About – Paul Harding

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Paul W.J. Harding

Paul W.J.Harding born 1948 in the U.K. Moved to the Bahamas aged 12 years educated in England. After graduation resided in Nassau, Bahamas becoming a qualified Open Water Scuba Instructor and Licensed Boat Captain. During his underwater career he became the first videographer to film “The sharks of Stella Maris” for the Discovery Channel giving birth to the famous ‘Shark Week’ series still featured to this day.

He filmed over a dozen shows as cameraman & director for the “International Outdoorsman” TV series. A series involving skydiving over Texas, skiing with the Norwegian Olympic Champion in Utah, filming in the Red Sea and in the depths of a flooded mine in St.Louis! Won the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Award for his 17 year dive business before learning to fly aged 40. Ordered a factory new seaplane having no clue how to fly! Flight school through all the commercial ratings in central Florida.

Opened the first seaplane charter service in the Bahamas becoming a success for 23 years & over 13,000 hours flying experience before retirement. An accomplished artist & photographer publishing his autobiography “Sharks in the Runway” in 2017. His second publication being the children’s’ book “Henrik the Heron” recently published in 2025. A third children’s’ publication set for 2026/7 Next project started years ago but an ongoing venture into fiction writing, “Extinct” ©

FEATURED IN LEADING MAGAZINES

Recognized Across Aviation & Marine Publications

Paul W. J. Harding’s work and photography have been proudly featured in some of the most respected aviation, boating, and marine lifestyle magazines.

TESTIMONIALS

What Readers Are Saying

I have recently finished "Sharks in the Runway" by Capt. Paul W. Harding and can say, without doubt, that it was one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. I am sorry it came to an end. Paul takes us from the dismal atmosphere of an English boarding school to the tranquil beauty of the Bahama Islands where he now resides. He gives us an early history of the Bahamas, with highlights including the peaceful Governmental revolution of the 1960's which led to Bahamian Independence up to the devastation of Hurricane Matthew less than two years ago.

He described his early days as an assistant to a dive-boat tour company after which he worked his way up to the ownership of a charter boat organization. Regretfully as a result of governmental red-tape, some false friends, and days when the Bahamian weather was not picture-postcard perfect he sold the business and looked for something else to do. He decided to set up a charter sea-plane business. So sure he was of success that he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase a brand new sea-plane before he have even taken a flying lesson of any kind.

If you are interested in travel, a history of the Bahamas, the freedom of flying or witnessing how a man can overcome adversity this is the book for you--I highly recommend it.

This is an amazing read, could not put it down. from start to finish the detail is outstanding, it not only tells the story of the authors amazing life it also chronicles parts of history which affected his life. The story starts with his childhood which he partly lives in the UK and partly in the Bahamas and goes on to detail how he came to love everything about the islands within the Bahamas and how his life was shaped by that love and also his love of flying which resulted in him meeting really fascinating people. I totally enjoyed every page I read really hope another one is written.