I am excited to present Free Dive , book one of my new series, the Nautilus Legends. Free Dive is about a marine biologist who discovers that mythical sea creatures are real. I earned a doctorate in oceanography before I started writing books, and it was a pleasure to bring my writing and science sides together. Free Dive is available for pre-order on all major online retailers (Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books, and Google Play). In honor of the release of Free Dive, I interviewed Leah Thorpe. Leah is the Director of Operations at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, a beautiful aquarium in my hometown of Victoria, BC. Everyone who knows Leah knows of her love of all things ocean and whales, and she has worked for a number of whale conservation groups in the past. She kindly agreed to share with me her love of the ocean in an interview. What's your favorite ocean animal and why?
 
This is a very challenging question. I don’t know how anyone really chooses a favourite when there is such an incredible diversity of weird and wonderful life in this world. I tend to be drawn to things that are very bizarre. The Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) is a great example. This strange looking animal is the heaviest of all the bony fishes and has a flattened body that is as tall as it is long. It was previously believed to be planktonic (meaning it couldn’t swim against the ocean currents) but recent research has shown they can actually swim up to 3.2km/hour. Woah! Slow down Ocean Sunfish!