A new book by author David Helvarg explores and shares the wonders of an ecosystem most California divers are very familiar with: kelp forests.
David Helvarg’s Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp takes readers beneath the ocean’s surface into one of the most important — and least understood — ecosystems on Earth. While coral reefs often capture public attention, vast underwater kelp forests quietly support marine biodiversity, coastal economies, and ocean health across cold-water coastlines around the world. In this compelling and accessible book, Helvarg reveals the beauty, complexity, and ecological importance of these underwater forests, introducing readers to a thriving world filled with sea otters, sharks, rockfish, sea stars, and countless other marine species.
Drawing on decades of experience as an ocean journalist, documentary producer, and environmental advocate, Helvarg combines science, history, and firsthand reporting to explain how kelp forests are being threatened by warming oceans, overharvesting, pollution, and ecological imbalance. The book explores how the collapse of predator species, marine heat waves, and climate change have transformed once-vibrant kelp ecosystems into barren underwater landscapes dominated by sea urchins. At the same time, Forest of the Sea highlights the people working to reverse the damage — including scientists, Indigenous leaders, fishermen, conservationists, and marine restoration teams searching for innovative ways to protect and restore these critical habitats.
More than just a book about marine biology, Forest of the Sea is ultimately a story about humanity’s relationship with the ocean and the urgent need for environmental stewardship. Helvarg demonstrates how kelp forests contribute billions of dollars in economic value through fisheries, food production, shoreline protection, and emerging sustainable industries, while also playing a major role in capturing carbon and supporting healthy oceans. The book balances alarming environmental realities with hopeful examples of restoration efforts and international collaboration, making it both an eye-opening investigation and a call to action.
Author David Helvarg diving among one of our beautiful kelp forests
For readers interested in ocean conservation, climate change, marine ecosystems, or the hidden natural wonders of our planet, Forest of the Sea offers an engaging and timely exploration of an ecosystem many people rarely see but deeply depend upon. Helvarg’s vivid storytelling and investigative approach make complex environmental issues understandable and deeply human, encouraging readers to think differently about the oceans and the fragile interconnected systems that sustain life on Earth.
Forest of the Sea is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from publisher Princeton University Press. David will also be presenting his book live at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, CA on May 14 – 7pm and Book Passage bookstore in Corte Madera, CA May 31 at 4pm.