Underwater Universe

“Dear Claudia, dear Manfred, I want to express my genuine and utmost respect. As so often happens, a book was sent to me unsolicited. Usually I glance at it and write a little note of thanks. But in this case I carefully scrutinized each photo. I was so excited to have received a book full of such excellent macrophotos. I’ve made many books myself and have often thought that one ought to make films about the microscopic world. The more closely one looks at nature’s smallest details, the more beauty one finds. The marvelous things about your book are the tiny animals, the forms and the colors: they’re simply grand. Each page deserves lengthy viewing. I’m very delighted about this book!”

"Suddenly something rustles amidst the floodtide of underwater photobooks, and even people who've spent decades exploring the universe below the world's oceans stop and take notice. Underwater Universe by Viennese veterinarians Claudia and Manfred Hochleithner is a book that deserves respect."

"Anyone who can't wait for their next dive is urged to acquire this large-format volume."

"An ocean of colors. This photobook portrays rare and beautiful creatures that are threatened with extinction."

"Marvelous photos from nature, revealing forms that oscillate between real life and abstract art. Astonishingly beautiful."

"Dive in, submerge, and let yourself be carried away by the opulent colors of the oceanic depths."

"Something new awaits discovery on every page. A book for all those who haven't forgotten how to feel awe and astonishment."

"This book presents unfamiliar animals and life-forms from the ocean and its coral reefs, captured in breathtakingly beautiful underwater photos."

"With each new picture and every turn of the page, the colorful diversity of nature depicted in this book surprises and delights the observer."

"Glowingly colorful shots of unusually beautiful or acutely jeopardized creatures reveal the parallel universe in the depths of the ocean."

Underwater Universe was repeatedly in the Geo bestseller list of the top ten photobooks

"Inhabited dreamlike oceanic landscapes tempt the diver's eye. The fascinating photobook Underwater Universe by Viennese veterinarians Claudia and Manfred Hochleithner shows how very colorful and unfamiliar the underwater world truly is."

"These photos can surprise even well-read marine biologists. Readers who spend most of their time on dry land will experience this book as a psychedelic journey across the threshold of an oceanic zoo."

"Anyone who has forgotten how to feel astonishment will remember again how the moment he lays eyes on this photobook."

"This book comes alive with photos of marine animals, some of which are extraordinarily bizarre."

"This lavish photobook by Claudia and Manfred Hochleithner transports its reader into an unknown world of brilliant colors."

"This is an invitation to see the beautiful and bizarre creatures of coral reefs through the lenses of underwater photographers Drs. Manfred and Claudia Hochleithner. Over one hundred of their tens of thousands of underwater photographs are on the pages that follow for the enjoyment, entertainment and education of both the ordinary viewer who has yet to venture into this underwater realm and the SCUBA diver who has. 

The deepest oceans and darkest jungles are home to many unusual organisms and the same is true of our coral reefs, with the distinct difference that our reef organisms are brilliantly colored. Note as you view the images that many organisms use color and structure to hide on their host organisms. The more complex a community becomes, the more complex the symbiotic relationships among the organisms become. It is easy to understand how geographic isolation such as the Galapagos and Hawaiian sea mounts breed endemism, yet there are many endemic species on the reefs within the coral triangle. Many of these seldomseen critters have evolved nontraditional appearances that can fool the naïve and educated alike. Some of these images positively defy description!"