Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9921 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-30
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In Neutral Buoyancy, BBC journalist Tim Ecott recounts his ongoing adventures in the "liquid world" of scuba diving--from battling rip-tides off the Dorset coast to exploring the shark-rich waters of the Caribbean--musing along the way on the history and meaning of man's fascination with diving, and reflecting on how his underwater experience has reshaped his life.

Four days after my mother's funeral I went scuba diving for the first time ... Surfacing from a dive ... I often think it strange that this mind-cleansing, emotionally charged experience is one that my mother never knew I had. It is something akin to the sense of regret I feel that she never met my daughter, born a few years after her passing. How odd that something so wonderful was not part of our shared experience.

The launch hype surrounding this book pushed it as scuba diving's answer to Nick Hornby's bestselling homage to football fandom, Fever Pitch, but even allowing for a hearty dose of wishful thinking on the publisher's part, there are two key similarities. Ecott, like Hornby, succeeds in explaining his passion in a way that speaks directly to the wannabe or even to the merely curious--lightly humorous; strong on characters; cross-references to popular culture (James Bond puts in an appearance); natural history in the TV prime-time style, rooted in personal experience. And just as Hornby's football fandom carries him back to the same sense of wonder and certainty of purpose that intoxicated him as a young boy, so Ecott portrays a link between diving and dissolving the anxieties and fearfulness of adulthood.

Be warned: if you are already a diver, Neutral Buoyancy will heighten the sense that you are wasting far too much precious time on dry land. For the rest, even if the last time you ventured underwater was in the bath, this inspirational book will have you contemplating a trip to your local swimming pool at the very least. --Alex Hankin

Synopsis
This title includes a brilliant mix of vivid reportage, history and science. Historical diving bells, Greek sponge divers, world war two frogmen and record-setting breath hold divers compete for space with misunderstood sharks, weeping turtles, smiling dolphins and erotically shaped sea slugs. From Ireland to Florida, Papua New Guinea to Vienna and the Bahamas to Seychelles, "Neutral Buoyancy" is travel writing of the most fascinating, readable kind; providing a window - or a view from a glass bottomed boat - on a rich, unfamiliar and unique destination. Travel writing of this quality makes "Neutral Buoyancy" a must for all armchair travellers, not just divers.

From the Publisher
Tony Parsons and Fergal Keane praise Neutral Buoyancy
"This is wonderfully engaging book. It took a subject I knew next to nothing about and kept me gripped from beginning to end. Tim Ecott has produced an eccentric, eclectic and highly readable work of non-fiction." Fergal Keane

"Unforgettable stuff ... Neutral Buoyancy is destined to become the Fever Pitch of scuba diving. Tim Ecott's book is a modern classic about the underwater world that brilliantly mixes personal memoir with travel, history and a cast of characters that defy description ... vivid,lyrical and quite brilliantly written" Tony Parsons

Customer Reviews

The Best Diving Book
I lent this book to a diving friend of mine whilst doing a TDI course and he kept it for 4 years until it arrived at my house yesterday. His comments were that he had forgotten he had it but what a great read it was. I think all people who dive and who have read this echo his sentiments as Ecott manages to encapsulate what it feels like to be underwater and especially those moments when you feel weightless and the diving becomes as natural as being on dry land.

Also enjoyable are Ecott's thoughts on other diving such as Apnea and his introductions to the history of diving.

All those who dive should read this as well as those who want to plus I would recommend it to any partners who cannot understand their love of this great pastime.

Simply brilliant!
What a great read! I didn't want to put it down. Fantastic idea to mix elements of personal experience amongst a story about the general history of diving. I'm sure non divers would enjoy the read as much as divers will.

Required reading for divers..
I was recommended this book by a friend who, like me, has been a passionate diver for many years. I read this book in one go last year whilst on holiday diving and I wish I had stumbled across it earlier. It is an excellent summary of diving history in general but more specifically why people like me are passionate about diving. Tim avoids the usual macho aspects of diving literature and gives us a really good insight to how and why diving has progressed and become such a popular sport. I am involved in developing new ideas and products for diving and found the history of the development of diving technology fascinating and useful. Perhaps most importantly for students learning to dive, Tim has managed to provide a no nonsense guide to what diving does to the body and his descriptions are worth ten textbooks. This book really is required reading for divers