Book excerpt: Fully updated, with new images, revised artwork, and the latest distribution data, this comprehensive photographic guide to whales, dolphins, and porpoises now covers coastal southwest Ireland and the Celtic Sea as well as the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay. Designed for easy use at sea or when watching from land, it covers all 18 regularly seen species and the 13 rarities that have also been recorded. It includes details of status and behavior, as well as introductory sessions to help you get the most from your whale watching in the region. An introduction to cetaceans, the region, and information to help you get the most from your whale-watching experience Illustrated profiles of the 18 regularly occurring and 13 rare cetaceans of the region Annotated surfacing sequence illustrations and scaled comparison charts Superb photographs and illustrations showing the key features and highlighting comparisons between similar species Distribution maps based on the latest information Charts showing the best times of year to observe each species Full description of typical behavior and facets leading to identification Pocket-sized for convenient use on board or on land-based observatories