Scuba Diving Books

When we were new at snorkeling we relied on boat trips to operator-chosen sites. That was ok then, but our options were limited. So I started researching snorkel sites online for subsequent trips to Hawaii. The information was OK, but not as useful as I'd hoped. I wish I'd found Snorkel Hawai'i three trips ago. The island's site index map, the sites at a glance table [which are a great help at narrowing choices], and the detailed site descriptions and maps were wonderful resources. It was a great thrill sharing a recommended area with and observing [at a respectful distance] wild dolphins resting and playing. The book includes a good selection of useful information and illustrations about other aspects of Hawaii. It's obvious that Judy and Mel have experienced what they're describing, which was another strong selling point. I know the Malinowskis have at least two more future customers after snorklers we met got a look at our copy.

This book was great for precise and concise information about where to snorkel on the Big Island. We used it daily to decide where we would go. It also gave information about where it was safe to take our 2 young and inexperienced snorkelers as well as where to park, the easiest place for entry, and which direction to head once you are in the water. I highly recommend this book.

While a couple years old at this point, this book still pointed the way for me on a recent week of snorkeling on Hawaii. Excellent descriptions and maps of specific reefs and beaches. Good opening introduction to snorkeling for novices. If you are heading to the big island for snorkeling, spend time before your trip with this book and it will pay huge dividends.

After three weeks of snorkeling the Big Island, our copy of Snorkel Hawaii - The Big Island, is dog-eared. The maps of snorkeling spots are worth every penny of the book. They are clear and show everything necessary: best water entry points, best snorkeling spots in a bay (differing between beginning, intermediate, and advanced snorkelers), landmarks, parking, and amenities such as showers and restrooms. The Sites at a Glance section presents all the sites in chart format with ratings, entry difficulty, amenities, and brief remarks. The book helped us target our snorkeling time and we swam with both dolphins and sea turtles, viewing a moray eel and more varieties of tropical fish than we were able to count!

The book works as advertised. You will find the parking, the beach, the fish, and the currents just as described.

I just returned from Playa del Carmen and did two cavern dives.Chacmoo and Tajmaha. If only I had more time. This book is as real as it gets. The water IS as clear as Evian. Steve Gerrard has done a splendid job.

Steve has put together an amazing guide for those divers that want to go to Mexico. It covers everything from where to stay, what sites to go to, what each site has to offer. Steve has done an amazing job. The photos in this book are just breath taking.

While I admit that this is an EXCELLENT resource for cave diving in the Yucatan, and is definately worth 5 stars and the trouble of purchase, there is NO way I can be advocate for some internet jockey raping people for $291 for this book which I bought brand new for $35.00. These people need to either lay off the dope or learn to share.. because that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! If you really want to spend that kind of money, hire a guide or send it directly to steve, but dont buy it here for over $40 usd!
Shop before you buy.. this is not the only source!
(simple cave diver looking out for the like..)

Five Stars Plus. As a certified cave diver of two years, I have found that Steve's book is the most concise, informative, and conclusive book I've read on cave diving. It not only discussed diving in the Riviera Maya, but provides a succinct overview of the preparation and equipment needed to dive in caves. Not only are the pictures highly professional, but they also capture the true to life experience of diving in the cenotes. As other reviewers have stated, I support the comments that this book allows other non-cave divers (as in my family) to get a feel for the underwater cave experience and help explain why we want to go there. James Yeary, Krum, TX

This book is a goldmine of information for the traveler to the Riviera Maya. Cave divers, Cavern Divers, Open Water Divers, Snorklers and Swimmers alike will find this book indispensible.

While some of the best above and under water cave photography in the world is contained within this book, it is the detailed information that allows the adventurer to veer off the beaten path to some of the most beautiful locales in the Yucatan.

As a frequent traveler to the Riviera Maya, this book has led to many locations I would never have found on my own. The author does an excellent job of detailing the many hundreds of cenotes in the area, including location, access, site rating and description, along with a photograph of most all locations. I heartily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Riviera Maya.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. As someone looking to get recertified in scuba, I learned a great deal on how NOT to be a statistic.

Diver Down is an easy to read book that appeals to all divers, expert or novice. The book focuses on mistakes made by divers at all experience, levels which in some cases cost them their lives. Reading this book will enable you to learn valuable lessons without making the same mistakes these unfortunate divers made.

