In Search of the Great Canadian Shark by Chris Harvey-Clark
Reviewed by Chris Benjamin
The diving stories from In Search of the Great Canadian Shark by Chris Harvey-Clark are entertaining, interesting, and sometimes harrowing—especially his near-death experience while diving for giant clams in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland coast of British Columbia.
They are arranged roughly chronologically, with the most detail given to the naïve and ignorant early years of learning how to dive and acquiring the right equipment, his first job diving for clams, and more recent years as a successful wildlife veterinarian and marine life documentarian. There is a shift in the middle from our narrator as a young adventure-seeker with little brain-space wasted on consequences, to him as an experienced and sage presence on dives, full of respect for safety and sustainability.
“Despite the title of the book, Harvey-Clark’s tales are of more than sharks, ranging from the aforementioned clams to beavers to electric torpedo rays.”
Despite the title of the book, Harvey-Clark’s tales are of more than sharks, ranging from the aforementioned clams to beavers to electric torpedo rays. He shows great empathy for all his animal subjects. The beavers, while mentioned only in a standalone chapter, have the most touching and heartbreaking story in the book.
There is something of a disjointed feel to Great Canadian Shark’s narrative, created by the episodic nature of these anecdotes. That effect is set up with the book’s title and its allusion to a quest, and cover image featuring a great white shark with its mouth partially agape and jagged teeth showing. It is a fantastic cover, though, and not hard to imagine why it was used.
However, the narrative shift from young Harvey-Clark’s bravado to his elder self’s passion and care presents his life almost as a metaphor for the burgeoning environmental awareness of humanity. In his youth, there was the movie Jaws, which filled us with pure terror of sharks. Being near them was an experience for only the foolhardy and brave.
In the 21st century, divers and humans at large have acquired a greater sense of respect for sharks that can border on romanticization. Swimming with them is on many bucket lists, but Harvey-Clark makes the case that if you don’t know what you’re doing, it may be the last item you check. We are perhaps at our best when we are more realistic about sharks and other wild beasts, humbly acknowledging that there is still much more for us to understand about them.
Harvey-Clark also spends some time on the shifting nature of the oceans, and the animals he has observed revisiting certain waters repeatedly over decades. Oceans are warming. Certain creatures are found farther north, for longer parts of the year, than in the past.
Divers must adjust for their own safety. Humans must adapt for their own survival.
About the Author
Chris Harvey-Clark is a research veterinarian and marine biologist based at Dalhousie University. He has ongoing research on the biology of the Greenland shark and the Atlantic torpedo ray.
About the Reviewer
Chris Benjamin is the author of five previous books, including his recent hitchhiking memoir, Chasing Paradise: A hitchhiker's search for home in a world at war with itself. His earlier short-story collection, Boy With A Problem, was shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction. He is the former editor of Atlantic Books Today magazine, and currently works as Senior Energy Coordinator with Ecology Action Centre in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Book Details
Publisher : Pottersfield Press
Publication date : March 15 2024
Language : English
Print length : 204 pages
ISBN-10 : 1990770517
ISBN-13 : 978-1990770517