Can't Dive Into an Abyss? Read About It

I found myself fascinated this week with the news that movie director James Cameron traveled in a small vessel to the floor of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known place in the all the oceans.

I am a huge fan of his movie The Abyss, which features a dive into a fictionalized trench of similar depth.

Most of us won't be descending into the icy dark anytime soon, so if we want to learn about the world below, the library may be the place to go.

I scanned the catalog of the and found a number of good titles that will offer a literary or cinematic escape into the ocean’s depths.

There is one DVD copy of Ghosts of the Abyss, the 2003 film that chronicles Cameron’s real-life investigation of the Titanic on the ocean floor, plus a copy of Aliens of the Deep, a 2005 documentary about life underwater.

The library also has copies of the National Geographic videos Oceans, a three-disc series that was produced last year.

In terms of books, there is Ocean: The World’s Last Wildnerness Revealed, and a copy of The Power of the Sea, which examines disasters including tsunamis and storm surges. Currently, the book is checked out but is due back in 12 days.

Those interested in ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau can find Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King, or the biography for children called Manfish.

There’s a big reference book called Atlas of the Oceans, and a book by famed environmentalist Rachel Carson titled The Sea Around Us.

Little kids might also enjoy The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor (there are three copies available.)

Are there any other ocean adventure books you'd recommend?