Ballard tells of plunging 12,000 feet to the floor of the Atlantic and finding new life in the superheated water around active volcanoes on the Pacific Seabed. Readers join a team of technicians on the bridge of a research ship as they “fly” a state-of-the-art, unmanned submersible over the Titanic’s ghostly hull.

But this book does much more than chronicle Ballard’s unique experiencesãit provides an illuminating history of humankind’s relationship with the ocean. Along with the giants of modern undersea exploration—Cousteau, Beebe, Piccard—he introduces the storied seamen of the past, form the ancient Phoenicians to such greats as Magellan, Columbus, and Cook.