Scuba Diving Books

I was really excited when i read this book. It is reallyfantastic!! Especially the ending. I couldn't stop reading thisbook. Read this book so you won't regret.

I ADMIT I WAS TERRIFIED WHEN THE MYSTERY NOTE WAS SENT TO THE WAKEFEILD TWINS BUT ALSO EXITED.SWEET VALLEY HAS ANOTHER MYSTERY TO SOLVE AND THE TWINS WILL MAKE SHURE TO SOLVE IT!BUT BEWARE THIS BOOK IS SURE TO GIVE YOU A SCARE AND SOME EXITEMENT TO GO ALONG WITH IT!

It is spring break, and identical twins elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are taking a scuba diving course at Pirates Cove. On their first dive they discover the remains of an old pirate ship, and half a golden heart buried in the sand. Soon the twins receive spooky chain letters demanding what was taken from the sea returned. Jessica continues the letter; Elizabeth doesn't. Suddenly terrible things start happening to Elizabeth. she finds threatening notes in her room and a live scorpion in her lunch bag. Can Elizabeth discover the secret of the golden heart before the curse destroys her?

When I saw this book in a local store,I bough it immidiatley.
It was so great that I have no other book of such beauty.
Although I know that this is a diving guide and not an overblown photo book,I bought it mostly for the images.
It is done in a very aesthetic way,accompanied by some short facts about the animals and where they usually live. Although not as species-rich as some other seas of the world,The Caribbean is a very fascinating area with all of it`s shapes in the reefs. There are even some "personalities" among the fishes.
The photographs are capturing both cuteness and humour,majestic reefscapes,and just sheer beauty,like the stingrays.
The Caribbean is definitley a very colourfull marine area,and the largest coral reef of the northern half of the world.
Although I do not dive myself,I find this book very helpfull,because it is telling you about the temperature of water and air,when to go,special interests,etc.
And,as a sample from the book,here are the ten golden rules for Diving:

*Avoid touching coral with your hands,fins,tanks,etc.

*Do not wear gloves

*Never stand on coral

*Do NOT collect any marine life

*Avoid overweighting and work on your buoyancy control

*Do not feed fish alien foods

*Make sure your equipment consoles to not drag the coral

*Do not use spear guns

*Do not molest marine life

*Do not climb inside barrel sponges

*Through your reactions,consider your impact on aquatic life

*Report any environmental disturbances of destructions of any divesite
So,that is why I like this book so much. It combines the practical elements with the artistic.
To the ones interested in diving,buy it for the facts.
They are certainly good to know.
To naturalists,buy it for the photographs. They are quite inspiring and attempting. Among my favorites are giant sponges,
stingrays,groupers,moray eels,and anemones.
Now,dive in and get your own marine life adventure!

"Diving in the Caribbean" is a gorgeous guide to over 100 underwater attractions in 17 of the most splendid sites in the Caribbean. Veteran underwater photographer and author Lawson Wood takes us from Bermuda and the Bahamas to Belize and Mexico's Caribbean coastline. He not only writes an informed and concise essay on each locale, he provides a side-bar that lists such helpful details as Best Time to Go, Climate, Getting There, Special Interest, Accommodations, and Dive Operations. Wood's photos are large, clear, and plentiful. Some pictures are even double-paged (e.g., giant stingrays at Grand Cayman, a stretch of craggy coastline at Dutch Antilles, and a school of tiny bluehead wrasse patroling resplendid reef crests). Wood is such a fine photographer that I wish he had included more exterior shots of the islands and dive locations! This handsome volume is a commendable purchase.

With more than 250 photographs and maps, this book will give you plenty of information about one of the world's hottest diving destinations. From the Gulf of Mexico to the Windward islands, passing through Cuba, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, Belize, Bonaire and Curacao, you will get to know the best dive sites in the Caribbean, with indication on the best time to go, how to get there, the climate, accommodation and dive operations and useful emergency information. The pictures, by underwater photographer and author Lawson Wood, are extraordinary and there is also a well-written description of the islands and diving locations, and although the book is a little expensive, it is worhty, specially if you are a snorkeler a scuba diver or just love the sea. Go for it!