I think among divers it is generally known, that the majority of dive accidents could easily have been prevented with better planning or better reactions to occuring problems.
Newer divers, and even some experienced ones, however lack certain experiences, that make dives safe while still being enjoyable.
This book gets you thinking...
I myself came away from reading it with one or two things that I will do differently in the future...
I can recommend this book to any diver.

One of the best diving books I have read. Makes you re-think how you dive.

If you have logged only a handful of dives or enough to fill a log book, this book is a must read. Learning from other peoples' mistakes could quite possibly save your life, and this book is full of practical, experiential knowledge that will most certainly help you to become a better diver; more aware of the risks involved and how to avoid them. It's also a good intro for those who might be interested in learning to dive, although it quite possibly might scare folks away from the sport. Probably won't be letting my wife read it either.

I'm a recreational diver at the moment and I love this reference guide to some of the amazing stuff you can encounter while diving! Although it's just a small sample of what you'll run into underwater, it's a very informative and helpful guide to browse through before and after your dives to give your dive a fun scavenger hunt! It comes with a retractable clip that prevents it from getting lost or misplaced. A great gift for those considering becoming a scuba diver and veterans alike. Even if you don't go diving it will take you into the amazing underwater world through the wonderful pictures along with a description of the marine life shown.

I like its physical size since its large enough to easily utilize while checking out interesting animals, yet not overly big and clumsy so as to interfere with your equipment. With the animal's photo on one side of the page and its environmental aspects discussed on the opposite side, e.g., size, hiding areas, and behavior, it helps enlarge one's knowledge and appreciation for subject. And I first tested its `waterproof' capability in my marine aquarium, where it was left for 30 minutes, then removed and cleaned in freshwater. Still looks like new, and I'll test it somewhat further when I go to the Caymans in the near future. I'm already looking forward to Vol. 2. Bob Goemans

Just in the first five minutes I learned to much about the world under the sea.Great book.

Waterproof materials, GREAT photos, extremely useful information. I would recommend this clever reference guide to any diver. I can't wait for more scuba dic volumes! Retractable device a must, too.... places marine species identification literally at your fingertips.

I was skeptical at first when I saw this, but I was getting bored just knowing the names of the fish I came across. I thought this would turn out like Fish Flips(eg only names of fish listed for each pic), but it has a LOT more to offer. There are written descriptions for each pic, that don't just list facts, but also explain how to find & approach sea life (eg. Size, time of day, hiding spots/location, animals behavior, etc.), I found this really useful, because after tooling around with my camera, I was getting tired of only getting snapshots of fishtails. The book held up great UW; the pages just got sticky bc I didn't rinse it off initially, but I left it overnight in fresh water and there was no problem after that. Since i started taking along scuba dic for dives, it's been abused more times than tina turner, & its still in good shape....thus far. I do think it's better to get familiar with it on your surface interval vs trying to learn underwater. But all in all, it's a really good idea.

One of the most useful, informative publications I have ever seen on the subject of scuba diving. Coleman has packed a lot of extremely useful stuff into one place. This book is mandatory for all new divers and useful for divers of all experience levels.

This is a fantastic book. It covers just about every thing and is easy to understand. He even attempts a little humor. Well worth the price!!!!

If you only have one book on diving in your bookshelf the "Certified Diver's Handbook" must be a top contender.
One of the most informative handbooks I have ever read. I no way does Clay Coleman try to overwhelm with a "I know it all" attitude. He gives sound solid advice based on experience and analysis of many years diving.
Covers almost every aspect of recreational diving in an easy to read and easy to remember layout. A book for divers that have 5 to 500 dives in their logbooks.

Simply excellent!

the idiots who put this book together placed a segment of 35 pages in upside down and backwards.... who lets that kind of mistake pass thru quality control. there was no info on my invoice like a number to call or a place to email to complain and return the book. This book was under the description as "NEW." Very upset with Amazon lately.

The Certified Diver's Handbook is a wonderful reivew book for all divers, new and old school. This book provides a great reference for new divers to continue improving their diving habits. It's also a good review book for divers who do not have the opportunity to dive on a regular basis.

Good basic reference for diving around Oahu. I got this book for my husband when we moved to Hawaii. He finds it easy to use.

This is a great book. I live in Hawaii and even I found things out I didn't know. It also has a great snorkleing section which is very hard to find. Highly recommend it!

This book is the secret that I needed after I moved to Oahu to avoid expensive boat dives. Great maps both above and below the water to make finding the site just as easy as finding the best underwater attractions. The book covers dive sites all over the island (you can always find a good site even if surf is too high on one part of the island...very valuable - especially during winter months). A "must buy" for any diver planning to explore the coasts of Oahu without a paid guide. You probably won't find this book in any dive shops on the Island...it would take all of their business!

