Edney - The Ocean Is Alive: Re-visioning Our Relationship With The Living Ocean

The writing of this book has been a two year project, but the journey of discovery that initiated it started more than 40 years ago when I donned mask and snorkel and looked beneath the Oceans surface for the first time. During that time I have been inspired by the lives and work of many Ocean explorers, scientists and naturalists.

The great Jacques-Yves Cousteau, pioneering Ocean explorer and co-inventor of the aqualung, was my childhood hero and the inspiration for a generation of Ocean explorers that followed. Among that generation, Dr. Sylvia Earle epitomises the bringing together of science with the spirit of adventure that has seen her emerge as one of the most important voices for the protection of the Ocean. Early in my diving career I was fortunate to meet and work with Wade and Jan Doak. Their work as underwater naturalists is unparalleled and their freethinking (unencumbered by overly rigid scientific dogma) has led to many unique insights into the lives of Ocean dwellers.

Wade and Jan introduced me to the design brilliance of Ocean sailor James Wharram. His Polynesian inspired double voyaging canoes prove the skill and wisdom of Oceanias first human explorers, and have enabled many modern sailors (including myself) to explore the Ocean realm. I am grateful to James and his partner Hanneke for our Ocean conversations and their support for my work.

My journey of exploration took a landward turn when I went to Devon in England to study with Gaian scientist and Deep Ecology practitioner, Dr. Stephan Harding, head of Holistic Science at Schumacher College, and long-time collaborator with the father of Gaia Theory, scientist and inventor, James Lovelock. Stephan not only guided me through my research into the Ocean as a living system but has become mentor and friend. I am extremely grateful to Stephan for his critical review and corrections of the Gaian science presented in this book. I also thank Phillip Franses, chaos and complexity theory tutor at the college, for his feedback and uniquely left field insights.

I wish to thank Professor Gerald Pollack for his comments on my presentation of his groundbreaking research into the mysterious qualities of EZ water, and for his kind permission to use some of the illustrations from his excellent book The Fourth Phase of Water . Thanks also to Ethan Pollack for his assistance in formatting the images I have used. I am also very grateful to Janet Fernandez Skaalvik and Yannick Beaudoin from Grid-Arendal, and Paul Bown from the Micropalaeontology Unit, University College London, for their help with permissions for the use of images and diagrams throughout the book. I would also like to acknowledge NOAA, NASAs Earth Observatory, Encyclopaedia Britannica online, wikimedia creative commons and PLOS One online journal for making images and diagrams freely available. Special thanks go to Ricky Harris from Eye On Design www.eyeondesign.co.nz for his fantastic cover design. Likewise I wish to extend my gratitude to Deirdre Hyde , www.deirdrehyde.com an amazing artist and environmental activist, for her design of the Ocean Spirit logo.

It is one thing to sit down and write a manuscript, but turning that manuscript into a book is always a collaborative process. In this I have been blessed with the support of some very special people. Firstly, I want to thank my dear friend Ben Sablerolle, who read the initial draft of the first six chapters and offered enthusiastic but critical support. Likewise my friend and fellow writer, Gill Coombs www.gillcoombs.co.uk provided timely advice as I entered into the second half of the writing process.

I was extremely fortunate to have two highly skilled writers to edit and proof read the final manuscript: Gill Coombs and Janey Pares Edney, my wife and fellow Ocean explorer. Between them they have taken my raw words and crafted them into a coherent and readable story. I am extremely fortunate to have such a supportive, enthusiastic and open-minded partner to share this journey of discovery with. It would not be possible without you.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to acknowledge and honour all the Ocean beings who have taught me more about the Ocean than any lecture or textbook could ever achieve. They are the true Ocean elders, and holders of an Ocean wisdom that is as old as life itself. I hope I have done justice to your teachings.