Steve N. G. Howell is an international bird tour leader with WINGS and a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences. His other books include Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America and The Amazing World of Flyingfish (both Princeton). Brian L. Sullivan is eBird project leader and photographic editor for Birds of North America Online at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a coauthor of The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors (Princeton).

• Introduction 5 Acknowledgments 11 Some Words Explained 11 Marine Mammals 12 Killer Whale (Orca) 12 Whales 14 Dolphins and Porpoises 18 Sea Lions, Fur Seals, and Elephant Seal 22 Rarer Marine Mammals 24 Seabirds 26 Albatrosses 26 Shearwaters and Fulmar 28 Storm-Petrels 32 Phalaropes 35 Alcids 36 Red-billed Tropicbird 40 Brown Booby 40 South Polar Skua 41 Jaegers 42 Gulls and Terns 44 Rarer Seabirds 46 Other Sea Life 50 Fish (sunfish, sharks, flyingfish) 50 Sea Turtles 52 Jellyfish, Krill, etc. 52 Kelp (seaweed) 54 Landbirds 54 Species Codes, Scientific Names, and Index 55

"[I]f you sign up for a West Coast pelagic trip--and every serious birder should do that at least once--this book is a must. Howell has been a guide on most of my trips; he is excellent. Sullivan is one of the most active and respected bird photographers in North America."--Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune's Wingnut blog "A wonderful pocket guide for folks going on their first pelagic trip to see some amazing wildlife of the west coast shores."--Dave Lewis, Birds from Behind Blog "The Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is a very nice introduction to what you might hope to see on a boat trip off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington."--Frederic H. Brock, Wildlife Activist