Scuba Diving Books

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.

This book answers a lot of questions for those comtemplating taking a scuba course and reminds experienced divers of a lot of things they have forgotten. Authors humor makes book more entertaining and easier to read.

Scuba Scoop is a "user friendly" compendium of answers to the more than 115 most frequently asked questions by novice divers regarding the recreational sport of scuba diving. Gary Shumway's straightforward text is enhanced with more than 120 black and white images related to diving, a list of certifying agencies, certification costs, open water equipment check lists, and the best places for the beginner to dive world wide. A survey of 499 U.S. dive shops, organized by state is also provided as are a reference section of scuba diving periodicals, a section on diving etiquette, a short history of scuba diving, an extensive glossary of terms, and an index. Scuba Scoop is not an instruction manual on the sport, but rather a handy, reliable, comprehensive reference for questions on and about the sport of scuba diving, especially designed for the newcomer to one of the most fun forms of athletic recreation and exploration available today.

This book is a great help to those of us who love to snorkel. It tells you about the equipment and accessories needed, and how to take care of it. It also discusses the techniques, where to go snorkeling, the marine life and a lot more. It is a great book that was recommended to me by my diving instructor. Highly informative and very well-written.

I bought this book based on reviews. I was looking for basic information on snorkeling, which this book delivers. It is well written and comprehensive. Over all, a great buy.

This book covers in detail panic in scuba diving, gives you techniques on how to spot the panic prone diver, and it teaches you ways on how to recognize problems before you hit the water. In addition, the book explains how divers can recognize key elements of anxiety before they lead to panic reactions in yourself and others. I recommend this book to dive masters and dive instructors, it will become an invaluable tool.

This is a must have for any serious dive

The book wreck valley 2 By Daniel Berg is an excelent guide for sports divers and tech divers alike. Daniel Berg brings out and discribes the history of the ships that once sailed the long island sound and Atlantic . If anyone,. not just divers is interested in north east ship wrecks this is the book for you

I found this book very useful in gathering information about the different ship wrecks I have dove on in New Jersey. I highly recomend this book to all wreck divers and ship wreck enthusiasts alike. This book has lots of good photographs and drawings pertaining to the wrecks. You will not be disappointed in purchasing this book.

"The Last Dive" is a very engaging read that is every bit as much about why people take risks at the edge of human ability (diving, mountain climbing, racing, etc.), their personalities, and their weaknesses, as it is about Chris and Chrissy Rouse and their fatal dive on the U-Who.

Although I found "Shadow Divers" and "Deep Descent" a bit more riveting; after the somewhat flowery prose of the initial couple of chapters, "The Last Dive" did an excellent job of bringing me into the club of elite cave and wreck divers, introducing the history and exploits of the key divers including the Rouses, helping to understand a bit of what motivates these divers to make the deep dives and take the risks they do, introducing some of the key wrecks that help to set the stage, and taking you inside the head of the author as he experiences the same fascination, thrill, fever, risk, and pain of a dive gone bad.

The author is a friend of many of the key divers and has personally made many of the same cave and wreck dives and has been through a serious episode of the bends, so he knows what he is talking about. He does a good job of describing technical issues in lay terms, so "The Last Dive" will engage the diver and non-diver alike.

While the lives and personalities of Chris and Chrissy Rouse are a thread running through "The Last Dive"; it is just as much the author's story and that of the other deep wreck divers who take the same risks, and their inner needs and drive to do so. Once you get through the first two chapters, you will find "The Last Dive" to be a page-turning adventure.

Definitely read the postlog chapter, "Ever Deeper". It's not the same rate of adventure as the rest of the book, but the additional information about many of the divers, advances in the science and psychology of deep wreck diving, and further information about identifying the U-Who (covered better in Shadow Divers) is worth the additional reading.

If you are looking for a great book about scuba diving you search has ended. The last dive is amazing and is a great story about a diving family and their quest for improvement.

This isn't Shadow Divers. This isn't written like a NY Times bestseller. It doesn't intensify or create drama like some other books do to try to captivate your interest. This book is written by a diver and is most appreciated by a fellow diver. Some complain of tangents which they say detract from the father and son story. These only serve to richen the experience for me. It not only tells the story but teaches valuable lessons and makes a diver desire further understanding on the many subject which are touched upon.

Maybe I shouldn't write my review, because I didn't finish the book, but it just isn't good. This is supposed to be a tragic story of a father and son that lose their life to a sport they thoroughly enjoy, yet all I get from the writing is a couple of guys who are arrogant and immature. Chowdhury goes between writing technical diving information to dialogue between characters, that reads hollow and adolescent. Not a good read for me. If you're into diving and wrecks, ready Kevin McMurray. He's BRILLIANT!!!

This book will make you laugh, will make you cry, but more importantly, will make you think. This book contains a lot of good, and usable information about diving, the history of mixed gases, and makes you realize even the best can fail. Even with the amount of info contained, Bernie ties it all in to make an enjoyable and easily followed story. Anyone who claims it was boring or he rambled too much, has ADD.

This book SHOULD be read by all new divers!

Puritans this isn't your book. Allow me to state to totally obvious to all the little church ladies out there; the Bohemian lifestyle (think ski instructors, surfing instructors, skydiving instructors, scuba instructors) includes heavy drinking and off the wall antics. But don't miss the point of the wild stories. For every mistake or near miss the author writes about there is a lesson to be learned, even if he doesn't analyze or further expound upon the occurrence in his book. Any diver not narced should be able to figure out the lessons imparted.

Great read about an American living the scuba dream in the "4th or 5th world" as he puts it.

This is a great light hearted, tongue-in-cheek look at diving and dive professionals. It is about one mans experiences and passion for diving and travel. This book should be consumed with a six pack.

