Women of Water, Amanda Battle | Book 100, July 2025

Women of Water, Amanda Battle | Book 100, July 2025

Ahhh, my 100th book of the year!

If you had told me in January I’d have read 100 books cover to cover, I’d have said no chance. Yet here we are! And what a book to mark the milestone—Women of Water by Amanda Battle.

This isn’t just a book; it’s a movement. A gentle force. A deep breath. It arrived in my hot lil hands just yesterday and already it has found a permanent spot on my shelf, front and centre, right next to my Cait Miers and Russell Ord photography books. This one belongs in that calibre: bold, breathtaking, and quietly soul-stirring.

As I write this, I’ve just dropped my daughter to her dad. I’m parked at the beach, letting the wind settle into my skin, watching the ocean roll in and out like it’s speaking a language I almost remember. I’m also waiting for my love to meet me at Clancy’s for a snack. And in this moment, somewhere between the tide and the tuckshop, I’m taking time to recalibrate with this book on my lap and salt in the air.

I devoured most of Women of Water last night. But I needed a second read before I could even begin to write about it. The stories, the imagery, the honesty it’s the kind of book you feel in your body. These are not just pages, they are variations of my own stories and love of not only the ocean but our gorgeous West Aust coast line.

“The first time, I dived into 12 meters of water in the Ningaloo, I could hear whales singing so clearly and beautifully. I found out that you can cry underwater. That was it. That moment, something switched, healed and planted a seed.”

— Amanda

Amanda’s words sit with you. That sentence alone feels like it’s still rippling inside me. The idea that healing happens mid-dive, that the ocean doesn’t just hold us it changes us. That seed she talks about? I think many of us have one.

“Perhaps the ocean was the protector and parent I never had growing up, I felt safe in the silence below the surface.”

— Laura

There’s something quietly revolutionary about the way Laura phrases this. The sea as a surrogate parent. A safe place. The silence below the surface, where everything loud in life fades. I get it. And I know many others do too.

“We shouldn’t be afraid to dive deep within ourselves to feel truly alive.”

— Maria

This line was like a call. It’s easy to skim over something like that, but not in this book. It’s one of those quotes that sticks with you when you’re doing the dishes or walking the dog. Or parked in a beach carpark thinking about the woman you are and the woman you’re still becoming.

“For me the ocean is a constant lesson in trust and surrender. It reminds me that fear and love co-exist side by side, but ultimately it’s up to me which one I let guide me. And time and time again, I choose love.”

— Toni

Toni’s truth had me sitting still. That duality fear and love and the power of choosing which one leads… It made me think about every decision I’ve made when I was scared but kept going.

“The ocean calls me. It’s how I connect to my loved ones who have passed. It also keeps me on track for my path in life. Whenever I forget my way in life, the ocean reminds me.”

— Molly

This. This is grief, love, and purpose all wrapped in one line. The ocean as a compass. As a conduit. As memory. There’s something incredibly grounding about Molly’s words. The sea doesn’t forget who you are even when you do. 

Women of Water is more than a coffee table book. It’s a love letter to the ocean, and to the women who have let the sea shape them, carry them, and hold them through joy, grief, loss, discovery, and healing.

Featuring stunning photography along the wild Western Australian coast and deeply personal reflections from women of all walks, this book is a visual and emotional offering.

It’s a reminder of the stories that live in us, and the ones the sea draws out when we let it.

Whether you surf, swim, skydive over it or simply sit near the shore watching waves roll in, Women of Water will speak to something inside you that has always known, water heals.