This is a nice book that I’d neither recommend nor advise someone not to read (unless it’s their first deep diving book, see caveat below). The main problem is that it doesn’t have any of those white knuckle, gasp-for-breath moments that are the staple of good diving books. As much as I hate it when an author oversells the material I have to take a star away because he was too dispassionate here.The writing is fine, the epilogue is very good (but only a couple of pages long) and the technical details of diving (rebreathers, gas mixes, decompression, etc.) are excellent. I’ve only read a few books about diving and without fail they all provide good technical details of decompression, gas mixes and the like so you won’t pick up much extra from reading this book. For me the best book on deep diving and its attendant dangers is The Last Dive (by Bernie Chowdhury). It’s not a literary masterpiece but the “action” sequences were frightening.Maybe the first decent deep diving book anyone reads is destined to be a personal favorite because the visceral impact of the dangers and fatalities you’re bound to read about diminish with each subsequent book. A true story of someone pushing the boundaries of human capabilities in a feat of endurance gone wrong, and a man's remarkable struggle to survive. As a diver myself, I'm awed and ever so slightly horrified by the gnarly undertakings described in the book. This is the extreme of technical diving, but it isn't necessary to have diving experience or an understanding of the theory behind the sport to appreciate the achievements described.The writer has a good, solid style and explains the endeavours in a clear and accessible way, without overloading descriptions with unnecessary technical details. I'd recommend it for divers, and for others interested in human endurance in extremis.
What do You think about De Diepte In (2000)?
A terrifying journey into the possibilities of venturing into the underwater depths of nature.
—mia
Awesome book even if you know nothing about diving. And he's a great guy.
—cutecuz05
A great adventure book for the armchair scuba divers like myself.
—Vanessa
Not amazingly well written but still a fascinating story.
—shruthi