Such a great story. Couldnt put it down. A must read for scuba divers.

I bought this book on a whim because I am a scuba diver and I enjoy reading stories about scuba. I found this book of stories very funny and enjoyable. Many of them are not so much about diving as about the diving lifestyle and living in exotic locations. If you are looking for writing that is more centered around diving itself, I would recommend Sea Salt by Stan Waterman. This book is closer to what you would expect from Bill Bryson - a collection of humorous observations and anecdotes.

Zinskey's writing style is witty and self-deprecating. The stories are pretty short and easy to read. In fact, this would be a good book to read during surface intervals on a dive trip. I found Zinskey's observations of people and cultures to be insightful, occasional biting, but always with affection.

Some of the reviews here seem to have issues with the number of stories that have to do with drinking. In my view, this is part of what rings true about the book. There is a culture among divers and dive professionals and drinking is a part of it.

This was among the most enjoyable book of anecdotes I have read in some time and I will look for more from this author in the future. I recommend it as a good vacation read or as a gift for someone who loves travel or diving.

The Rapture of the deep is more about Deep drinking than deep diving. I laughed out loud over and over. A must read for anyone considering professional diving or Drinking

This book changed my life! I grew up in SE LA fishing my whole life, always wondering what was underneath the water, after reading Humberto's book, I decided to try it out. Granted Humberto exagerates some, but that's what makes it such an entertaining read.

I now spearfish the rigs on a regular basis, and it's the most fun I've had since i was a kid. All of the local spearfishing clubs are full of a great bunch of guys as well, including the ones mentioned in the book.

If you have an interest in Louisiana fishing / diving / or spearfishing, you need to read this book.

Sad example of how some men are brainwashed into thinking that destroying life somehow proves their manhood. And the larger the physical body they kill, the more admiration/love they feel for themselves. (Fontana actually believes this is how most other people think, and at one point says a big kill is how to get "the best poon-tang". He says the only thing that is changed is how money replaced the animal body. I'm here to say the reality of what is the "best" sex or the "best" man is vastly different for many of us...including those who farm, hunt, and fish.)

I have nothing against hunting and killing when it is done with skill and respect for animals, and done with the intent of providing food--which is the within the natural order of life. Unfortunately, the following typifies Fontova's attitude. "You see a huge cobia or amberjack lumbering by--schlink--Ba-LOOOM!! and the big sucker stops in his tracks. Must be the same rush as shooting an elephant between the eyes from close range--POW!--and watching him collapse like a dynamited building." Seeing the demise of an intelligent, magnificent creature does not give me a rush. Neither does pretending to be in a death battle with fish who do not have our brains or tools, and as a group (marine species particularly), are being depleted much faster than they can restock and survive. The hunters and fishermen/women I admire are heavily into conservation, killing with as little pain as possible, and don't think seeing somebody about get himself killed is something to brag about. This guy couldn't hold a candle to them.

Fontana talks about using various weapons and giving the fish a chance, fighting "mano a mano". Give me a break. They're stupid fish. There is no real contest here, just a brainless desire to find excitement in the chosen possibility of death, dismemberment, and pain. And when not feeling the desire for that kind of excitement, the "rush of strutting around with serious firepower" will do (i.e. just reminding himself who has the greater killing ability can make him happy). Of course, risking the "icy clutch of danger" is further improved by "serious buzzing" and routine drugging of one form or another. I can't imagine who taught this man these are the ways prove himself worthy among "men". If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a teenager--which is how I came across the book--a seventeen year old kid gave it to me to read. I am so glad most "action" writers I've come across have more spiritual, emotional, and global awareness than Fontova and are better role models for youth.

If glorifying death isn't reason enough to skip this book, try Fontova's attitude on what makes a life worth living. He thinks people come down to Louisiana and get mysteriously transformed for the better by having the desire to do nothing but eat, drink, and get laid. Here's his amusing anecdote to sum up that philosphy. "An old Cajun put it a little more bluntly. 'If you can't eat 'em or F--- 'em, they're worthless." I wonder if he ever considers God's opinion or interpretation of creation. There are certainly no signs of that in this book.

I think I'll go back and reread "Wildlife Wars". Funnier, with more variety, and written by an honorable man who chose to do battle and test himself over things that really matter. Check out Terry Grosz and you'll see what I mean.

Thank you Doug Terry for telling me that triggerfish won't chew my earlobes off! I actually had a nightmare over that one!

As a recreational scuba diver and spearfisherman on Florida's east coast, I found the book a little shy of technical details. For example, what gas mixes did they use, how many of 'em spent time in a decompression chamber, etc. As a quarter-cuban waterman who grew up in Miami and the Florida Keyes, I could relate to many of the scenes in the story.

I was impressed by the writing of Humberto Fontova. It took me back to my youth, and really makes you appreciate the bonds between your buddies. Guys need to get together for some brutal backbreaking, boat pounding, bloody carnage, and beverage-consuming adventure action, every now and then, it's what we do!

The timing of my read, after Hurricane Katrina's devastation, makes you feel for these folks, who truly enjoy life at its best. I wish them all speedy recovery, and hope that all his buddies can find their old sandbar to relax on.....

Mix one part Rodney the Shark Guy, one part Ted Nugent, and two parts your uncle who always seems to have those tall tales, and you wind up with this wild ride through the spear-fishing haunts of Humberto Fontova.

On the surface, it's about about a bunch of guys who just won't grow up and go deep see fishin' (the hard way) off the oil rigs. And it doesn't really get any deeper than that, but does it need to? (And who knew oil platforms had the ecological side benefit of turning into reefs?)

No grand moralizing, just a couple fun guys and their fish tales. You'll be surprised at how hard it is to put down.

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.