Bookshelf: Fish identification books

Your diving experiences will be immeasurably enhanced by the addition of one or two fish identification books to your library. Choose books that are appropriate to the region(s) you tend to dive in the most. There’s a lot to choose from here.

Cape Town

• A Field Guide to the Marine Animals of the Cape Peninsula
• Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay
• Coastal Fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay

Southern Africa

• Two Oceans
• Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa
• A Guide to the Common Sea Fishes of Southern Africa
• Reef Fishes & Corals
• More Reef Fishes & Nudibranchs
• The Reef Guide – supersedes Reef Fishes & Corals and More Reef Fishes & Nudibranchs
• A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa
• Southern Africa Sea Life – aimed at children, but with great material for grown ups too
• The Coastal Guide of South Africa
• Watching Whales and Dolphins in Southern Africa

Warm seas

• A Diver’s Guide to Reef Life

Worldwide

• Sharks of the World
• Sharks and Rays

Also check out Eye of the Shoal, not strictly about fish identification, but all about fish!