Shark Bytes

John Bantin learnt to dive in 1979 and in 1992 it became his career. He spent over twenty years travelling the world, diving in all the best places, and gaining many different experiences underwater (not all of them good) which has furnished him with a vast store of anecdotes. He is known as something of an accomplished raconteur in the diving industry.

• Introduction; 1: The Great Hammerhead; 2: Early Experiences in the Bahamas; 3: Whitetip Reef Sharks; 4: The French Connection; 5: Grey Reef Sharks of the Indo-Pacific; 6: Beveridge Reef; 7: Hammerhead Madness; 8: Dirty Rock, Cocos Island; 9: Nurses and Leopards; 10: The Oceanic Whitetip; 11: Photographing Oceanic Whitetips; 12: Bottlenose Dolphin; 13: Silky Sharks and Dolphins; 14: Whale Sharks; 15: Tagging Whale Sharks; 16: Whale Sharks and the Thruster; 17: Safari or Circus?; 18: Bull Sharks; 19: Tiger, Tiger; 20: The Tasselled Wobbegong; 21: Shark Diving in the Golden Triangle; 22: The Sha’ab Rumi Shark Club; 23: Panic at Gordon Rocks; 24: Australian Rules; 25: A Dive on the Wild Side; 26: Maldives After Dark; 27: Manta Mania; 28: Dugongs: Mermaids of Years Gone By; 29: British Sharks; 30: What Eats Sharks?; 31: Shark Feeding: Right or Wrong?; 32: Is the Only Good Shark a Dead Shark?; Tailpiece: Sharks Keep Messing With My Wallet

“John’s memory for detail is impressive, and he brings many a scene to life with subtle flashes of colour that many writers in this genre are not capable of summoning. I’d recommend Shark Bytes to anyone with an interest in sharks and diving.” (Scuba Magazine) “Along with his “wow” close-up photographs on nearly every page, Bantin describes his encounters with many sharks”. (Undercurrent Magazine) “Shark Bytes is a wonderful collection of first-hand encounters with sharks by diving verteran John Bantin, accompanied by his compelling imagery”. (Dive Magazine) “Accompanied by compelling imagery, this beautifully written book draws you deep into his underwater world: shocking, inspiring and certainly exciting adventures come to life as the words surround your imagination… Overall, Bantin knows how to tell a story, his thoughts organized, his descriptions detailed, and both a fantastic sense of humour and compassion carries his narrative. Shark Bytes takes the reader on a magical journey to discover the wonderous diversity of the underwater world. This is a must have book!” (Scuba & H2O Adventures Magazine, March 2019)