I’m not sure where I bought my copy of How to Read Water, but suspect it was while I was living next to a river. And not far from the sea. It made me nostalgic for both.
How to Read Water
Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea
by Tristan Gooley
A must-have book for walkers, sailors, swimmers, anglers and everyone interested in the natural world, in How To Read Water, Natural Navigator Tristan Gooley shares knowledge, skills, tips and useful observations to help you enjoy the landscape around you and learn about the magic of the outdoors from your living room.
Includes over 700 clues, signs and patterns. From wild swimming in Sussex to wayfinding in Oman, via the icy mysteries of the Arctic, Tristan Gooley draws on his own pioneering journeys to reveal the secrets of ponds, puddles, rivers, oceans and more to show us all the skills we need to read the water around us.
My Review
The concept of this book grabbed my attention. Just how do the patterns in the water explain what’s going on underneath? Tristan Gooley explains, pretty clearly, and often with both pictures and diagrams, all the secrets of standing, running and wild waters.
I expect most people attracted to this book will be familiar with some of the content, but even the most experienced seafarer, angler, oceanographer or Pacific Islander will find something new. If you are not an angler you may not care so much for the detail of riffles and runs. Non-sailors may find some of the adventures, dare I say it, boring. If you have done your RYA Dayskipper certificate, this will remind you of things you know and introduce you to things you hadn’t thought of. I found the section on navigating at sea by stars fascinating. Other parts were entirely new to me. I finally understand rip currents. And the section on tides took me a couple of steps further in my quest for knowledge.
Mr Gooley’s style shifts between informative and exuberant, which needs getting used to. The content makes it all worthwhile. Worth dipping into again if you happen to be going anywhere you might need to use it — or plan to watch Olympic surfing competitions on tv!
Not my kind of book Jemma but you made it sound interesting.
As an aside we had neighbours years ago who had a huge Doberman Pincer it’s name was Gooley, his wife ( and I don’t blame her) objected to Calling the dog Gooley in public….so they changed the dog’s name to Tristan…. To me that’s a weird coincidence 💜
Wow, yes, some coincidence! Unless they knew him…
Looks like a book that would interest me. Does he address glacial rivers and fast-moving mountain streams? Those figure a fair bit in my real life.
I think he does… I put it back on the shelf last week, or I’d check!
Hi Jemima – I’ve ordered it via the library to look at … it looks interesting – cheers and thanks. Hilary
Hi Jemima – I’ve actually bought the set … I still need to read them … but definitely Puddles et al really intrigued me … Tristan Gooley – areally interesting author … thank you – cheers Hilary