-
The Outlaw Ocean
- Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier
- Narrated by: Jason Culp, Ian Urbina
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime Fiction
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $35.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Shipwreck Hunter
- A Lifetime of Extraordinary Discoveries on the Ocean Floor
- By: David L. Mearns
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David L. Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. The Shipwreck Hunter chronicles his most intriguing finds. It describes the extraordinary techniques used, the detailed research, and mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck thousands of feet beneath the sea, plus the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the adventuring derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a scientist, The Shipwreck Hunter opens an illuminating porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.
-
-
Delivered More Than I Expected!
- By Jason V. Kilmer on 08-07-18
By: David L. Mearns
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
The Wave
- In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
- By: Susan Casey
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dismissed these stories - waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea - including several that approached 100 feet.
-
-
great narrator
- By Alexis on 09-26-10
By: Susan Casey
-
The Outlaw Sea
- A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime
- By: William Langewiesche
- Narrated by: William Langewiesche
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even if we live within sight of the sea, it is easy to forget that our world is an ocean world. The open ocean, that vast expanse of international waters, begins just a few miles out and spreads across three-fourths of the globe. It is a place of storms and danger, both natural and manmade. And at a time when every last patch of land is claimed by one government or another, it is a place that remains radically free.
-
-
wow!
- By Darren on 07-09-04
-
Cape Horn to Starboard
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary account of the author's voyage around Cape Horn in a 32-foot sailboat, sailing east to west (thus the Horn is to starboard, or on the right). This is a notoriously difficult and dangerous passage, especially in a boat this size.
-
-
A Sailing Classic
- By T. Adams on 09-24-20
By: John Kretschmer
-
Into the Planet
- My Life as a Cave Diver
- By: Jill Heinerth
- Narrated by: Jill Heinerth
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today - and one of the very few women in her field - Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring listeners face-to-face with the terror and beauty of Earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.
-
-
The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver
- By Peakbagger on 02-24-20
By: Jill Heinerth
-
The Shipwreck Hunter
- A Lifetime of Extraordinary Discoveries on the Ocean Floor
- By: David L. Mearns
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David L. Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. The Shipwreck Hunter chronicles his most intriguing finds. It describes the extraordinary techniques used, the detailed research, and mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck thousands of feet beneath the sea, plus the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the adventuring derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a scientist, The Shipwreck Hunter opens an illuminating porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.
-
-
Delivered More Than I Expected!
- By Jason V. Kilmer on 08-07-18
By: David L. Mearns
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
The Wave
- In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
- By: Susan Casey
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dismissed these stories - waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea - including several that approached 100 feet.
-
-
great narrator
- By Alexis on 09-26-10
By: Susan Casey
-
The Outlaw Sea
- A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime
- By: William Langewiesche
- Narrated by: William Langewiesche
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even if we live within sight of the sea, it is easy to forget that our world is an ocean world. The open ocean, that vast expanse of international waters, begins just a few miles out and spreads across three-fourths of the globe. It is a place of storms and danger, both natural and manmade. And at a time when every last patch of land is claimed by one government or another, it is a place that remains radically free.
-
-
wow!
- By Darren on 07-09-04
-
Cape Horn to Starboard
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary account of the author's voyage around Cape Horn in a 32-foot sailboat, sailing east to west (thus the Horn is to starboard, or on the right). This is a notoriously difficult and dangerous passage, especially in a boat this size.
-
-
A Sailing Classic
- By T. Adams on 09-24-20
By: John Kretschmer
-
Into the Planet
- My Life as a Cave Diver
- By: Jill Heinerth
- Narrated by: Jill Heinerth
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today - and one of the very few women in her field - Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring listeners face-to-face with the terror and beauty of Earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.
-
-
The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver
- By Peakbagger on 02-24-20
By: Jill Heinerth
-
Coming Back Alive
- The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas
- By: Spike Walker
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in 100-mile-per-hour winds and record 90-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can. One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission.
-
-
Outstanding Story and Performance
- By Stephen Bowlby on 05-22-18
By: Spike Walker
-
Sailing a Serious Ocean
- Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After sailing 300,000 miles and weathering dozens of storms in all the world's oceans, John Kretschmer has plenty of stories and advice to share. John's offshore training passages sell out a year in advance, and his entertaining presentations are popular at boat shows and yacht clubs all over the English-speaking world. John's talent for storytelling enchants his audience as it soaks up the lessons he learned during his often challenging voyages. Now you can take a seat next to John - at a lesser cost - and get the knowledge you need to fulfill your own dream of blue-water adventure.
