M a r i n e E c o l o g i s t & M e m o i r i s t
Mark R. Wilson
Firsthand Look into Hurricane Irma
Irma is a memoir and my first book.
Irma is a truly captivating tale and fascinating journey that describes how all of us can transform a life without direction into one full of passion, determination, drive, hard work and adventure. In the summer of 1996 Mark jumped into the water off the Cornish coast of England with two basking sharks. In the moment, it was an impulsive act; in hindsight it stretched beyond the bounds of the day as the turning point of a life. What was a fascination slowly became a passion, for the ocean, for marine conservation and particularly for sharks.
But will a passion be enough to mask the pain and mistakes of the past and keep the demons at bay?
Then in September 2017 hurricane Irma strikes, and truly believing he would not survive, Irma was able to reach far beyond the events of the day and into his very core. In an attempt to answer a question and to understand himself and the past he begins to write, but at what cost?
It is said that in the face of death life flashes all too briefly before our eyes, but all too often we are not given the opportunity to bring these flashes to a reckoning. I was given this opportunity with Irma and this book is my reckoning.
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“How inappropriate to call this planet earth when it is quite clearly ocean”
Arthur C. Clarke
A b o u t
Mark R. Wilson
Mark grew up in the South West of England and attended school in Exeter during the seventies and eighties. He worked at the University of Exeter for thirteen years as an inventory and procurement manager. In 1997, after a life changing encounter with Basking Sharks, Mark's fascination and connection with the ocean grew exponentially so that in 2005, at the age of 36 he returned to the classroom. Mark earned an honours degree in marine ecology and a masters degree in marine biodiversity from the University of Plymouth. After graduating he was involved in several marine studies and took up work as a dive instructor across the globe. In early September of 2017 on the Caribbean island of St Martin he found himself directly in the path of hurricane Irma, having only been on the island for a few days. Inspired by the events of that day, in late January of 2018, he set out to do something he had never before considered. He began to write.
Irma is a memoir and his first book.
"Through the provision of amazing and memorable underwater experiences, I aim to educate and inspire people to care about sharks and all other life in our oceans. "
- Mark Wilson
