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Are there any books out there that give advice/wisdom that all diver's should possess. I'm not looking for a manual on how to dive or anything like that. I guess what I am looking for is a book that talks about all of the things not covered in a manual. For instance, issues like traveling with dive gear or planning a dive trip or things to look for in a dive operation, or how best to pack and store equipment, or what to do in a certain situation underwater or any number of different things. Sort of an accumulation of dive wisdom or the things no class can teach you. Something very general to diving would be awesome.
I know of several that are full of good tips, but most of them also have a load of crap sifted in through the good stuff. It takes experience to know the good tips from those that are "good but outdated", "well intentioned but dumb", or just plain bad.
In my opinion, scubaboard itself might be just what you're looking for. Not only is there a lot of accumulated wisdom on nearly every diving topic, but there's also commentary on all the advice that's given, so you have a means of evaluating the information you're reading.
In all honesty I've gotten the best mileage out of ScubaBoard and Dive Training magazine, both free. After that it was almost all reinforcement, not much new. Here I find that I get tips and info from divers that care about and are proud of their diving and the writing is current. Dan's magazine also crosses over into some good stuff and it's free with membership.
The things you are asking about can be found in places like the gear forums here and if you need to fine tune it beyond your search findings then just ask the other members for input.
I've read some of Dennis Graver's tuff as well as others and they seemed narrow and superficial. Some of the gear was dated and gear topics were very superficial and oversimplified.
Of the books I have read the most powerful has been Diver Down, it's a book of short stories of dives gone wrong, much like Lessons for Life in Scuba Diving magazine. Good stories and informative sidebars on many specialties in diving.
This book was what I was looking for when I wanted to become a better diver, plus dive with those that have the skills you want to improve on. Always be open minded and listen to all sides of a topic because like everything else, everyone has an opinion for and against. It also talks a lot about gear which can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run, especially if your new.
Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving
By Jarrod Jablonski
I got this book soon after finishing my OW class, and I really enjoyed reading it. I must have gone through it two or three times already. It covers some basic stuff in a very down-to-earth manner, such as what to look for in gear, how to do underwater navigation, and local diving in the US. His basic message: get out and dive!
Another vote for the Certified Diver's Handbook. It doesn't address all the issues raised in the original post, but it's a much more complete (and MUCH better written) book than the OW handbook I started with.
As far as travel advice, packing, gear maintenance, and the other ancillary topics . . . there's enough information here on Scubaboard, if you do searches, to answer virtually any question you could have. It's an awesome resource.
Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival by Sheck Exley. $9.95
Don't let the title fool you, much of what he talks about applies to diving in general, not just cave diving.
I just bought that book and also purchased Basic Decompression Theory and Application by Bruce Weinke. Although, it might cause your eyes to glaze over.
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