June 16, 2010 - Marine photojournalist Ethan Daniels has just published a stunning book that features Cape Cod's marine environment as its subject. Under Cape Cod Waters (Union Park Press, June 2010) offers beautiful images of underwater habitats that are integral to Cape Cod, including salt marshes, bays, ocean, and freshwater ponds.

Those who know Cape Cod even a little probably don’t consider it a hot spot for scuba diving or underwater photography—after all how much can you see in the murky Atlantic waters off New England? As it turns out, quite a bit. With brilliant photographs and a conservationists’ appeal, Under Cape Cod Waters is a revelation about the variety of flora and fauna found in Cape Cod’s aquatic ecosystems—and the important roles these plants and creatures play in maintaining the overall health of this cherished peninsula.

Daniels credits summers at his grandmother’s home near the Namequoit River and Shallow Waters (Houghton Mifflin, 1981) by William Sargent as the seeds of inspiration for his first book. “Shallow Waters woke me up to the fact that there was mystery in the bay and I became entranced by that world, just a stone’s throw from my grandmother’s house,” says Daniels. (In a wonderful turn of events, Daniels and Sargent are now friends, and Sargent contributed a foreword to Under Cape Cod Waters.) 

Trained as a biologist, Daniels now guides diving trips around the world, shooting underwater locations as exotic as Belize, Palau, and Micronesia. However it is Cape Cod that he chose as the subject of his first book-length collection. “Shooting images in various far-flung destinations reminds me that some of the most exotic, weird, and beautiful scenery and wildlife can be found just off your doorstep,” says Daniels.

Ethan Daniels will speak and present images from Under Cape Cod Waters at various locations from June 15-June 22. To catch him on his tour, go to the Union Park Press website (http://www.unionparkpress.com/under-cape-cod-waters/ ) or email events@unionparkpress.com for more details.

Under Cape Cod Waters is now available in bookstores and online.