Dave Behrens, is co-author of Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific, Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs, Caribbean Sea Slugs and author of Nudibranch Behavior, as well as five other marine life titles.

Originally educated in Marine Biology at San Francisco State University, Dave's career path has taken him to oceans around the world. Dave worked at the California Academy of Sciences in the Ichthyology Department (that's the fish department), and for 14 years supervising the environmental impact studies at PG&E's Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo. It was at Diablo Canyon that Dave met Dan Gotshall, owner of Sea Challengers Publishing and got the bug to write books on marine life.

"When I dive in foreign waters, I want to be able to ID what I see."

While honeymooning in the Society Islands, he realized that there were no color invertebrate guides, only fish guides. The day he returned home, he was on the phone to Gotshall and fellow brancher, Terry Gosliner. That lead to five years, and over 20,000 contributed color slides worth of effort. During the preparation of this book, Dave was the sole author of the Decapod and Crustacean chapters.

Currently, Dave and his wife Diana operate the retail side of the Sea Challengers book business, out of their home in Gig Harbor, Washington. Their web site and catalogue carry over 200 book titles on natural history subjects from fishes, marine invertebrates and seaweeds.

Dave and Diana can be reached off their website at www.seachallengers.com

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