly, highly recommended!

As always, thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The photography was beautiful and haunting. The photos of manta rays especially, I took a long moment to ponder what that must've felt like to see in real life, truly awe inspiring. This is a lovely book, absolutely made to go on a nature lover's coffee table. The photos are really nice quality, and the blurbs beneath/beside them are informative and interesting.

Top quality and stunning photos of the oceans accompanied by curious facts about the lives in the ocean and how the oceans speak. A crucial book in understanding why oceans matter and why we shall do more to preserve them. A book for everyone who loves oceans, nature and a good reference to share with your children.

Beautiful books! The images picked are incredible and show how magnificent the ocean is. It is well explained and non-scientist will find it easy to follow. I particularly like the effort to link each part with the effect of human impact on the environment. Highly recommend!

Many great photos of the ocean and its inhabitants, above and below. Texts by a diverse collection of authors. Ocean protection and climate change are overarching topics. Entertaining, educational, approachable and great to look at. If you love the ocean, you will enjoy this.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Gorgeous photographs, interesting article. I liked that this was broken down by each ocean with the focus on one subject .
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have been in awe of the water since I was a small child, and I love any opportunity to learn more about our oceans and the life within. This book is packed full of stunning photographs and stories from all around the globe, and I very much enjoyed delving deep into this topic once more.

While there was not always enough detail (each experience is only given 2-3 pages and much of that is taken by the images - I really wanted more explanations and data), I did learn a lot and was struck by the common threads linking each section together - how much of the ocean's problems are human derived, how delicate the balance of life is, and how community led solutions are driving much of the change around the world. I was especially intrigued by the contrasting ideas about eco tourism. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to #NetGalley for providing a copy of #TheOceanSpeaks

Absolutely gorgeous photography and compelling stories, categorized by the different oceans around the world. I sometimes wish I had become a marine biologist, so I've pored over many underwater photos through the years. These are beautifully presented, and varied enough between not only region but also topic, framing, perspective, and size of the creature, that the book manages to illustrate what a truly wide variety of life our oceans contains. Of course, the variety of life in the oceans is actually SO vast that it would be impossible to really represent it in a single book, but this one does an excellent job of showing us a sliver of that enormous reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC.

Absolutely beautiful book that explores the world ocean, highlighting wildlife, people, and conservation efforts to protect this blue planet.

The photography is absolutely stunning and will inspire anyone who picks up this book.

In advance, I’d like to thank the publisher and netgalley for the free review copy in return for an honest review, no other inducements have been received by me for this, my words are my own.

The Ocean Speaks is a beautiful book that also carries with it the message of warning to what we are doing with our world and what we will lose if we continue down the path we are travelling as a species.

What it doesn’t do is try to preach or berate the reader into action, but instead demonstrates the magnificent diversity of flora and fauna that will be lost in the event that humans don’t change their way. These images were spectacular, and the brief but illuminating paragraphs that accompany each image are more than interesting.

From the Whale Sharks, who each have a unique spot pattern that allows individuals to be known, to the Sea Dragon, almost leaflike in its appearance, to the Manta Rays, and their not to distant cousins, the Devil Rays, all the way to the Sea Butterfly, a creature as ephemeral as anything that was seen in the film The Abyss, and yet it lives and thrives in the ocean, just below where we can perceive it.

The book does go into brief description of some of the initiatives that are being enacted to help things, like that Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS), which has managed to regenerate damaged Coral reefs and the life that depends on them.

Overall, this book would be worth it just for the images and the wonder that is captured on the lens, but when taken with the bigger picture (no pun intended) that it presents, it becomes excellent

Matt Porteous and Tamsin Raine created the Ocean Culture Life ( OCL) charity aiming to bring attention and focus on life in the remotest oceans of the planet and the impact of human activity and climate change.

This beautiful book of photographs shows the wonders beneath and above the tide. The images are accompanied by powerful messages from some of the world's renowned conservationists, photographers and marine experts.

The stories they tell describe the beauty of the oceans but also the very immediate and imminent threat to the survival of the oceans. The descriptions of travels, locations and dives are breathtaking and moving .

This stunning book is a celebration of the marine world but also 'a call to arms '; a recognition that much of what has been observed, described, photographed may well disappear in the coming decades. By increasing all of our understanding The Ocean Speaks is a vital book to educate more widely what is happening across the globe whilst celebrating this unique world hidden from the eyes and awareness of the human race.

Let's hope this book and OCL can bring even more attention to the plight of oceans and its millions of sea creatures and their ultimate survival.

Highly recommended.

Wow! What beautiful photography. Even familiar ocean landscapes and animals appear alien and intriguing. Gorgeous.

If there is one thing to know about me it is that my biggest dream is to live in the ocean. Is it realistic? Definitely not. Do I still occasionally cry about not getting to be in the water and swim with whales every day? Absolutely. So when I saw this book I jumped at the opportunity to check it out.

This collection is an amazing effort from over 45 ocean life enthusiasts to bring the wonders of the ocean into people’s homes. This book is split into geographic regions which makes it easy for you to follow and learn where these photos were taken (or more easily find what could be spotted in your own backyard!). This book not only has GORGEOUS photos, but also stories that accompany each one. These stories range from personal stories about how the photo was taken, about the animals themselves, or about the region in which the photo was taken. This would make a beautiful display on any shelf or coffee table- and you’ll want it in reach because you won’t be able to put it down.