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Neville Coleman OAM (1938 - 4 May 2012) was an Australian naturalist, underwater nature photographer, writer, publisher and educator.

Coleman started scuba diving in 1963, exploring Sydney Harbour. Later he joined a scientific study group and, in 1969, commenced a project aiming to document the entire marine life of Australia, using underwater photography.

His first book, Australian marine fishes in colour, was published in 1974 and he subsequently authored more than 50 books. His books included various texts for scuba divers, shell collectors, amateur naturalists and children, and typically took the forms of field guides, encyclopedias and dive guides. Departures included a collaboration with a poet and CD-ROM companions to printed publications, which included video clips of marine species. His photographs often appeared in publications by other authors on marine subjects.

In 2007 Coleman was inducted to the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame and, in 2011, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for "service to conservation and the environment through the photographic documentation of Australian marine species". Coleman died of natural causes at 4:55 am on 4 May 2012, in his sleep.

Taxon named in his honor

Coleman discovered many marine creatures new to science. Several species of fish, nudibranchs and other invertebrates have been named after him, including:

• The mantis shrimp Lysiosquilla colemani
• The nudibranch Chromodoris colemani
• The pygmy seahorse Hippocampus colemani
• Coleman's melibe or ghost melibe Melibe colemani
• The Sand perch Parapercis colemani

Legacy

Neville Coleman Memorial Dives are held annually, with special events including a sea slug photo competition and public art exhibition held in South Australia.

Bibliography

References

1. "Coleman, Neville Albert". Awards and Culture Branch Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, The Australian Government. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
2. ^ "Neville Coleman OAM Peacefully Passes Away -Underwater Photography Loses A Legend". Divephotoguide.com. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
3. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order Uranoscopiformes: Pinguipedidae, Cheimarrichthyidae, Ammodytidae and Uranoscopidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
4. Baker, Janine. "The Neville Coleman Memorial Nudibranch Dive. Summary of Results from Community Dive Events in South Australia in 2015 and 2016". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. Coleman, Neville (1976). Shell collecting in Australia. Terry Hills, N.S.W. : Reed. ISBN 978-0-589-07195-0.
6. Coleman, Neville; Programs, United States Office of Pesticide (1977). A field guide to Australian marine life. Adelaide : Rigby. ISBN 978-0-7270-0520-5.
7. Coleman, Neville (1978). A look at wildlife of the Great Barrier Reef. Rushcutters Bay, N.S.W. : Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-85835-201-8.
8. Coleman, Neville (1978). Scuba divers introduction to marine biology. [Caringbah, N.S.W. : Australasian Marine Photographic Index.
9. Coleman, Neville; Coleman, Neville (1982). The young observer's book of Australian seashells. Sydney : Methuen Australia. ISBN 978-0-454-00299-7.
10. Willan, R. C.; Coleman, Neville; Index, Australian Marine Photographic (1984). Nudibranchs of Australasia. Caringbah, N.S.W. : N. Coleman. ISBN 978-0-949373-00-7.
11. O'Connor, Mark; Coleman, photographer.), Neville (1985). Poetry in pictures : the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney : Hale & Iremonger. ISBN 978-0-86806-207-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. Coleman, Neville (1987). The underwater Australia dive guide. Melbourne : Nelson. ISBN 978-0-17-006919-9.
13. Coleman, Neville (1990). Australia's Great Barrier Reef (1st ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. : Child & Associates. ISBN 978-0-86777-367-5.
14. Coleman, Neville (1994). Discover underwater Australia (1st ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. : National Book Distributors and Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86436-007-3.
15. Coleman, Neville; Coleman, Neville (1994). Sea stars of Australasia & their relatives. Springwood, Qld. : Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic. ISBN 978-0-947325-21-3.
16. Coleman, Neville (2004). Underwater naturalist (New ed.). Springwood, Qld. : Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-0-947325-29-9.

External links

• Neville Coleman's website - no longer exists
• Books by Neville Coleman
• National Library of Australia
• Scuba Hall of Fame
• CSIRO Taxon Report
• Australian Museum

• 1938 births
• 2012 deaths
• Australian naturalists
• Australian non-fiction writers
• Australian photographers
• Australian underwater divers
• Underwater photographers
• Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia