Product Description

This history of diving traces its evolution from fishing with spears to today's high-tech equipment. It includes accounts of some of the eccentric exploits of the pioneers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292242 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Witty, adventurous and entertaining.
This is a unique book that tells the story of a bunch of intrepid and inspired men who pioneered the exploration of the last great unknown: the deeps of the sea. How would you fancy wading out under water with nothing more than an inverted coal bucket over your head? Would you agree to a fight a shark, equipped with nothing more than a knife, all so that some movie company could film the gory encounter? Inventive, adventurous, foolhardy to the point of recklessness, many of the diving pioneers were also world-famous in their own right, like the great biologist JBS Haldane, who worked out how to survive at dangerous depths. Others evolved from treasure seekers to become the first underwater archaeologists, exploring ancient shipwrecks in exotic waters, or, most interesting of all, opening our eyes to the beauty of marine habits and wildlife, including the seriously threatened coral reefs. The author, himself a marine biologist and diver, blends all this into a magical weave of fact and wonder enlivened by a mordant wit and a delightful eye for quirky detail. I would recommend it to any reader.

Absolutely antastic
I can only endorse what everyone else has said already. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My wife who is not only a non diver but a non swimmer is reading the book and is enjoying it also. Well written and well researched. The historical connections to time and place are educational.

Excellent
One of, simply, the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. An interest in diving and matters sub-aquatic would provide an incentive to read this book but is far from necessary. A few of the names would be familiar to many, some to few. The common theme of underwater activities links a series of mini-biographies of interesting, multi-talented men and women only a part of whose abilities ¨C and eccentricities - centre on the topic of the title. The problems arising from the popularisation of an activity and the questionable benefits that may arise are well-illustrated. The style of writing is delightful providing good insight into the characters through both wit and compassion. It is an ¡®easy¡¯ and thoroughly enjoyable read which informs in an unobtrusive manner. On top of that, it is laugh-out-loud funny in many places.

It would be a pity if the title deterred potential readers: it really is a gem.