Scuba Diving Books

We really like this book, and used it as a reference source for some of the information in our website (see email address). It has nice photographs, detailed descriptions of the bigger reefs, and is written with a fun, interesting tone. Definitely recommended.

The book featured is an excellent Lonely Planet guide. It has been written taking into consideration low budget travellers and presents sites for divers in the Red Sea around locations including the popular Sharm el Sheikh and Ras Muhammed, Eliat and the Brothers. The information on each site includes: depth and visibility; required expertise; bottom terrain; currents; marine life; safety tips; and local dive shops. Most of the chapters are easy to read and actually are very well written. However, some of the tips are a little bit outdated (the book was written in 1994). In any case, it is cheap and very useful.

We used this book during our recent trip to the Seychelles. It was thorough and guided us to colorful reefs and the descriptions of dive sites were better in real life than the book described ! Fantastic guide.

Truk offers about the best u/w photography in the world, and this book gave me an idea of what to expect, and how to get ready. And was a great help in identifying some of my shots when i got back. Can't wait to go back. More wrecks are discovered every day there i hear, so i hope the author writes an updated version soon.

This is a great book for divers & snorkelers, diving along the Sea of Cortez. It covers many locations. It has quite accurate underwater descriptions of dive sites & is very informative as to the specific areas & what they have to offer.

This is a great book for the area. I actually spend time with Cindy, the author in Utila for a couple of weeks. She is a wonderful, talented, and dedicated woman and this book shows all of her best features. The pictures are beautiful and vivid and her knowledge of the area is very useful. For anyone diving in the bay islands, this is a great pick.

Ever considered a trip to Bermuda? Take one look at this book and you will. Bermuda is world-famous for some excellent historic shipwrecks and, speaking as someone who writes about shipwrecks for a living, I was very keen to see what original information was available to me. The answer was "Quite a lot."

"Diving Bermuda" measures 10" x 7" and is another diving guide in the well-established medium size format from Aqua Quest Publishing of New York. As I have said before, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. Little wonder Aqua Quest are a leading name in the USA for books such as this.

Not only is this book well-presented from beginning to end, but, as a Guide for Divers considering a visit to this country it achieves all the requirements for such a guide. Chapter One is an overall introduction containing details of Bermuda's Maritime Legacy - from the past to the present. This is followed by all the vital and relevant information a visitor needs to know when planning a trip including sections on Accommodations (to suit all budgets.), Shopping and Dining.

Having, therefore, set the scene as far as the country is concerned, the book then concentrates on the dive sites with three chapters providing all the relevant information - both terrestrial and submarine. This includes no fewer than 20 shipwrecks but, for those who prefer not to visit man-made objects underwater, an additional chapter is dedicated to the country's stunning reefs and marine life.

If all that is not enough, the Authors have also given thought to those who limit their underwater activities to Snorkelling with a further chapter detailing several good sites. With a final chapter on the all-important subject of Safety, the book is then rounded off with Appendices on local Scuba Diving facilities and Bermuda Tourist Board Offices in the USA. Time to grab that phone and make some enquiries I think.

With almost every page decorated with high quality colour images and maps, this has to be rated as a first class book which achieves exactly what a Diving Guide should achieve and I congratulate the Authors and Publishers on an excellent product.

NM

My first reaction on taking delivery of this book was very positive. What an excellent and refreshing concept - to produce a guide book for Scuba Divers to a series of resorts owned by one company as opposed to a country or region. Perhaps the publishers will also consider something very similar for those fleets of live-board diving boats that operate under the same flag but are found dotted around the world's leading Scuba Diving destinations - such as Peter Hughes and the Aggressor Fleet. Just a thought.

Measuring 10" x 7" "Diving Club Med" comes in the well-established medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest Publishing of New York. As I know from experience, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. Little wonder they are a leading name in the USA for books such as this.

From beginning to end, the reader is treated to a well-presented format containing plenty of vital and relevant information all lavishly supported by high quality colour images and maps. Chapter One is a potted history into the Club Med concept and this is followed by the company's overall approach to Scuba Diving, their policies, procedures and regulations combined with the diving programmes and training courses generally available.

From Chapter 3 onwards we get down to cases and these include the Club Med facilities in Turks & Caicos, St. Lucia, Bahamas (Columbus Isle and Eleuthera), Mexico (Cancun, Playa Banca and Sonora Bay), French Polynesia and Martinique. The final chapter, however, is all about their very own ship "Club Med" and her sailing/diving itinerary. I didn't even know Club Med had a ship and with ports of call such as Les Saintes, St. Barthelemy, BVI, Marie Galante, Nevis & St. Kitts, St. Martin, Dominica, St. Lucia, Bequia, Barbados, Tobago and Tortuga (to name but some) this is clearly one means of reaching some very remote diving destinations where the local diving facilities may be anything from lacking to non-existent.

For those people who would like to consider combining their annual diving vacation with the overall holiday atmosphere for which Club Med is world-famous, this book is a must and is thoroughly recommended.

NM

The author, Martha Watkins Gilkes, has lived and traveled in the Eastern Caribbean for over 25 years. This gives her a unique personal knowledge of the best diving in this more remote area of the Caribbean. From the more well known islands like Barbados to the remote islands like Anguilla, the reader will get first hand information on the diving sites. Forwarded by STAN WATERMAN and PETER BENCHLEY, the book is a practical hands on diving guide.

Once again we have an excellent combination of Author and Publisher who have collaborated to provide an invaluable guide book for any diver contemplating a trip to Hawaii. "Diving Hawaii" is another Scuba Diving guide book in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. These publishers have a reputation for high standards - in terms of quality of information and standard of photography, and it is easy to see why.

"Diving Hawaii" is clearly laid out with chapters on; An introduction to the Hawaiian Islands, Diving in general, the specific dive sites of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai and local Marine Life. The book concludes with some very useful Appendixes containing; Emergency information, details of local Scuba Diving centres, miscellaneous useful numbers for visitors and some brief notes on another 20 dive sites.

Chapter One begins with an all-important historical précis of Hawaii. This gives the visitor a brief insight into the country's first Polynesian settlers, the way in which the country was then ruled by it's own system of chiefs for something like 1,000 years, the islands' discovery by Captain Cook, the importance of sugar plantations, the time when Hawaii became a US territory and, eventually (in 1959) the 50th State. All of which is followed by equally important notes on present day Hawaii and all the essential information the visitor needs to know.

Chapter 2 is an overview of Diving in general with notes on; boat, shore and night diving as well as conservation. There is also a very important and well written description of the unusual underwater lava tubes and cave formations created by the flow of volcanic lava into the sea. These are probably very different from any other form of Cave Diving found anywhere else in the world and Page 21 is rightly devoted to a full-page warning of the dangers involved here.

We now come to those Chapters individually dedicated to each of the four main islands in the Hawaiian group and these take in any smaller adjacent islands as well. Once again, we are treated to an introduction to the island itself before getting down to diving specifics. This commences with a map of the island(s) showing the primary dive sites as numbers - each of which is then described in more than adequate detail and headed by the relevant depth, experience level required and access.

Altogether a well-rounded book containing all the information required by anyone considering a diving trip to Hawaii.

According to the Author's biography on the back page, Steve Rosenberg specialises in underwater photography. As a fellow professional "Underwater Photographer & Author," I congratulate him on some truly outstanding pictures.

NM