"Sponsored by Tata Social Welfare Trust."

Includes bibliographical references (page 360) and index.

Introduction -- History of marine biology and oceanography -- The tools of the trade -- Anatomy of the sea (regions of the sea) -- Life in the sea - plankton -- Life in the sea - nekton -- Life in the sea - benthos -- Playing hide-and-seek (camouflage) -- Midnight's children (bioluminescence) -- Body clock (biorhythms) -- Why do fishes drink? (osmotic regulation) -- The not-so-silent sea (noises in the sea) -- Little grains of sand (beaches) -- Playing about with beaches (beach processes) -- The soft sea bed (sea-bottom sediments -- The anatomy of coral reefs (coral reef topography and formation) -- Where the twain do meet (estuaries) -- Wealth from the sea (marine resources) -- Methods of fishing -- Energy from the sea (electricity generation) -- Windmills of the gods (winds) -- Rhythm of the sea (tides) -- The sea in motion (waves) -- Waves inside the sea (undersea waves) -- The killer wave (tsunami) -- Rivers in the sea (surface currents) -- Deep circulation in the oceans -- Silent waterfalls in the sea (upwelling) -- The salty sea (chemistry of sea water) -- The healing sea (marine pharmacy) -- The sea-level paradox -- The name game (biological nomenclature) -- What's in a name? (taxonomy and nomenclature) -- The ladder of life (biological classification) -- King Neptune's festival of lights (unusual phenomena) -- The silent sentinels (lighthouses) -- About b(u)oys and gull(s) (navigation buoys) -- Why do people drown? (drowning accidents and their prevention) -- Mapping the sea (nautical charts) -- The wandering continents (plate tectonics and continental drift) -- Ship "watches" (time on board ship) -- Communication at sea -- "A" is for anchor, "B" is for boat (maritime miscellany).