Del Mar author Chuck Weikert to sign books at Warwick’s ‘Weekends with Locals’

Del Mar author Chuck Weikert will be signing copies of his book Coral Reef Curiosities: Intrigue, Deception and Wonder on the Reef and Beyond, on Sunday, Nov. 14, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Warwick’s bookstore in La Jolla as part of the store’s “Weekends with Locals” series.

Weikert’s fascination with life in and around coral reefs worldwide and his natural ability to tell a tale have resulted in 25 short, engaging, well-researched chapters that reveal the secret lives of reef animals and the intertwined history of reefs and humankind, past, present and looking toward the future. The book is illustrated with dozens of underwater photos and classical artworks, as well as explanatory drawings by scientific illustrator and San Marcos resident Susan Heller.

Weikert was first introduced to the sea life that inspired Coral Reef Curiosities when he served in the Peace Corps. With scuba certification and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Delaware, he taught middle-school math and science in the Kingdom of Tonga for two years as well as training local teachers. In his free time he explored and fell in love with the Tongan coral reefs.

After the Peace Corps he began a long and fulfilling career in the National Park Service, which included 13 years at Virgin Islands National Park. As the Chief of Interpretation, he presented programs and wrote extensively about coral reef ecosystems in numerous Park Service publications and in magazines and newsletters, in print and online.

Now retired, when health and safety considerations allow, Weikert’s enthusiastic and informative presentations entertain visitors to Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he narrates the kelp tank show.

Dayton Publishing of Solana Beach invites armchair travelers, snorkelers, divers, and those who simply share a fascination with the undersea world, to drop by Warwick’s at 7812 Girard Avenue in La Jolla, between 2 and 4 p.m. on Nov. 14, to meet Chuck Weikert and indulge their curiosity.

“Coral Reef Curiosities is a bit large to be stuffed into most stockings,” suggests publisher Linnea Dayton, “but it makes a wonderful gift for the curious.”