Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake: Life Lessons from Sixty Sea Creatures

by Cara Giaimo, Vlad Stankovic (Illustrator)

Overview

Sixty bizarre and beautiful marine creatures offer affirmations for self-confidence, serenity, and fulfillment—drawn from real-life facts about our fascinating natural world.

If you sometimes wish you could sink back into the depths of the ocean, great news—the strange little guys who still live down there will receive you with open arms (and fins, claws, and tentacles). But if you’re not quite ready to take to the sea, these friendly denizens of the deep offer solid advice for living on dry land, such as the following:

• “If you’re happy and you know it, digest your brain.”—The star tunicate, who avoids anxiety by digesting much of its own body
  
• “Never be afraid to set—and enforce—your boundaries.”—The gloomy octopus, who protects its personal space by throwing dirt at anyone who bothers it
  
• “It’s good to get it all out.”—The fire-breathing shrimp, who vomits bioluminescent goo when threatened
  
• “If you love someone, absorb them into your bloodstream.”—The fanfin anglerfish, who expresses love by fusing with its mate
  
• And more wonderfully wacky undersea weirdos who really know how to live!
  

Beautifully illustrated with striking watercolor portraits of the ocean’s most eccentric creatures, Leaving the Ocean Was a Mistake will make you long to return to the seas—but it will also help you bring a freewheeling, relaxed, self-actualized ocean spirit to even the driest life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683695080
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	10/07/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	140 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Cara Giaimo is a science journalist who loves writing about our fellow species. You can find her work in the New York Times, Atlas Obscura, The Plant, and elsewhere. Cara lives in Somerville, MA, above sea level.

Vlad Stankovic is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Sydney, Australia.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Hey! No—over here in the water. It’s us, the friendly creatures of the sea. You’ve sent us so many messages over the years, although we’re not sure we understand the really oily ones. We think they might be cries for help? So we’ve been putting our heads, front segments, decentralized neurons, etc., together, and now we have a message for you.

Just to recap: For some reason, a little while ago, a few of you decided to leave your perfectly good ocean habitat and go do land stuff. You started walking, talking, and inventing commerce, and the rest is apparently something called history.

Of course we respect your choice! We’re just a little concerned, that’s all. Most of what we hear (and smell and absorb) from your realm is pretty gnarly. (What are “student loans”???) Meanwhile, we’ve also been evolving up a storm, and not to brag, but we’re pretty sure we did it right. So we wanted you to know that if you’re ever inspired to sink back into the sea’s watery depths, we’re here to welcome you with open tentacles and gaping mouths.

But if you insist on sticking to the land, maybe we can give you a little advice? It’s never too late to change how you do things, even if you have legs now.

Editorial Reviews

Giaimo does a wonderful job engaging readers’ sense of wonder by introducing them to animals that they may have never encountered before, while also dispensing nuggets of advice to bring smiles to their faces.”—Library Journal

From the Publisher