If you like Hunter S. Thompson's brand of gonzo journalism you will like this book, although it is certainly milder than "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", but the style is similar. I read it while on a liveaboard in the Caribbean, and it is definitely of interest to scuba divers. All in all, a most enjoyable read.

This is probably one of the most enjoyable books I have read in the last five years. The author and his cohorts are definitely brave, almost certainly missing a few screws and possibly suicidal, but they enjoy what they are doing so much that after a while the insanity of it all doesn't seem to matter. Stories about divers diving with football helmets so they don't get knocked out on the steel beams of the oil rig and the stalking of sharks (!!) in the opaque murk at the bottom of the sea floor would seem farcical or just stupid coming from almost anyone else, but when Fontova writes it is riveting, believable and also hilarious.

Fontova is often brutally honest about the risks that the rig-divers take. While his writing clearly expresses the enjoyment and thrill of this type of spear fishing, he does not try to glorify it or to imply that it is safe or easy or simple, because it is none of those things.

One of the best things about this book is also one of the most unexpected: it's not just about hunting, it's about everything else too. In between the stories about the dives, Fontova talks about south Louisiana culture, the workings and modification of spear guns, the theory of operation behind scuba gear, the rules for how deep and how long it is considered safe to dive (after which he talks about how the rig divers exceed all limits of safety or even common sense on their dives), the dynamics of the mixing of the Mississippi River water with the Gulf of Mexico water, a brief history of oil rigs, basic fish anatomy and the types and temperament of fish seen around the rigs, why Jacques Cousteau once gave a talk at a local dive shop, a first-person perspective on Che Guevera, and dozens of other things besides.

This is really an excellent book that I have recommended and will continue to recommend to family and friends. The only people who probably won't like it are anti-hunting activists and those that feel Prohibition should never have been repealed. Aside from them, it has something for everyone.

As a diver and avid spearfisherman I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. Humberto expertly illustrates the essence of what it takes to dive on an oil platform. This aspect of scuba diving is definitely not for the faint at heart. His light humor throughout the book as he describes his dive buddies, friends, and adventures keeps your attention and adds to the story. I've never dived on an oil platform or "rig" as they are called, but after reading the book and hearing about all the big fish lurking below, I'm looking into making a trip to good ole Louisiana. Although he describes hunting 100 lbs plus fish, I'd settle for the 30 pounders. His stories of murky waters, sharks, eels, and angry trigger fish make you think twice about actually diving in, but hey, that is what makes for great diving stories. My hat off to Humberto. I only wish his book had more stories...at 203 pages, my appetite was just getting wet.

Bought this book as an additional source of info prior to doing my PADI Ice Diving Course. I've found instructors teach what they know which isn't always what is safest so I wanted to make sure when I made decisions they were informed ones. This book helped me ask some questions regarding my own safety I would never have thought about had I not read it. Anyone considering taking an Ice Diving course should buy this book and read it prior to taking the course. Remember singnals are different depending who your instructor is but as long as everyone is using the same ones it's OK. This book is definately worth the money.

I am taking the YMCA ice diving course now and although the YMCA has it's own text, I decided to read this book for some additional insight. I'm glad I did. This book is packed with color photos of ice diving activities and was very easy to read. This text made a great addition to my course's text. A MUST read.

This book is well written and illustrated, and goes deeper into the theories and explanations than the other dive books I've collected. It's obvious that the author is a balanced, experienced diver who can also teach and write like a pro. If you're interested in learning beyond the basic dive certifications (OW/AOW) this is a must on your diver locker shelf!

As an author myself, it's a pleasure to find a book that presents the information so well that the words don;t get in the way.

