Have I got a book for you!

[Natasha]

Hi!
I just read "Deep Descent" by Kevin F. McMurray.
Excellent book about diving the Andrea Doria. If you can pull yourself away from the computer, read it!
:sunny:

 

[large_diver]

Yes -- definitely a good read. I found "The Last Dive" better written, but if you are interested in reading about deep diving, "Deep Descent" is a page turner.

 

[Natasha]

Large,
I also read " The Last Dive". Good book too. I'm glad you enjoyed Deep Descent. I just talked to Joel S. who is mentioned in the book. He has been on the Doria with 12 expeditions and 46 dives.
:sunny:

 

[WetDane]

Ok, so now I just spent another bundle of money on dive gear and you will have me going of to the bookstore too???

Jeez - is there no end...
Big T

 

[Natasha]

Big T,
LoL! Read it on the plane, while out to your next wreck dive! It's worth it!
:sunny:

 

[large_diver]

Another diving related book I just finished is Neutral Buoyancy by BBC journalist Tim Ecott. This book covers a wide range of diving topics, from early forays into diving to free diving. I found the descriptions of his dives with world record free divers riveting, including one story where the a guy is doing free diving wreck penetration. Another section I found very interesting was the topic of saturation diving and folks who have spent days underwater in submerged habitats -- fascinating stuff.

Anyway, this book does not have quite the life and death drama of "The Last Dive" or "Deep Descent", but it is an interesting read nonetheless.

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.com, with descriptions and reader commentary.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0871137941/qid=1003504017/sr=2-3/104-9243930-9106300

 

[WetDane]

Ok, that's it - I am becoming an armchair diver...

Big T

 

[Natasha]

LargeDiver,
Thanks! I'm always looking for a good book. I've got another one for you. It's not exactly about deep diving, but it's a great "ocean survival," book. By the way, I'd love to hear about any other books you think are worth reading.
BigT,
I'm an arm chair reader when it comes to books about Mt Everest. I read a great one by Peter Jenkins, but reading it is as far as I'll ever get. The only mountains I'll climb are under water ones.
Anyway check out "Survive the Savage Sea, by Dougal Robertson. It's a small book, but it's a true story and will definatly keep your interest.
:sunny:

 

[large_diver]

Natasha,

Here are a few more pseudo-diving-related books I've read in the past 12 months that are interesting:

The Terrible Hours -- this is the story of the USS Squalus, a US Navy sub that sank off of Portsmouth, NH in 200+ feet of water during WWII and the resulting rescue efforts. It's amazing to read about the rescue efforts undertaken by Navy divers, especially given how experimental much of their gear and methods were.
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/book...6HTF1W8GW8MRJDBQPJ29UEUDA2ND5&isbn=0061014591

That Others May Live -- I just started reading this one a few days ago. This is the story of para-rescue jumpers (PJs), those crazy military rescue guys that were publicized in "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger. They are the among the most elite of the US military's special forces and have to go through basic training, jump school, scuba school, paramedic school, etc. before becoming a PJ. I've only just started the book, but so far it's pretty interesting. Not sure how much they get into scuba discussions (haven't read that far yet). This isn't just another shoot-em-up navy seal type book, since these guys are focused on rescuing others (both military personnel and civilians)
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/book...6HTF1W8GW8MRJDBQPJ29UEUDA2ND5&isbn=0609806769

The Hungry Ocean -- OK, so it's not dive-related, but it is a cool book about an ocean-related topic. This book also has a connection to "The Perfect Storm". "Ocean" is written by Linda Greenlaw, a successful woman commercial swordfishing boat captain who originally operated out of Gloucester, MA, where I do most of my diving. She also attended the same small college I went to in Maine. Amazing summary of a 1 month swordfishing trip spent 1,000 miles at sea.
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/book...6HTF1W8GW8MRJDBQPJ29UEUDA2ND5&isbn=0786885416

Enjoy!

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Other books to read:

"In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. The story (a true
story) later became the basis for a novel by Herman Melville.

"On the Bottom" by Commander Edward Ellsberg

"The Darkness Beckons" by Martin Farr (a history of cave diving)