Taking a Deep Dive

Through the Darkening Sea began with a picture I spotted online, that showed a rainbow sea. The article it accompanied explained how the colour of marine animals changes with water depth at which they live.

the picture that started it all

How could this be? I knew that fish/sharks/whale etc that live in the upper levels of the ocean had darker upper skin and lighter lower skin which help them to ‘vanish’ in the ocean. Viewed from above, they blend with the darker ocean below. Viewed from below, they blend into the light from above the water. But this was different. How could a red fish ‘disappear’?

Each bit of research that answered a question, also posed new questions, like what about animals that move through different depths of ocean, like vertically migrating krill? Krill migrate upwards at night in search of phytoplankton, when they are less visible to predators.

More reading and research

I read books, I visited reputable websites. I attended online science discussions, I ‘joined’ scientists as they watched footage captured by deep sea submersible vehicles (they get super-excited when they see animals). I researched individual animals and also looked at food webs, and the different ecosystems within the ocean, how they differed and how they overlapped.

Deep sea angler fish – Rebikoff Foundation

I knew I wanted this to be a narrative, so I needed a viewpoint ‘character’. I also knew I wanted it to be as factual as possible so that ruled out divers, who could reach the shallower waters, but would be crushed in the deep. I knew this story would span a long time, so a submersible vehicle was not going to work. I tried a lot of different ways and nothing worked, until I encountered a dead whale.

Whale Fall

During my research I discovered the phenomenon of whale fall, where a dead whale falls through the ocean, coming to rest on the seabed. Generally the food available to the animals that live in the deep ocean is mostly marine snow, so the arrival of a whale offers a feast that can last a very long time. Estimates of how long this process takes are changing, from years, to decades, many decades. Here was my non-speaking character, or as Peter described it when illustrating, my lens, my ‘photographer’.

Initially, I wanted my viewpoint character to witness but not participate in the story, which was about the changing colour of animals with ocean depth, but as I drafted, it became clearer that the whale was part of the story. The whale’s journey, beyond life, is an integral part of life cycles for other animals, for the ocean. Everything is connected and important.

Beautiful Art

Peter Cheong’s art is simply beautiful, illuminating a dark world. Our whale falls gently to rest on the seabed and we get to witness this journey into the dark before he brings us back to light. I’m grateful to Angie Masters, Siobhan Cantrill and all the HarperCollins team for working to bring this book to readers.

Come visit this fascinating world with me in Through the Darkening Sea.

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