-
-
Fantastic book on ocean sailing
- By Aleksander Styrvold Kristoffersen on 05-09-19
By: John Kretschmer
-
Pirate Hunters
- Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men - John Chatterton and John Mattera - are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. While he was at large during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 17th century, Bannister's exploits would have been more notorious than Blackbeard's, more daring than Kidd's, but his story and his ship have been lost to time.
-
-
What an Amazing Adventure
- By Charles R Fisher on 07-16-15
By: Robert Kurson
-
The Cold Vanish
- Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands
- By: Jon Billman
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For fans of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston, the critically acclaimed author and journalist Jon Billman's fascinating, in-depth look at people who vanish in the wilderness without a trace and those eccentric, determined characters who try to find them.
-
-
Sad but interesting finished a little confused
- By Jason on 07-09-20
By: Jon Billman
-
River of Darkness
- Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon
- By: Buddy Levy
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1541, the brutal conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his well-born lieutenant Francisco Orellana set off from Quito in search of La Canela, South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon, and the fabled El Dorado, "the golden man". Driving an enormous retinue of mercenaries, enslaved natives, horses, hunting dogs, and other animals across the Andes, they watched their proud expedition begin to disintegrate even before they descended into the nightmarish jungle, following the course of a powerful river.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Sammi on 02-17-18
By: Buddy Levy
-
Into the Raging Sea
- Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro
- By: Rachel Slade
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in 35 years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications and a sophisticated navigation system could suddenly vanish - until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves - whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder - journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery.
-
-
Could have been so much more
- By MARTIN P. COLEMAN on 01-22-20
By: Rachel Slade
-
Into the Storm
- Two Ships, a Deadly Hurricane, and an Epic Battle for Survival
- By: Tristram Korten
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late September 2015, Hurricane Joaquin swept past the Bahamas and swallowed a pair of cargo vessels in its destructive path: El Faro, a 790-foot American behemoth with a crew of 33, and the Minouche, a 230-foot freighter with a dozen sailors aboard. From the parallel stories of these ships and their final journeys, Tristram Korten weaves a remarkable tale of two veteran sea captains from very different worlds, the harrowing ordeals of their desperate crews, and the Coast Guard’s extraordinary battle against a storm that defied prediction.
-
-
Just average
- By Rickmeister on 03-13-20
By: Tristram Korten
-
Sailing to the Edge of Time
- The Promise, the Challenges, and the Freedom of Ocean Voyaging
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Matthew Kevin Anderson
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Kretschmer is sailing’s practical philosopher - as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of a sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea. With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John’s adventures have taken him several times around the world.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Worldoceans on 03-07-20
By: John Kretschmer
-
Pacific
- Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature. Winchester's personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.
-
-
Winchester books are a must read/listen
- By William L. Cantor, MD on 12-17-15
By: Simon Winchester
-
Escape from the Ordinary
- By: Julie Bradley
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you arrive at foreign shores by sailboat, it's not such a small world after all. Come along with Glen and Julie as they sail around the world and discover that reality is even bigger than the escape they imagined. This breathtakingly personal true story will thrill those wanting to sail off into the sunset or enjoy the wonders of the world from the comfort of home. Escape from the Ordinary reminds you of the unlimited possibilities in life and nudges the listener into thoughts of their own dreams.
-
-
Annoyed with the lack of common sense
- By Sally on 04-06-20
By: Julie Bradley
-
At the Mercy of the Sea
- The True Story of Three Sailors in a Caribbean Hurricane
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Patrick Conn
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"The tale of Carl Wake and the hurricane that was waiting for him goes straight to the heart of the greatest sea stories: they are not about man against the sea, but man against himself. John Kretschmer's audiobook is as perfectly shaped and flawlessly written as such a story can be. In addition to being the best depiction I have ever listened to of what it is like to be inside a hurricane at sea, At the Mercy of the Sea is as moving a story of a man's failure and redemption as can be found anywhere in the literature of the sea. This audiobook is surely destined to become a classic."