Couldn't believe once I got to Oahu and went to a couple of these dive sites how accurate this book was from directions to reef layout and compass headings. Went on a couple of dives with Oahu divers who were also very impressed with the accuracy of this book. A great resource but I recommend always verifying the sites with locals as there were hazzards that couldn't be mentioned in a book (i.e. at one dive site I found out there is a regular boat charter that doesn't pay attention to dive flags and drops anchor wherever and whenever he feels like it... never would have know that one without the local warning). Still a great book... two of the local guys I dove with from Oahu who are dive instructors are going to buy the book after seeing mine - what better recommendation could there be?

Most all the dive shops here have their own boats they want you to dive from, that's fine, but can get pricey. So being a cheap SoB I love this book and have done quite a few of the dives in it since picking it up a few months ago. Great planning tool for folks coming from off island too since he tells you what time of year it is best to do what dives. As always, leave your vauables at the hotel/house, I advise bringing only your drivers license, c-card and about $10-15 per person for postdive water/gatorade, pineapple or coconut and snacks.

I could not find this book anywhere until I ordered it through amazon. And when I say no one had the NOAA dive manual I mean no one, my favorite dive shop listed it as out of stock so did Barnes and Noble and Hastings where all out of stock with no definitive stocking date.But as soon as I looked at Amazon.com for the publication they had it and shipped to me very quickly.I was very impressed, so thanks again Amazon.com for your professionalism.

This book not only outlines diving processes and procedures, but also the scientific principles behind them. It is by no means light reading, but it you are looking to enhance your knowledge about diving, this is an excellent reference point.

I purchased this book to give me more information on the science of scuba diving for my Dive Con and Dive Instructor courses.

The book gives detailed information on the gas laws, decompression theory as well as information on various forms of diving from contaminated water, tri mix, nitrox etc. The book is very well written and very clear.

If you are interested in get truly advanced knowledge of the effects of scuba diving on the body, I would highly recommend this book even though it is a little on the expensive side.

You can find all the explanations you need for those difficult issues related to diving. Excellent presentation, Beautifully illustrated. Easy to understand. If you want or need to go farther in your understanding of diving, you should get this book.

I sincerely feel that the NOAA Diving Manual should be a required text for anybody who is a diving professional. The information presented is valuable to all divers: recreational, technical, scientific, and commercial. I refer to this text often and bring it to all classes I work.

Outstanding product produced. I was just taken back on how small the book was. the picture was just looked bigger than it is. Other than that it has great resources.

This little book pretty much covers anything that can happen to a diver, and is specific to diving injuries from drowning to the bends to stings and bites. The best thing about this book, aside from the material, is that it is completely made of plastic and is impervious to water so you don't have to worry about taking it on deck with you or even carrying it in your BCD pocket.

If you forgot the information in that CPR class you took years ago this will refresh your memory.

If you dive and can't remember all the first aid you might need, get this little plastic book. It's small enough to fit in your BC pocket and sturdy enough to last forever.

It has the basics of first aid for most diving but DAN also has at least one other specialty dive first aid book.

This pocket guide is a handy reference for basic first aid - easy to read, small enough to be easily portable, and full of good basic information. The wide array of potential medical complications associated with diving are covered in understandable terms without getting too technical. Overall a great resource to have when heading to the water.

I was impressed with the water-resistant printing. However, the medical information is very basic. If you have training, this book is relatively useless. If you don't have training, I guess it would be useful if you happened to have equipment on-board. I would have liked to see more diagrams and much more information.

What a pleasure to finally read this classic book. I grew up loving Cousteau's television programs. Ultimately, I became a diver because of Cousteau.

This is adventure writing at its best. Cousteau was always a master storyteller. That was probably more instrumental to his success than his bravery, innovativeness, or his ability as a diver. This book is a collection of Cousteau's experiences with early scuba. He masterfully captures the awe, the fear, the struggles, and the sense of adventure of the first years of scuba.

I love adventure writing, but sometimes great adventurers are not great writers. Cousteau was both. If you have an interest in Cousteau or in scuba diving, this book is a must read.

As promised in the title, in this book Jacques Cousteau reveals a new world of unanticipated beauty, fittingly described in his charming, French-influenced English phraseology. C. Blickenstorfer has done a fine job explaining the contents of this book, particularly as it relates to divers or those interested in diving history. However, The Silent World, read as a frontier narrative, also has relevance for anyone interested in our current and historical treatment of the ocean.

