Overview
Twenty-five of the most spectacular coastlines spanning the seven seas from the Northwest Territories to Baja, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Everglades, from the Greek Isles to Tierra del Fuego, from the Red Sea to Fiji. These are just a few of the prime waters author, naturalist, and sea-kayaking guide Jonathan Hanson has explored over fifteen years. Like no other adventure sport, sea kayaking takes you to secret places rarely seen by humans, though often teeming with wildlife. Readers will learn how to see powerful orcas off the coast of British Columbia, dolphins racing across the Sea of Cortez off Baja, beluga whales cruising the Arctic Ocean, gray seals and puffins sharing the cliffs of Scotland’s Hebrides.
Synopsis
Outside Books introduces a unique series of international sport/travel guides: your favorite adventure sports, our top picks—worldwide—of where to pursue them.
KLIATT
If mountain biking across Nepal or jogging across the Arctic are plausible activities for you, then sea kayaking in Madagascar, Chile and Greece will seem no more daunting. Jonathan Hanson is not only a naturalist, a contributor to Outside magazine and a sea kayaking guide, he is also most convincing in promoting the sea kayak as friendly for beginners, easy on the environment and the ultimate in graceful travel. Like other books in this series, there are numerous color photographs to entice the reader to lands that are free of malls and interstates (two pages on New York City being the exception!) Personal anecdotes of traveling in these areas are enjoyable and lend a worthwhile background feel for the country: "Unlike similar idyllic getaways, paddling in Palua offers the thinking kayaker much food for introspection. The yin and yang of a lush paradise scattered throughout with reminders of a brutal war adds a serious dimension to the surroundings, and fosters a level of deep appreciation possibly unmatched by any other place on earth." There are suggested routes and comments on what to expect, as well as sidebars on local zoology and recommended reading. Recommended for all kayakers, both active and armchair. (Outside Adventure Travel) KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Norton, 215p. illus. index. 23cm. 00-048118., $21.00. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Katherine E. Gillen; Libn., Luke AFB Lib., AZ , July 2001 (Vol. 35, No. 4)