anyone read --> DIVER DOWN ?

[mike_s]

Anyone read this?


Diver Down
Real-World Scuba Accidents and How to Avoid Them
by Michael R. Ange
http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3355297865545&isbn=0071445722


Just came out this fall/winter.

 

[Manta Aria]

It seems pretty good. The formats like this. Mr. Ange starts a certain chapter giving a clue in the title chapter to make the reader aware of the subject. He then starts with an italics scenario illustrating the situation discussed, a preview. He then gets to the story of the pertinant (sp?) facts leading up a the incident, the incident itself, the aftermath, and then an analysis of what went wrong and how divers can avoid such mistakes. Some accounts are fatalities while others are near misses.
He also has darkened sidebars which teach a reader a little about the specialty described in a story. For example, if the account is about a Cave diving incident, he has a 1-3 page darkened section which educates the reader as to certain aspects of that discipline, so the account is easier to understand, especially for someone who has no exposure to cave diving.
Alot of good material here IMHO. For a beginning diver like me, it serves as a heads-up and a learning tool. Some are the incidents are sad because the absolutely did not need to happen. Makes you look at your own diving practices....Hope my review helps.

 

[Puffer Fish]

It seems pretty good. The formats like this. Mr. Ange starts a certain chapter giving a clue in the title chapter to make the reader aware of the subject. He then starts with an italics scenario illustrating the situation discussed, a preview. He then gets to the story of the pertinant (sp?) facts leading up a the incident, the incident itself, the aftermath, and then an analysis of what went wrong and how divers can avoid such mistakes. Some accounts are fatalities while others are near misses.
He also has darkened sidebars which teach a reader a little about the specialty described in a story. For example, if the account is about a Cave diving incident, he has a 1-3 page darkened section which educates the reader as to certain aspects of that discipline, so the account is easier to understand, especially for someone who has no exposure to cave diving.
Alot of good material here IMHO. For a beginning diver like me, it serves as a heads-up and a learning tool. Some are the incidents are sad because the absolutely did not need to happen. Makes you look at your own diving practices....Hope my review helps.

Nice review - will add to my "need to get" list. Thanks.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Anyone have the definitive list of the 20 accidents reviewed by the book - names and places?

 

[Sami]

Anyone have the definitive list of the 20 accidents reviewed by the book - names and places?

DiverBuoy, the names of the victims are not revealed. They are only described in fairly generic terms, so that the reader can get a sense of their background and experience level. To further shield the victims' identities, Michael Ange has also chosen to not reveal the exact location of the accidents.

So, instead you get descriptions such as "Jill was an experienced diving instructor ... she met up with a small group of her former students at a popular shorediving spot"; "Eugene was a relatively experienced diver in his early thirties, in excellent health ... a popular freshwater site in Florida"; "Gary and Julie were both relatively new divers in their early thirties ... a popular tropical destination"; etc. By the way, these are apparently not the victims' real names.

My impression is that Michael Ange, besides wanting to shield the victims, also thinks that the exact names and locations are not very relevant. The book covers a wide range of different types of accidents, but a common theme seems to be how every type of diver, from inexperienced to expert, can suffer great but usually completely preventable accidents. Many of these accidents seem to have started with small and seemingly innocuous misjudgments, which then mushroomed into full-blown and often fatal disasters.

Here is what Michael Ange writes in his preface:

From the preface to "Diver Down" by Michael Ange:
This books primary goal is to take the process of accident analysis from the technical conferences and back rooms of training agencies and place it in front of everyone with an interest. In the end, its purpose is simply to improve the safety or our sport by providing divers with the tools for surviving the unexpected--what we call "strategies for survival."

In writing this book, I had an obligation to protect the innocent, the guilty, and the clueless. While it is important to analyze, discuss, and learn from accidents, it is equally important to protect the unfortunate victims of these accidents and their families from ridicule and embarrassment. For this reason, I have gone to great lengths to obscure identifying details such as geographic location, dive profile information that is not pertinent to the accident, and, of course, the names of the participants themselves. In writing articles of this nature for a number of years, I've found that I invariably receive irate messages or genuine inquiries from people who are convinced that this or that story is about them. Unfortunately, the same types of accidents occur over and over again, and it is extremely rare that any of these individuals are correct in assuming that they were the one(s) actually involved."

As a new diver who is currently trying to read and learn as much as I can, I found this to be an excellent book. One thing that the book helped me realize is how seemingly small mistakes and misjudgments can have fatal consequences. This is definitely a book that I will re-read.

 

[AlexRodriguez]

No.

Alex

 

[John C. Ratliff]

You know, while I personnally can relate to accident investigations (I am a Certified Safety Professional working as a Safety Engineer), has anyone really looked at the new, available books on diving to see their subjects? Scuba accidents are not why I dive! I dive because I love the feeling of weightlessness, enjoy studying fish and aquatic invertebrates, enjoy underwater photography, and the ability to get in and see the wonders of God's kingdom that few, if any, have seen before. It is this sense of discovery, both on a personal level (with the sensations of diving), and as an underwater naturalist that give me the pleasures to continue diving all these years. Should we look at accidents to learn how to prevent problems? Certainly. Should we focus really closely on all the new adventure books on diving that talk about shark attacks, diving accidents, diving fatalities, and the sense of danger? I don't think so. This is sensationalism, and certain people within the diving community have made a profession of this kind of thing. This isn't why I dive. While we can learn from the vicarious experiences of others, we need to really focus on the beauty that we see and experience, that the others on land can only imagine.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

SeaRat

 

[Mike Nelson]

I read it while taking my O/W class a couple months ago. My instructor saw me with it, took it away from me (temporarily) and told me, "You read too much!"

<fume>

 

[DiverBuoy]

DiverBuoy, the names of the victims are not revealed. They are only described in fairly generic terms, so that the reader can get a sense of their background and experience level. To further shield the victims' identities, Michael Ange has also chosen to not reveal the exact location of the accidents.

So, instead you get descriptions such as "Jill was an experienced diving instructor ... she met up with a small group of her former students at a popular shorediving spot"; "Eugene was a relatively experienced diver in his early thirties, in excellent health ... a popular freshwater site in Florida"; "Gary and Julie were both relatively new divers in their early thirties ... a popular tropical destination"; etc. By the way, these are apparently not the victims' real names.

My impression is that Michael Ange, besides wanting to shield the victims, also thinks that the exact names and locations are not very relevant. The book covers a wide range of different types of accidents, but a common theme seems to be how every type of diver, from inexperienced to expert, can suffer great but usually completely preventable accidents. Many of these accidents seem to have started with small and seemingly innocuous misjudgments, which then mushroomed into full-blown and often fatal disasters.

Here is what Michael Ange writes in his preface:



As a new diver who is currently trying to read and learn as much as I can, I found this to be an excellent book. One thing that the book helped me realize is how seemingly small mistakes and misjudgments can have fatal consequences. This is definitely a book that I will re-read.

Thanks Sami, this makes sense of course. I'll have to look up the book, sounds like it might be a decent read.

 

[Solitude Diver]

This is not an adventure book.

It goes through the conditions and sequences of the events that lead up to each of the accidents, and then at the end of each accident, goes through a check list on ways that the accident could have been avoided. It is a good book for those who wish to learn from others mistakes.

Books like these can help keep divers from getting too complacent, and perhaps encourage some to prepare themselves a little better. There’s nothing wrong with that.