Humans have interacted with the ocean for ages, but before divers like Cousteau it was a blind interaction, a grasp at resources based on guesses and historical results. Cousteau's underwater observations of trawl-net fishing make clear the change of ideology his "aqualung" opened to humans. Watching the net destroy grasses on the ocean floor, Cousteau reports "Man's method of undersea farming seemed to consist of blighting the acre while reaping a small part of the crop" (48). As opposed to a history of blind grabs at ocean creatures, Cousteau's aqualung gives him the capacity to see without touching, and his narrative provides a chance for our knowledge to begin catching up to our know-how.

Another epiphany facilitated by the aqualung is a completely new set of fears and a new evaluation of old "monsters." The killers of which Cousteau writes are nitrogen in his blood and clams with shells sharp enough to sever air pipes. On the contrary, the octopus, demonized by Victor Hugo as a monster who will suck out a man's innards, shows itself as harmless and shy. Cousteau concludes his chapter "Monsters We Have Met" with a jocularity that is persistent in the work: "If none have eaten us, it is perhaps because they have never read the instructions so generously provided in marine demonology" (222).

Cousteau's reinterpretation of the ocean brings readers to the fundamental questions of humans and their environment. How are we going to think of this new space? Should we sell it as new realty? Militarize it? Farm it? Should we simply Keep Out in a quest to guard some portion of the earth against ourselves? Those from my generation who have mythologized Cousteau as a heroic conservationist might struggle with Cousteau's narrative. This is not the work of a dolphin-hugger. Cousteau writes of his exploits kidnapping an endangered monk seal pup in his desire for an aquatic hunting dog (the seal almost dies and is given to a zoo) and bludgeoning most large sea creatures who get close enough. This includes wounding a captured porpoise to watch sharks eat it alive, an act which he justifies with "It was cruelty to an animal but we were involved in a serious study [. . .] and had to carry it out" (234).
In his conclusion, Cousteau asserts "Obviously man has to enter the sea. There is no choice in the matter. The human population is increasing so rapidly and land resources are being depleted at such a rate, that we must take sustenance from the great cornucopia" (266). Both those who would agree with this 1950s assumption and those who believe this "cornucopia" has been already overexploited can gain insight from this book as a well-written record of human reactions to the new world under the waves.

As a diver for long years, I remember the old b&w tv days, when we find happiness with Cousteau's documentary films. Now it's a mirracle to be able to purchase the whole collection in DVD format.

As great a read today as it must have been over 50 years ago. Being a modern day technical and recreational dive instructor I still find this book a fascinating read and would recommend it to all ages to divers and non divers alike.

What can be said about Jacques Cousteau and his groundbreaking book that hasn't been said a thousand times? He is undoubtedly the defining figure of modern scuba diving, his books, films, and documentaries known to millions or billions. Even the name of his ship, the Calypso, is known the world over. It's a small volume, this book, just 160 pages, yet it's absolutely mandatory reading for anyone interested in what Cousteau termed "the silent world" under the surface of the water that covers 71% of our planet. The Silent World is the bible of modern scuba diving.

Jacques Cousteau himself died in 1997 at the age of 87, but the legacy of his pioneering work with diving and diving physiology lives on. It is all well documented and disseminated worldwide, thanks to this French explorer's unique combination of instinctive understanding of the world under the surface and his equally unique knack of spellbinding the world with his words and images. A total master of public relations and getting the word out, Cousteau managed to grab attention and media coverage wherever he went. Critics went so far as suggesting his media talents exceeded his actual contributions to understanding the seas.

At first it's hard to figure out why this slim volume became such a success. It's not a textbook, it doesn't cover the history of diving or even much of Cousteau's own research, and it's not an adventure book. Though Cousteau was French, he wrote The Silent World in English as he had attended American schools in his youth, widely traveled the US, and, of course, extensively lectured in his enchanting French-accented English. Yet, The Silent World clearly reveals its author's non-English origin and decidedly "non-English" thinking. The writing, while precise, often suggests that Cousteau frequently described a word or concept that existed in his native French, but did not directly translate into English. As a result, the writing at times seems a bit flowery and, well, foreign, and you need to read a sentence or paragraph two or three times to figure out what it actually means. Cousteau's liberal use of metaphors, artistic nuances, poetic concepts and words that have since fallen out of currrent language only serve to make The Silent World even more unusual of a literary treat.

