Book description
A collection of thrilling diving stories
There's everything from classic tales of wreck discoveries to
encounters with beautiful and bizarre creatures beneath the waves.
There are stories of death and disaster as well as bravery and
triumph. Each tale has been chosen to stoke the fire of
divers everywhere and some are illustrated with colour photographs.
Take the plunge and read about the diver who discovered how to put
sharks in a trance and the marine biologist who lost a limb trying to
proving that sharks were safe to swim with. There's the tale behind
the Red Sea's most famous wreck, as well the Titanic's sister ship
that keeps claiming divers' lives. Read about the politician attacked
by a turtle, the saltwater crocodile that lost a sub-aqua scuffle and
the eel feeding frenzy that almost claimed a life.
The exciting and the extreme rub shoulders with more poetic pieces
about the people and places that make up the folklore of this
fascinating sport, and some are even brought to life by the author's
photography. This global tour takes you everywhere: from Indonesia to
the Caribbean and from the chill waters of Northern Europe to the
reefs of the Pacific. Stories of technical pioneers are accompanied by
quirky tales of adventure beneath the waves.
Every ocean of the world is explored making this essential reading -
or a wonderful gift - for divers everywhere.
John Bantin was born in North London, immediately after the
Second World War and grew up through the 60s. After a 25 year career
as a successful advertising photographer and television commercials
director, he took a year off to go scuba diving. One thing led to
another and his life took on a major change. He worked for a short
time as a dive guide on a pioneering liveaboard dive boat in the Red
Sea in 1992, he also ran a dive centre in the Mediterranean before
settling down to become Technical Editor of the long-established
Diver Magazine in the UK. Since then he has spent more than
twenty years travelling the world, diving in all the best places, and
writing about the experiences he has enjoyed as well as some that he
has not. During this time he has achieved an enviable reputation for
telling things the way they are. He has also been regularly published
in both the USA in Undercurrent Magazine and in Scandinavia in
DYK. He lives in West London with his second wife and two
teenage daughters while his grown-up son left home to pursue a career
in the sound recording industry some years previously.
