DIVE-BOOK REVIEWS
 Title: Dive Scapa Flow Publisher: Mainstream Publishing Author: Rod McDonald ISBN: 1 85158 983 X Cost: £15 |
Review: This is the
definitive guide to diving
in Scapa Flow. Rod McDonalds book, now in its third edition covers, not
just
the German wrecks, but the blockships and other wrecks that make Scapa
the
wreck divers paradise. The book also covers some of the naval history
that made
Scapa what it is today for divers. The background and story to the
Scuttling of
the fleet in June 1919 is covered along with the story of Cox, the
scrap metal
merchant that bought the submerged fleet and spend near 20 years
raising the
wrecks. The tragic stories of the Royal Oak and Hampsire are also
narrated in
the book. One small point, don't rely completely on the artists
impressions of
the wrecks for u/water navigation as there are a number of small
errors.
However, don't let that put you off, this is the must read for any
diver
visiting Scapa. Overall rating:  |
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 Title: Top Dive Sites of the World Publisher: New Holland Author: Jack Jackson ISBN: 1 85368 747 2 Cost: £25-30 |
Review: This is a superb
coffee-table book packed with some of the best underwater
photographs you will ever see. The 160 page book is divided into seven
sections
covering oceans of the world [Caribbean, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Red
Sea,
Indian, Indo-Pacific and Pacific Oceans]. It is an immense task to pack
so much
in and a book twice this size could barely give coverage to any one
area this
book covers in so few pages. Casualties are inevitable. For example,
the only
areas covered in the Atlantic are Scapa Flow and the Canaries. But this
can be
forgiven as the books title is the "Top dive sites of the World" and
although the choice has to be subjective, the author and his team have
made a
very good stab at picking the best. Each area covered has a general map
showing
the location of the dive site in relation to the nearest countries
coastline,
with commentary on the dive sites, the sealife and general information
on
climate, getting there, water temps, visibility, marine life and diving
praticalities. Overall rating:  |
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 Title: An Introduction to Techncial Diving Publisher: Underwater World Publications Author: Rob Palmer ISBN: 0 946020 23 X Cost: £18 approx |
Review: This is the first
'must read' for any sports diver thinking about technical
diving, written by the father of technical diving, the remarkable Rob
Palmer.
For those of you who have not heard of Rob Palmer (are you really
divers!), Rob
died whilst undertaking a deep dive in the Red Sea in 1998. A recent
issue of
Diver magazine (March '99) contains an emotive article on Rob's death
and makes
some allagations that even he didn't practice what he preached. Nevertheless, Rob was one of the elite band of divers who has pushed back the frontiers of diving. Whatever the truth of Robs' death, he was a remakable man who was single-minded and outspoken in his approach to diving and his attitude to some of the Recreational diving training agencies. Some of the Rob's words in the book are quite quite phrothetic considering his death. The eight chapters of the book cover:
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 Title: The Encyclopedia of Recreational diving Publisher: PADI Author: Various ISBN: 1 878663-02-X Cost: |
Review:
No-matter your opinion of the PADI
approach to dive training, you can't just help being impressed by
PADI's
training aids. The series of training books that cover Open Water to
Instructor
are superb and this book although coming from a different angle is from
the
same stable. The first thing that strikes you when you flick through
this book
is the paper its printed on, "...environmentally friendly, chlorine
free,
recyclable paper to support Project AWARE and the environment." as the
book puts it. I suppose they practice what they preach. The book is not
aimed
at any one of the PADI training course, rather the book covers the
background
theory and 'nerdy' detail that would probably put the holiday diver off
diving.
The book covers the background of a wide range of dive subjects in five
chapters:
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 Title: Maldives diving Guide Publisher: Swan Hill Author: Kurt Amsler ISBN: 1 85310 578 3 Cost: £18 |
Review: In the standard
Swan-Hill dive-guide
book style, each dive has a two-page graphic of the dive with an inset
series
of pictures of the dive-site giving location relative to the coast and
suggested route of the dive showing the route/dive profile. There then
follows
two pages with above and below surface photos of the dive scenery and
likely
aquatic life you will encounter on the dive. 28 dives are covered around the Lhaviyani, North & South Male, Felidhu, Ari Vattaru, Meemu Atolls. The english translation in the book could do with a polish here and there, but it adds to the fun when dreaming of this distant location and the magical diving. Having not dived in the Maldives myself (yet!) I can not comment on the coverage or accuracy of the book. I would guess it does not cover half the dive-sites. If you were considering buying this book to checkout the dives you will be doing before you head to the Maldives, I would caution that you check that it covers sites in/near the Atoll you will be staying at or covering on your liveaboard. Overall rating: |
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 Title: Maltese Islands Diving guide Publisher: Swan Hill Author: Ned Middleton ISBN: 1 85310 940 1 Cost: £18 |
Review: The infamous
photographer, (Major) Ned Middleton authored this book. When
it was released it came under some fire for some textual inaccurancies
which
filled a few letters pages in Diver Magazine - our Ned never seems to
be far
from a bit of controversy! Putting that aside, Ned has produced quite a fair commentary on 28 dives around the Islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino & Cominotto. One might argue they are neither, all, or the best dives Malta has to offer, but they will give you an excellent feel for the diving around the Maltese Islands. Overall rating: |