Anyone looking for technical explanations, precise history, a logical flow of events, or anything one might expect from a world-famous documentary maker and researcher will not find it in this book. The Silent World is a totally unique, very compressed tale flowing from Cousteau's mind. Read half a chapter and you know the man; he's a unique combination of inspired philosophical observer and gifted researcher with uncanny intuition. While others conducted their research methodically and ploddingly, Cousteau always just seemed to know what to expect, how to behave, and what to seek and avoid to make it all seem easy. He and his close associates and friends Phillipe Tailliez and Frederic Dumas used their "aqualung" to experient liberally in sort of a "Hmmm.... this is probably what will happen, let's go check it out!" approach.

Using this, Cousteau describes the difference between "helmet divers" and the newly liberated users of their "aqualung" -- what we now know as air tanks and regulators. The book casually touches on all the principles of diving physics and physiology, the stuff we learn in our PADI and NAUI classes. He describes sea life, how it reacts, where it lives, how it behaves, and what is dangerous and what is not. They see just how deep they can go. They check how colors change. What nitrogen does and why we need recompression chambers. He offers his views on treasure hunting (not worth it; if you find real treasure authorities and hordes of lawyers will soon apprehend it). He reports on atrocities he witnessed underwater, like the needless destruction of corals and cruel killing of fish. He debunks myths of sea monsters, seeks answers to geological phenomena such as the Fountain of Vaucluse near Avignon, one that almost cost him and Dumas their lives in a pioneering effort at extreme cave diving. He describes what fish do and how they react. And sea mammals and other sea critters. Sharks remain an enigma to Cousteau as his conclusion is that you simply cannot understand or predict them.

So The Silent World relates, in 14 fascinating self-contained chapters, pretty much everything we know about diving today, 60 years after Cousteau began researching as a "manfish," all the principles we know, and it's all neatly and attractively presented in tales that always mix research with adventure. Cousteau never preaches or lectures. He just explores, pushes, interprets, and reports. Maybe Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a showman as much as a researcher. If so, good for him as otherwise we may never have had the opportunity to learn from him and enjoy his remarkable insights. -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, scubadiverinfo.com

This is a useful book for some pre-dive trip planning. It gives basic information about the islands such as best time to go, language, etc. It also list places to stay and eat on each island. While that can be useful, I use more up to date information I find online.

However, the dive site information is very good and useful. It rates each dive site with stars, tells you what to expect to see, how deep each site is, etc. So when you get to your destination you will have an idea of what sites you want to dive.

This comes in especially handy when you go to places such as Cozumel when they ask you what sites you want to dive that day. With the info in this book, you'll know what you want to see.

I use it before I go on each of my dive trips and copy the relevant pages to bring with me so I can suggest some sites if noone else has a preference. I've found the descriptions to be accurate and agree with most of the ratings thus far.

As a general guide for hotels, etc., you can find better and more up to date info, but as a dive guide, it is more than worth the price.

I bought this book as a Christmas gift, and my fella has been carrying it around the house ever since. We are both impressed with the detail and accessibility of the information. I was surprised that Paradise Island (Nassau) is not highlighted, but there are definitely many other must-see locations in the Caribbean.

The new, 2006, third edition of Best Dives of the Caribbean is packed full of dive-vacation planning information. It tells what time of year to go, the most popular dive sites with details on what to expect, depths, average sea conditions-- I get seasick if it's rough and prefer diving where the sites are ten minutes or less by boat, or better yet accessible from the beach. Indeed, some of the other one-desination guides are more suitable for the coffee table, but they don't tell me anything about the dive resorts, the $$ cost. I would not consider planning a dive-vacation to the Caribbean without consulting this gem of a travel guide. The dive resort write ups are detailed and give rates and package deals. Any, the author gives an email for additional questions.

A "must have" reference for any Caribbean dive vacationer. I've got the first edition as well and have used it to choose many of our dive trips over the past 5 yrs. It's by no means a compressive guide, and it doesn't pretend to be one. The best feature of this guide is the brief overview of diving and snorkeling and the descriptions of top dive sites at the destination. I prefer to use active internet forums for current reviews of hotels and dive operators, but the listings in Best Dives does help me narrow down to just a few to consider.

love this book. My dive vacations are strickly to take underwater photos and being able to plan ahead makes my life so much easier. It gives me the airlines, the resorts with prices, when I can expect good weather. It's like having a personal travel planner. I would not plan a Caribbean dive trip without consulting this trustworthy book.