New book in March 2011; Excerpts thread

[Jim Lapenta]

My new book will be ready in March. I'm going to start giving you all a taste of what it contains. Starting with the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents

1. Safe Diving Practices- My own view.
2. Basic Skills- You really need all of these.
3. Buddy Skills- Why it really does matter.
4. Dive Planning- A new perspective.
5. Gas Management- It is that important.
6. Trust Me Dives- Why would you even consider it?
7. When to Get More Training and Why- There are times when it is called for.
8. Choosing an Instructor- They do work for you after all.
9. What Type of Training is Best for You? It isn’t all the same.
10. Choosing a Local Dive Shop.
11. Gear Selection and Your LDS.
12. Equipment – Rent or Buy.
13. Why Dive Locally?


This book is not meant in any way to teach people how to dive. What it is for is to pass on those items that may not get conveyed in the OW class. Information I feel they should have.

 

[mikecotrone]

My new book will be ready in March. I'm going to start giving you all a taste of what it contains. Starting with the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents

1. Safe Diving Practices- My own view.
2. Basic Skills- You really need all of these.
3. Buddy Skills- Why it really does matter.
4. Dive Planning- A new perspective.
5. Gas Management- It is that important.
6. Trust Me Dives- Why would you even consider it?
7. When to Get More Training and Why- There are times when it is called for.
8. Choosing an Instructor- They do work for you after all.
9. What Type of Training is Best for You? It isn’t all the same.
10. Choosing a Local Dive Shop.
11. Gear Selection and Your LDS.
12. Equipment – Rent or Buy.
13. Why Dive Locally?


This book is not meant in any way to teach people how to dive. What it is for is to pass on those items that may not get conveyed in the OW class. Information I feel they should have.

Jim is there a web site where we can pre order the book?

This looks very interesting!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I will be setting a price and taking preorders beginning in January. The actual release is set for March at Scubafest in Columbus, Ohio. I'm meeting with the illustrator Saturday and my editor and I have been working every weekend on it. You will be able to order it thru my website or by contacting me directly. Paypal, cash, check, M/O will be accepted. First 100 copies will be numbered and signed.

If you order on disc or via pdf download that will not be an option unless a letter saying when it was burned or sent will do. The print version will be single sided in workbook format. I want readers to use the book. Read it, take notes as to how the section relates to you and your diving. Write down the answers when you interview the shop or instructor. They'll love that!:shocked2: Most of all I want divers and hopefully soon to be divers to think for themselves when they read it.

Right now I am not sure just how many I will need so I am self publishing with a local business doing the binding and perhaps printing if demand is great enough. I have the ISBN number and copyright in hand.

 

[mikecotrone]

I will be setting a price and taking preorders beginning in January. The actual release is set for March at Scubafest in Columbus, Ohio. I'm meeting with the illustrator Saturday and my editor and I have been working every weekend on it. You will be able to order it thru my website or by contacting me directly. Paypal, cash, check, M/O will be accepted. First 100 copies will be numbered and signed.

If you order on disc or via pdf download that will not be an option unless a letter saying when it was burned or sent will do. The print version will be single sided in workbook format. I want readers to use the book. Read it, take notes as to how the section relates to you and your diving. Write down the answers when you interview the shop or instructor. They'll love that!:shocked2: Most of all I want divers and hopefully soon to be divers to think for themselves when they read it.

Right now I am not sure just how many I will need so I am self publishing with a local business doing the binding and perhaps printing if demand is great enough. I have the ISBN number and copyright in hand.

That is great Jim and congratulations! I really look forward to reading it. Gary Gentile has nothing on you!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just another quick look. This from the Chapter on Local Diving :


"Another consideration involves those of us who have non-diving spouses or families; inland sites often offer attractions for them as well. Many have constructed beaches, play areas for children, waterslides, and other recreational opportunities such as kayaking and tubing; I know of one site that even has a climbing wall set up for guests to use. Operators of these sites recognize the importance of family support when it comes to SCUBA. The diver who is always leaving the spouse and kids at home soon finds out that their diving is not as enjoyable nor as tolerated when loved ones can’t be involved.

Diving can be a fantastic family activity even if the family does not dive; the important thing is to get the family involved in some way. Local diving is an economical way to do this, and older kids make great gear Sherpas, carrying tanks, weights, assisting with BC straps, etc. It gets them involved and perhaps even interested in SCUBA for themselves. The parent who gets their kids involved in a positive experience like SCUBA is not only getting them interested in a good, wholesome activity, but also reinforcing family bonds. I recently taught an entire family to dive. To see the interaction and closeness they shared when they were training and to now see them capably planning and doing actual dives together is one of the most gratifying experiences for me as an instructor. Local diving also allows the family to take a mini-vacation, if you will, and not have to rush for airports, rearrange schedules, or lose time from school studies. In the long days of late summer and early fall, the kids can get out of school, get with their parents, and in as little as an hour, be at a local site for a couple dives and perhaps a picnic supper. Not many have the opportunity to share that kind of enjoyment together, with all of the distractions families have today. Underwater, as a family in the world of solitude and neutral buoyancy they create, they can connect with each other and also detach from the pressures of school, work, and the world in general. Learning about the underwater environment and themselves, together with the closeness diving brings, they strengthen the family bonds and discover how much they can rely on each other."

 

[JustAddH2O]

Sounds like a good read. Keep us posted on how/where to purchase!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It will be available from me for now. But a couple shops on this board have expressed some interest in carrying it once they have reveiwed it.

 

[clint@uniquescuba.com]

Sounds Great Jim,, Good Luck!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

From the chapter dealing with "trust me" dives.


"Proper training prepares divers to take care of themselves so that they will never be tempted to take part in “trust me” dives. Students are the ones who make many of the decisions during training. While there are certain standards that must be met, there are opportunities for students to make decisions on what skills they wish to work on, evaluate how much weight they will use, consider how much time they have based on the amount of air they use, and when conditions may require different equipment such as a thicker exposure suit. When we get to open water I make a real effort to let them lead the dives whenever possible, use their newfound skills in actual real life situations, and make them responsible for much of the dive planning. “Trust me” dives are discussed in detail with heavy emphasis on why they are not a good idea. When a diver elects to go on a trip and spend a great deal of money, time, and effort to make sure the trip is a success, why would they then abdicate responsibility for their life?

This is what doing a “trust me” dive really is. The diver turns over his or her life to a stranger with less thought than they would use in deciding what to have for lunch. They have been taught and conditioned to let someone else do everything for them; this habit may be deeply entrenched in more “experienced” divers who have never done it any differently. From planning the dive to allowing the operator to set up their gear, some divers trust everyone but themselves to make sure they are safe.

In order to expedite the training process divers are encouraged to just follow the DM or guide, rather than more time being spent on skills and values like extensive dive planning, self-sufficiency, and personal responsibility. The result is divers who need their hands held throughout the entire process of the dive. From getting on the boat, setting up the equipment, deciding where to go, entering the water, and in some cases, even to getting back on the boat, the diver is under the impression that he or she is under the protection and care of the “professional.” Such divers don’t have to think for themselves about what they are doing; like sheep, they blindly follow the shepherd, even when they are led into places they really should not be. "

There is a lot more on this subject that is covered.

 

[novicediver]

self published?