-
-
Great writer, distractingly unsupervised performance
- By AJay on 07-16-19
By: John Kretschmer
-
Horizon
- By: Barry Lopez
- Narrated by: James Naughton
- Length: 22 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From pole to pole and across decades of lived experience, National Book Award-winning author Barry Lopez delivers his most far-ranging, yet personal, work to date. Horizon moves indelibly, immersively, through the author’s travels to six regions of the world: from Western Oregon to the High Arctic; from the Galápagos to the Kenyan desert; from Botany Bay in Australia to finally, unforgettably, the ice shelves of Antarctica.
-
-
Brilliant Wise and Thought Provoking
- By findley on 05-04-19
By: Barry Lopez
Publisher's Summary
"A riveting, terrifying, thrilling story of a netherworld that few people know about, and fewer will ever see.... The soul of this book is as wild as the ocean itself." (Susan Casey, best-selling author of The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean)
An adrenaline-fueled tour of a vast, lawless and rampantly criminal world that few have ever seen: the high seas.
There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world's oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation.
Traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, wreck thieves and repo men, vigilante conservationists and elusive poachers, seabound abortion providers, clandestine oil-dumpers, shackled slaves and cast-adrift stowaways - drawing on five years of perilous and intrepid reporting, often hundreds of miles from shore, Ian Urbina introduces us to the inhabitants of this hidden world. Through their stories of astonishing courage and brutality, survival and tragedy, he uncovers a globe-spanning network of crime and exploitation that emanates from the fishing, oil and shipping industries, and on which the world's economies rely.
Both a gripping adventure story and a stunning exposé, this unique work of reportage brings fully into view for the first time the disturbing reality of a floating world that connects us all, a place where anyone can do anything because no one is watching.
Critic Reviews
“Imagine a fantasy movie in which an explorer from Earth arrives on the surface of a living planet, to discover a lawless place where brutality is the only order and greed and fear the only motivators. Welcome to The Outlaw Ocean. In this utterly groundbreaking, often disturbing book, Ian Urbina has put his life on the line to lay bare the stunning inhumanity that reigns unchecked over two-thirds of Earth’s surface. This constantly astonishing book is seasoned with rare heroes - the author himself among them - who at great risk have weaponized their lifelong quest to shine righteous light and apply justice to the cruel anarchy that reigns over the majority of the planet.” (Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words and Song for the Blue Ocean)
“Our planet is 70% ocean and yet to watch the TV or read the papers you'd have little idea humans ever ventured offshore. Thanks to Ian Urbina for beginning to close the reporting gap, and for showing the high drama to be found on the high seas." (Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?)
“In The Outlaw Ocean, Ian Urbina offers a gripping series of portraits of scofflaws, renegades, con men, vigilantes and activists whose combat on the open seas has profound effect on our everyday lives and the world we inhabit. It’s a wild adventure story and terrifying cautionary tale, that should not be missed.” (Sam Walker, former deputy enterprise editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of The Captain Class)
“Not just a stunning read, this book is a gripping chronicle of the watery wild west and it shows us - frankly unlike anything I've read before - how global indifference can trap innocent people in endless cycles of exploitation, how the vast ocean has become a danger zone, and ultimately how we all pay a price for this mayhem and mistreatment." (John Kerry, former Secretary of State and founder of the Our Ocean Conference)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Outlaw Ocean
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Worldoceans
- 12-09-19
Subject interesting, but some facts not true
Being a long distance sailor and marine biologist, I started out totally engrossed by the interesting subject matter. But I started to lose faith in the reporting when several completely wrong "facts" were presented. It made me question the validity of all other facts. First the author describes the hauling in of Antarctic Cod (Dissotichus mawsoni) and describing their eyes bulging out of their sockets from the release of pressure. This is incorrect, they do not have a swim bladder and their eyes do not bulge out. I have hauled in mawsoni from over 1000' and they are alive, in great shape, and can even be kept in an aquarium for research. Second he describes how it would be deadly to fall over the side in Antarctica because the water is -80F. Impossible and rediculous - sea water can only go as low as 28F, after which it freezes. Thirdly - later on in the book when describing the dutch abortion ship, which he says is a 36' long sailboat with a 29hp diesel engine. He said it was cruising at 10 knots, which is impossible unless it was surfing down a wave, which is not "cruising". A sailboat cannot exceed it's hull speed which is 1.34 X the square root of the length of the waterline (about 32' for a 36' sailboat). For a 36' sailboat that would equate to about 7.6 kts in flat calm seas with no headwind and a motor powerful enough to reach hull speed (unlikely with a 29hp). Since he describes 8' waves pounding the bow, it is unlikely that they could even make 5 kts, let alone 10kts. None of these facts are huge, but when there are mistakes like this I have to take the entire book with a grain of salt, wondering how much other exaggeration there was. Having said all that - this is well worth a read - but don't rely on every fact being correct.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary
- 09-14-19
Disappointed
The story is very interesting and thought provoking but as an audiobook I could never get through it. The reader is montone and dry. I am disappointed that I do see an option to return this book after only listening to one chapter.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Justin
- 08-31-19
Highly recommended!