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 Title: The Essentials of Deeper Sport Diving Publisher: Aqua Quest Publications Author: John Lippmann ISBN: 0 9623389-3-1 Cost: £18 approx |
Review: As a very rough
guide, the risks
involved with diving double every 10 metres you descend from the
surface. This
is the cutdown version of Lippemans 600+ page book which is packed with
300pages overview of the theory and requirements of deeper diving and
the risks
divers face as they descent through depth. The book covers:
I have only two gripes about this book, firstly, the book is mostly in imperial measurements (feet) rather than the metric I was brought up on. So I found myself constantly having to recalculate everything into metres whilst reading the book. Saying that, I bought this book from Amazon online bookshop in the US. If I'd bought it in the UK I may have obtained a metric version! My second and more important issue is that the book was published in 1992. Sport (Recreational) diving is a fast developing field. Although nearly all of the advice the book gives on planning deep(er) dives is solid, research & development of dive-tables and equipment that is covered in the book is moving on - rapidly! For example, the book does cover nitrox, but not in great depth (pun!) considering the boom in the use of nitrox by sports divers in the last two years. An update and reissue is becoming overdue. Don't let the above point put you off though, this is an excellent, if not essential, reference book and study aid for those wishing to advance their technical understanding. Overall rating: |
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 Title: The Offical HEPCA Dive Guide Publisher: HEPCA Author: HEPCA ISBN: 2068/98 Cost: £15-18 |
Review: The Hurghada
Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA)
is the outfit that generally attempts to protect the Hurghada reefs
from the
over-exposure by the diving faternity. HEPCA is supported by some 60
organisations consisting mostly of the local Hurghada & Safaga
dive
industry. The book briefly outlines the history & activities of HEPCA and the story behind the installation of the buoys on the reefs. The main thrust of this A5-size ring-bound book is the two page spread on the dive-sites in and around Hurghada and Safaga. A two page spead on each divesite gives a very nice colour underwater illustion of the site with brief outline details covering location, sea conditions, diveplan and marine life. 26 Hurghada, 16 Safaga and two wrecks on Abu Nuhas (Carnatic and Ghiannis D) are featured. As mush as the illustions are very well done, they are somewhat lacking in detials. The book does not subsitute for the knowledge of the local dive-guide on your boat. Part of the cost of the book goes towards supporting HEPCA so buying the book helps reef conservation. Think of it as your small bit for the Hurghada reefs and a nice momento to bring home from your Red-Sea trip! Overall rating: |
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 Title: The Wreck Diving Manual Publisher: Crowood Press Author: Lizzie Bird ISBN: 1-86126-023-7 Cost: £13 |
Review: The author of this
book, Lizzie Bird, is the very respected BSAC National
Dive Officer (NDO). The 13 chapters cover:
I have to be honest and say I actually checked the first published date after flicking through the book and was surprised to see that the book was first published in 1997 - I'd expected it to be 1987! Basically, the book looks "old". Maybe its just the black & white photo's and the similarities to an old BSAC Sports diving manual I have. Lizzie gives away her BSAC credentials when the photo of a 'BCD' is a BSAC standard issue Buddy jacket. But wreck diving is wreck diving and the book covers all the key points of calculating slackwater, identifing and shoting a wreck, dive planning, simple wreck navigation, DSMB deployment and deco & air supply procedures. And a few knots are thrown in for good measure. If you are a new diver and fancy wreck diving, give the book a go, but if you've dived a few wrecks in your time, this book won't teach you very much . Overall rating: |
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 Title: Goldfinder Publisher: Simon & Schuster Author: Keith Jessop ISBN: 0-684-82147-8 Cost: £8 |
Review: Keith
Jessop is the
most successful treasure hunter and salvage diver in history, a man who
has
made and lost millions rescuing treasure from the deep. The bastard son
of a
penniless Yorkshire mill-girl, he left school without a single
qualification
and, to make ends meet he started salvaging scrap metal from shallow
water
wrecks off the coast of Scotland using the inner tube of a tractor tyre
covered
in wire mesh as a vessel. Always ready to embrace danger, he learned to
deep
dive during a series of spectacularly risky recoveries in ever more
treacherous
waters working on the salvage diver's harsh principle of 'No Cure, No
Pay'. It
was only with advances in technology, allowing longer and deeper dives
that his
dream of recovering the Edinburgh's gold began inching towards reality.
Goldfinder is the extraordinary true story of Keith's progress from
aquatic
Steptoe and Son to salvaging the richest prize of all, over $100
million of
Russian gold from the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. It is also a
compelling
adventure story of the discovery of untold riches against a backdrop of
piracy,
big business, government conspiracy, treachery and betrayal and even
the
involvement of a leading member of the Royal Family, encompassing the
thrills
and terror of deep sea diving and the awesome, unforgiving power of the
ocean. Overall rating: |
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 Title: Shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly Publisher: Author: Richard Larn ISBN: Cost: £x |
Review: Coming Soon Overall rating: |
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 Title: The Dive Sites of Mauritius Publisher: New Holland Author: Alan Mountain ISBN: 1-85368-564-X Cost: £16 |
Review: Coming soon |
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 Title: Publisher: Author: ISBN: Cost: £ |
Review coming soon... |
 Title: Publisher: Author: ISBN: Cost: £ |
Review coming soon... |
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