Jackson's Complete Diving Manual is a large format paperback printed on glossy stock and full of color photographs and helpful illustrations and diagrams, ranging from concepts to technical drawings. It's not a picture book, just one that uses graphics and visuals very well to illustrate text. Jackson is an award-winning photographer and advanced diver, and the book also benefitted from input by Scuba Diving Magazine technical editor Michael R. Ange, author of "Diver Down."

The Complete Diving Manual is a great and pleasant way to get an idea what scuba diving is all about. It's a rather complete introduction to beginners and newcomers, but contains enough detail and useful reference diagrams that the book has its place in the library of any diver, all the way yo advanced and technical. To give an example: where most general introduction to diving may have brief description of, say, the second stage in a regulator, Jackson provides detailed drawings and diagrams that show and label every part. That way readers can, if they choose, figure out exactly how a piece of equipment works. This approach even extends to more advanced equipment, such as rebreathers. There are full diagrams how a regular scuba unit compares to a semiclosed rebreather and that from a closed-circuit rebreather (where each of 24 parts and systems is shown and labeled). Yet, it never gets dry as everything is accompanied by terific photographs as well.

In terms of overall content, Jackson covers all the basics. What diving is all about, equipment, physiology, training, planning, types of diving, technical diving, safety and dangers, travel, trips, and so on. Type is large and easy to read. It is also logically arranged, and, thankfully, omits the numerous (and often redundant) tips and tricks and bullet points you'd find in the "for Dummies" book on scuba diving that essentially covers all the same points. Jackson simply builds the information into the text itself. Also helpful: a very detailed glossary of diving terms and a listing of all the pertaining agencies and organizations.

The Complete Diving Manual is just that; it provides a total overview of scuba diving and what all it entails. It's all presented in a large format, colorful book that uses a variety of visuals to illustrate, entertain and explain. Want to see the conceptual difference in both basic and balanced diaphragm and piston first stage mechanisms? It's in there, shown in simple, logical graphics. Apart from the methodical and comprehensive description of all aspects of scuba, Jackson's ability to pick just the right visuals to illustrate and explain are the strongest parts of the Complete Diving Manual.

Its a terrific book, fantastic pictures. Liked that you could get helpful hints for point and shoot UW cameras, not just the expensive ones. Only thing I didn't care for was that the commentaries were not continued on the next page - you had to go 2 or 3 pages for them to continue.

Physical limitations now prevent me from diving, but I started young, very young! In fact, in the late 1940's by simply holding my breath and going as deep and as long as possible to see `nature' in areas along the east coast of North America and various areas in the Caribbean. And in the following decades when traveling to other global areas where the ocean was a short distance away, I always made time to explore the local depths. And even though I've never owned sophisticated diving equipment, or had the skill to photograph underwater creatures, those adventures brought much pleasure and an appreciation for the complexities in the underwater world. I've also been an aquarist for over 60 years, and have tried to duplicate nature in all my aquariums, whether they were freshwater or marine aquariums.

And in the past where certain world areas where not available to me, I depended upon the `icons' such as Jacques Cousteau and others to publish the results of their diving adventures so I could enjoy seeing the fruits of their underwater travels. Today is no different, and thank goodness there are people like Andrea & Antonella Ferrari! Their new book `The Art Of Underwater Photography' is a welcome addition to my library, and even though I cannot comment on its photography techniques and equipment, except to say it appears quite informative, I can say I'm impressed with their organization of the material and its artwork. Therefore, whether you're an armchair adventurer or diver, (even a past diver like myself), you'll enjoy slowly going through this massive 360 page book and viewing their and their co-contributors stunning contributions!
Bob Goemans

This book picks out the twenty-one best diving sites in the British Virgin Islands and gives a page or two of descriptive text about each. Each dive site has one or more pictures to show the reader what to expect. Each dive site also has some general descriptions such as the typical depth, the current condidtions, how to access the site, and what expertise is required. There is a map on which all of the sites are located. There is a rating system the book uses to inform the diver whether a place is suitable for a beginner or an expert. The book also serves as a general guide to the BVI, including history, food, culture, lodging, and tourist information. The book includes some helpful tips on diving in the BVI and warns about the dangers underwater.

