Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man

I first heard of the late Jacques Mayol from the now classic cult movie "The Big Blue". Judging by this encyclopedic work, the real Jacques Mayol was a more interesting character than his celluloid image. "Homo Delphinus" is clearly a work of love and a beautiful book. It is published in a large glossy format with stunning photos. It is difficult to classify the book as it is a combination of science, semi-science, ecology, philosophy and mysticism. Mr. Mayol is successful in producing a touching work that summarizes his life long romance with the aquatic world and his hopes and visions for the future.As I said, the book is encyclopedic - Mr. Mayol covers a wide range of topics- and this is also one of the weaknesses of the book. At times I felt that the author was rambling a bit. Perhaps a good editor would have helped Mayol be more focused.The translation is not always smooth. From the book itself it is unclear if the translation was done from the original French, the Italian version or both.I was very interested to read that Mayol did not take kindly to the fact that freediving has become a type of extreme sport. He feels that this is dangerous and misconstrues the real spirit of apnea diving.I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the oceans, marine mammals or diving.If I could, I would have rated the book 4 1/2 stars.

I bought the book and it was supposed to be new.Fact ist, that it arrived and the cover looks and is really used (scratches, stains, imprints, etc.and no plastic cover or anything marking it as new and unopened). Plus it had a very small and very tight carton packaging squeezed the edges of the cover/the book togethter which makes it all even worse. It was supposed to be a gift and I do definitely expect to receive what I bought - a book that is new! Poster inside looks used and dirty stains on the back. Book inside is OK as far as I can tell.

Sorry , I bought this well in advance because I wanted to make sure coming from the USA that I got it as requested for my Daughters Birthday in June, will report back when she has read it

What a comforting and warming view of the world this beautiful man had. Definately an "I need to feel good" book. To be "inhaled" again and again. Inspirational.

quickly and reliably

the best book I ever had!

As a scuba diver living in Indonesia, it wasn't too long until I was introduced to the sport of freediving. One thing leading to the other, I soon became aware of Jacques Mayol's exploits and, after watching The Big Blue, was immediately drawn to his book. I was very excited to learn more both about the man and the history of the sport he helped pioneer.Unfortunately, Homo Delphinus is an absolute mess. First of all, the editor did one of the most dismal job I have ever seen in a published work. You'll be hard pressed to find a single paragraph that isn't filled to the brim with typos, poorly translated lines or mismatched references. Some examples included butchered names (Luc Bresson, Jean René, Jean-Mare Barr, the list goes on) and scientific terms (Foramen Ovale becomes Foreman Oval), inconsistent numbering of the pictures (Fig000 pops somewhere in the 200-ish range), or expressions awkwardly lifted from the French (a diver "volatilized" in the sea). The bad translation job becomes obvious to anyone fluent in French.On to the actual contents. I had great respect for Mr Mayol and his legacy before I first delved into this text, but I quickly grew frustrated as I flipped from one page to the next, and quite nearly felt offended by the time I finished reading Homo Delphinus. At times, the author will go from sounding mildly insane (calling trimix, hydreliox and other mixed gases "poisons", saying that James Cameron misinformed the public in regards to the possibility of liquid-breathing with his [science-fiction] blockbuster The Abyss, etc.), to being downright disrespectful (openly dissing fellow freediver Pipin). While I certainly understand where he came from, belittling a well-known and respected sportsman in your own magnum opus is awfully unprofessional at best.Which brings me to my biggest gripe with this book. Throughout, I could not help but feel that Mayol came off as either a shockingly hypocritical individual, or just a plain, bitter old man. From the very beginning he goes to great lengths emphasizing how incredible his life was, how much he helped science further its understanding of the human body, how amazing it felt to dive with both wild and captive dolphins, only to do a 180 turn and start actively debasing scuba divers (whom he deprecatingly calls "robot-divers", and without whom he'd simply never have dived to 100 metres), modern or "western" science (which was just as crucial in supporting his lifestyle and his countless professional successes), and just about anyone who doesn't live the way neanderthals did. Furthermore, the tone used when talking about younger athletes is appallingly arrogant (referring to newer records as "circus acts", constantly putting the word "feats" in quotation marks, and so on).Mayol goes as far as saying that people who truly love dolphins shouldn't be going anywhere near them, and hinting that anyone who tries to beat his diving records is uselessly endangering himself as well as going against the very nature of the sport. The icing on the cake, however, comes toward the end of the book when he writes that Earth's only salvation will be the total extermination of mankind (!). The thing is, at no point does the author ever seem to question his own actions, yet clearly talks as if following in his footsteps would make you a terrible human being (with the exception of Angela Bandini and Mehgan Heaney Grier, apparently).I still give the book a 2 stars rating, as it displays some rare photographs which do a pretty good job of documenting the early days of freediving, but otherwise it is a huge letdown.

What a fantastic book. It is essential reading for free-divers and fascinating reading for everyone else too. It is quite inspiring to read the story of a man who would not be distracted from his obsession with the sea.

Das Buch ist inhaltlich interessant und daher empfehlenswert. Allerding ist der Zustand eine echte Enttäuschung. Richtig kaputter Einband, kaschiert durch das Cover aus Papier. Abgegriffene Seiten. Preis des Buches immerhin 85 Euro. Vorsicht!!!