Water Lust: A Candid Coming-of-Age Saga

Gerhard Pohle fell in love with the water when he was a child. His parents travelled widely, and he spent his formative years in Indonesia, Madagascar, and India, along with his native Germany. Snorkeling in tropical waters left the little boy with a fascination for marine life—an undertow that would keep pulling him back towards the sea.

This water-loving child—who had only occasionally seen the inside of a classroom—would eventually earn a doctorate and become a marine biologist, but it wo...