Our group used this guide in doing dives from our yacht in the BVI. I found it to be comprehensive enough to help us to find the dive sites fairly well without asking too many questions of the locals. There were only one or two sites which we wanted to dive which we didn't find.

I liked the ratings of the dives from beginner to expert but I think adding a 'star' rating would help people to determine what particular dive to choose when there are many choices. Also helpful would be to include a map of the dive site (some other dive books do this) which would help in planning the dive. These are the only reasons I didn't give this book a 5 star rating.

This book was also valuable in explaining potential problems with dives such as currents or choppy seas. It also provided the maximum and minimum depths and these were pretty much on target. The book was definitely a valuable asset on our trip.

Easy read, could have been more in depth about some aspects.

Steven Barsky, has written another excellent publication, that is an absolute requirement in every divers bookcase. He clearly explains the concerns that every diver should consider before diving into questionable water. For the professional diver this will be the book you will use to ensure your safety. Without a doubt all public safety divers must read this book. To remain safe underwater every diver will want to read "Diving in High-Risk Environments" for their health.

If you're used to PADI textbooks with glossy photos or summarized explanations about why certain diving rules hold true, you will be slightly overwhelmed. This is an in-depth discussion of the art and science of breathing underwater.
As you may know, Tom Mount is the founder and current CEO of IANTD which is slowly surpassing TDI as the predominant certifying body of technical diving. His work is backed by the experience of thousands of dives and the lessons from a few mistakes that he discusses candidly in his book (i.e. on-site DCS treatment, what happens when you dive REALLY deep on air). I have read several books on the subject, to include my training manuals and Mount and Gilliam's work is one of the most comprehensive without getting into advanced physiology.
What impressed me the most was the holistic approach they take to diving. They go as far as to discuss the process of aerobic cellular respiration, what it's like to visit a hyperbaric chamber, how to ready a patient on your boat for helicopter rescue and reference yogis and Buddhist monks in proper breathing and relaxation techniques to improve air consumption and reduce CO2 absorption. The information about rebreathers and dive computer technology is a little dated, but their discussion of the development and history of decompression tables (Buhlman, VPM, etc.) that today's modern computers are based on is still relevant. The chapters on gas blending, equipment setup and selecting the best mix for a given depth and duration are readable and offer "plug-in" formulas and practical exercises with an answer key in the back.
As with any diving activity, no one should ever undertake a practice they are not trained for, but understanding this book before you receive your training will further your comprehension of topics your instructor may only skim over or avoid discussing.

Mixed Gas Diving looks primarily at the use of exotic gas mixes for diving the extremes. There is a useful chapter on Nitrox for recreational divers, as well as good information on Trimix for those delving a little deeper. The book is comprehensive and explores breathing techniques and the physiologicial effects of different gases. Slightly dated now by new rebreather teechnologies, the book is excellent reading for aspirant Nitrox divers and those already using this gas mix. Required reading for Technical Divers. Chris Cherrington (UK)

The Riggers at Long Beach Naval Shipyard were the best!! The Divers there did take chances like the ones in the book. I remember when I worked there, we lost a young kid in the diving gang; a new diver at that. When the Navy wanted something done, the yard did whatever it took to get it done and get it done when the Navy wanted it done. I loved LBNS, it was good to me. I made a good living; but between the diving techniques, the asbestos, fiberglass, welding smoke, deadly fumes and other harmful elements, getting the job done was the only thing that mattered to the Navy.

I had read Riggers that Dive a few months ago, and found it very interesting what these men endured as rigger divers for the shipyard. This book seemed to tell real stories, not (candy coated) of what they went through. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in diving, or who works or ever had worked in the shipyards.