Looking for a book to take on your next diving vacation? From underwater murder mysteries to fish identification guides, here are our picks for top scuba reads.

Tropical Ice
By KL Smith; $14.99
From shark-feeding gone wrong and thugs on the streets of Belize to corrupt ­conservationists and a battle on the high seas, this eco-thriller by the editor of dive newsletter Undercurrent is ­jam-packed with twists and turns that make it hard to put down. While telling the story of Matt Oliver, a travel writer who gets roped into an ­international mystery, Smith highlights the ­vicious effects of shark finning and other practices that ­further the destruction of ­environmental resources.

Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification — Indo-Pacific
By Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens; $60
Dreaming of diving in the Indo-Pacific? This region is home to some of the most diverse sea life in the world, and this inclusive guide allows you to quickly reference 1,953 species of nudis and sea slugs. With more than 2,000 bright photographs, the distinct patterns and vivid colors of the opisthobranch world come to life on the pages, making you yearn to see the underwater rainbows before your own eyes.

Florida Manatees: Biology, Behavior, and Conservation
By John E. Reynolds III; $39.95
It’s everything you’d ever want to know about Florida’s sea cows in one beautiful package. Reynolds explains an array of ­informative topics in an easily digestible way, including manatee evolution, behavior, conservation threats and solutions to help these ­gentle ­giants. Stunning full-­color ­photographs by Wayne Lynch ­accompany the text, making you feel as though you’re swimming with the manatees yourself.

Anilao Nudibranchs
By Jim Anderson and Mike Bartick; $9.99, iBooks
This interactive e-book highlights nudibranchs and other sea slugs seen during the 2016 Nudibranch Festival in Anilao, Philippines. More than 490 species of nudis and sea slugs are featured with full descriptions and multiple images to ID and explore these diverse ocean-dwellers. The book breaks down how nudibranchs are classified and provides information such as habitat and biological features of each group.

The Marine World: A Natural History of Ocean Life
By Frances Dipper; $59.95
This comprehensive catalogue breaks down the many creatures residing in, on and around the ocean. Dipper incorporates information about biology, ecology, identification and even conservation to give a complete look at each species. Complete with illustrations and more than 1,500 photographs, it’s a great resource to consult post-dive if you want to learn more about something you saw in the big blue.

The Salvager: The Life of Captain Tom Reid on the Great Lakes
By Mary Frances Doner; $21.95
More than 60 pages of historic photographs accompany the story of Capt. Thomas Reid, a Canadian who operated one of the largest salvaging companies in the Great Lakes region in the early 20th century. Doner fuses tales straight from Reid’s logs with records from the era to tell about the shipping disasters that left many wrecks in their wakes, the salvaging team itself and the families for whom the tragedies hit close to home.

Rays of the World
Cornell University Press; $149.95
This tome provides an overview of all 633 described species of rays; including skates, guitarfish, mantas and more. This atlas of the world’s rays includes information on their general identifying features and distributional ranges as well as chapters covering ray taxonomy and classification in order to showcase the diversity of this “iconic but surprisingly poorly known group of fishes.” Each entry is accompanied by a painting by Australian natural history artist Lindsay Marshall.

Secrets of the Seas: A Journey into the Heart of the Oceans
By Callum Roberts and Alex Mustard; $40
Take a visual voyage through some of the most vibrant and diverse places under the sea. This collaboration between Scuba Diving contributor Alex Mustard and Callum Roberts combines award-winning underwater imagery with essays that explore how marine animals live their lives and how they’ve adapted, and will continue to adapt, to the ever-changing underwater world.

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
By Dan Egan; $27.95
The term “lake” doesn’t quite convey the true size of the massive bodies of water that lie at the heart of North America. Dan Egan masterfully chronicles the history of the Great Lakes, from their discovery by awe-struck Europeans and the massive undertaking that was the St. Lawrence Seaway to the waves of invasive species and the precarious future of America’s fourth seacoast. Egan’s use of science, politics and economics weave a rich portrayal of this national, and natural, treasure.

Diving & Snorkeling Guide to Raja Ampat & Northeast Indonesia
By Simon Pridmore and Tim Rock; $38.99
Dreaming of island-hopping in the Pacific Ocean? Tim Rock and Simon Pridmore’s new travel guide will show you the ins and outs of great diving and snorkeling not only in Raja Ampat, but also in Cenderawasih Bay, Triton Bay and Southwest Halmahera. The book includes rich images and detailed information on more than 100 dive and snorkel sites as well as topside attractions, travel and safety tips, translation help and more.

Glorious Gulf of Mexico: Life Below the Blue
By Jesse Cancelmo; $30
So close, and yet so far away: In the wake of the 2010 Gulf oil-spill disaster, Scuba Diving contributor Jesse Cancelmo set out to reveal a world little-known even to its near neighbors, capturing thriving habitats that support 15,000 species. 

Sealab: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor
By Ben Hellwarth; $24.99
At the same time that NASA was working to put a man on the moon, a team of U.S. Navy divers set out to conquer another hostile frontier: the ocean. Operating from Sealab, the world’s first underwater environment, a team of divers and researchers tested the limits of depth and bottom time, and subsequently revolutionized deep-sea diving. The compelling read is a true story of heroism, discovery and the history of diving as we know it.

Oil and Water
By Eric Douglas; $6.99
In his latest installment of the Mike Scott thriller series, Eric Douglas takes readers to the island nation of Curaçao. After Mike Scott’s plane crashes, the news photographer and scuba diver finds himself catapulted into the mystery of how the plane went down — and why. Oil and Water is a fun, thrilling read, and is available on in print, Kindle and audiobook versions.

Face to Face: Up Close with Mother Nature
By Al Hornsby; $49.95
Wildlife photographer Al Hornsby takes readers on a photographic journey around the world, providing an intimate look at some of the world’s most incredible animals. Among the breathtaking photos of sharks, Komodo dragons, manta rays and humpback whales, Hornsby shares his personal experiences with his photo subjects. The result is an artistic call to protect and respect our blue planet.