Author: Christopher Swann
DESCRIPTION
Baja California is a place defined by contrasts, where desert landscapes meet the ocean, sunlight dances across ancient peaks, and life flourishes in surprising ways. More than twenty years ago, whales first drew the author to this region, but what he found was so captivating that it became his home. This work reflects decades spent at sea, capturing images of whales and marine creatures while immersing in the beauty of the peninsula and the Sea of Cortés. Through evocative language and powerful photography, the author depicts a land where boojum trees and cardón cacti stand like sculptures reminiscent of Gaudí, islands appear like illusions on the horizon, and gray whales seek shelter in peaceful lagoons.
At the same time, the narrative carries a subtle warning. Over time, we tend to forget how abundant nature once was. The ocean, once full of life, is gradually changing: whales are fewer, fish are smaller, and the skies are quieter. This book preserves a memory of what existed and urges us to consider what might still be saved—if we choose not to forget.
Stretching from Picacho del Diablo to the swirling waters of Salsipuedes, this journey portrays wildlife in its natural state—free, unrestrained, and authentic. Ultimately, it is a story driven by a deep yearning for beauty, wilderness, and truth, and of discovering a vibrant, unexpected existence beneath starlit skies and among whales rising from the sea.
SPECIFICATIONS
English
Hardback
28x32 cm (11x12.6 inches)
372 pages
ISBN 978-88-31403-72-6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Swann began his love affair with the sea as a diver both in the Royal Navy and then the oilfields of the North Sea. This in turn led to an interest in old square rigged sailing ships and for several years this became his work and passion before he bought his own 80ft ketch the Marguerite Explorer and began to run wildlife holidays. This had barely begun before he discovered whales and his life’s course was set.
He ran whale-watching holidays for almost 35 years, assisted with science projects, helped make films and covered thousands of miles on cetacean surveys. During all this time he felt no need to take a photograph, as he said so often afterwards, ‘looking was all the pleasure I needed’.
Eventually however, and partly because he was given a digital camera by some of his client’s he started to take pictures and in time built up a vast library of cetacean images; these featured in everything from National Geographic to the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
His passion for whales has never ceased and although now nearly 70 he still spends months in his small open boat roaming the Sea of Cortes looking for cetaceans and other marine life