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 program codirector 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). Howell and Sullivan are the coauthors of Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast (Princeton).

• Introduction 5 Acknowledgments 11 Some Words Explained 11 Marine Mammals 12 Whales 12 Pilot Whales and Beaked Whales 16 Dolphins 18 Rarer Whales and Dolphins 22 Seabirds 26 Gulls 26 Shearwaters and Petrels 28 Storm-Petrels 32 Alcids 34 Phalaropes 39 Terns 40 Jaegers 42 Skuas 44 Tropicbirds 45 Gannet and Boobies 46 Frigatebird 47 Rarer Seabirds 48 Sea Turtles 50 Flyingfish and Flying Squid 52 Other Fish 55 Billfish and Sharks 56 Other Big Fish 58 Rarer Big Fish 59 Seaweeds 60 Jellyfish and Cousins 61 Landbirds 62 Species Codes, Scientific Names, and Index 63

"[T]his handy little booklet ... serves as a pocket-guide to sort out both the most commonly seen, as well as rarer species you might come across. Slender enough to slip into your purse, this is not an exhaustive catalog of flora and fauna, nor is it an in-depth exploration of behavior or ecosystem dynamics. Instead it is exactly what the casually interested wildlife observer will want to have when on an offshore vacation--simple, concise, accurate and presented in a friendly, conversational way."--Examiner.com "This is a neat little book that fits handily in the pocket, and I can easily see myself using it while 'on deck'. Surely most naturalists would want to follow up by consulting specialized (and often weighty) texts before or after the trip, but while at sea, it will be hard to beat Howell and Sullivan's offering."--Steve Shultz, Carolina Bird Club Newsletter