Both the writing and narration are excellent. I can honestly say that the author conducted some truly intrepid and impressive reporting for this book. The human right abuses that he chronicles in this book are both shocking and underreported. A quite engaging listen. Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- C. W. N.
- 08-29-19
A Real Eye-Opener & Necessary Read
Ian Urbina taks the reader on a rollercoaster ride, with mind-blowing accounts of life and business at sea, just beyond the reach of the just, or at least where the good guy's hands are tied behind their backs. An amazing depiction of courageous people facing the most abusive & dishonest companies & governments on the planet. This is a must-read.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike
- 10-21-19
Individual short stories
I almost claimed plagiarism throughout the first half of the 4th-chapter, thinking I had read a book written about the same exact story. Did some digging, only to discover I had previously read Ian Urbina's prose unknowingly in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/12/ship-of-horrors-deep-sea-fishing-oyang-70-new-zealand I enjoyed the format of several short stories (essays, as the author claims) built around a singular theme in the Outlaw Ocean. Well-done.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Indigo
- 01-03-21
This book should be a section of world history for every high school senior.
These stories of the people who were enslaved for the Sea bass on our plates will make any moral person say no to “the fish” on the menu. Human trafficking as I understood it was bad enough. Mr Urbina has taught me a new low in how we treat each other. 2021 and we are still buying and selling people. Well told.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- T. Adams
- 09-07-20
Must Read for Environmental Conservation
Although Urbina writes on all aspects of the gray lines in maritime law, the stories and research he provides on the efforts and discrepancies regarding oceanic environmental conservation was insightful and shocking. I truly have felt moved to help in the efforts to protect our oceans and I appreciate all the hard work Urbina did to write about it all.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- aaron
- 08-16-20
Outstanding Book on Ocean Stuff
This book covers everything from pirates to illegal fishing. The storytelling is good, not great, but since there are so few books that cover the topics covered here, the storytelling is elevated to something close to Hemingway. It's a real shame that there aren't more journalists doing this type of reporting, so Urbina definitely deserves praise for being one of the few to venture into these inherently dangerous worlds. There are thousands of war reporters out there, and maybe only five(!!) that do any sort of worthwhile reporting on Ocean Lawlessness. That's just ridiculous. I hope Urbina continues reporting on Ocean Stuff.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ana
- 05-04-20
Eye opening
Have listened to this book on an off for the last 4 months. Very interesting topics and didn't feel lost despite the lack of knowledge in the topic and length of the book. Makes you think twice about how we view the ocean. Highly recommend taking the time to read this book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 01-12-20
The Wild West on the World’s Oceans
This was an extensive account of practices that occur on the world’s oceans. Even the author mentions that practices he thought were outlawed or banned still exist today. Piracy, thievery, slavery, extortion, blackmail and more regularly occur. Don’t think this is just an environmental expose, though it is covered in several chapters. The human element is far more prolific. Owners and operators of vessels strand men at sea for months at a time refusing to pay them their wages, give them food or water or contact with their families; men sold into slavery on fishing boats, stowaways killed and thrown overboard, Vigilantes attacking boats, manning agencies who charge recruits for work leaving them in debt before they work and holding them hostage without pay, its all here. An eye opening and sad account of what happens to them and the health of the ocean. A book devoted to parts that give insight to the whole and much of this still goes on. The author spent four years traveling and the events still haunt him. They will haunt you as well. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Narrator Jason Culp’s reading was rote. A different narrator would’ve been better able to bring a more emotional element to the reading.