Having this book on your shelf doesn't automatically make you safe
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"Diver Down" certainly provides stories that have the potential to scare the wits out of non-diving friends in their retelling. However, these accounts would not look out of place in "The Darwin Awards". After all, would you drop anchor and then go for a dive in unfamiliar waters without surface cover (i.e. with no crew left aboard) - and with a squall brewing? What is sad is that poor judgement by one person can kill or seriously injure buddies or rescuers. I guess the moral here is to look after 'number one' - in order to avert a daft accident or be in a position to offer assistance to those in difficulty.
"Diver Down" tends to describe `sensational' accidents that carry few lessons for the average diver. Most of the accidents described are in overhead situations, i.e. in wrecks or caves. Most accidents to non-technical divers are usually chalked up as down to poor buoyancy control, due to inexperience, panic, or a combination of the two. But recounting these accidents wouldn't make for a very interesting read. To be fair, Michael Ange lists the 'rules' of diving and under #5 states that "panic is the primary cause of diver death".
If you want to learn from the mishaps of others then the diving press carries accounts of diving accidents or close calls that are highly educational. One that sticks in the mind is an account of a diver who suffered symptoms of secondary drowning when he was simply making a surface swim and breathed in some sea spray ("Dive" magazine, April 2007). So, if education is what you're after, subscribe to one or more of the excellent diving magazines or online forums.
Having said that, the accounts in this book make for compelling reading. It's a real page-turner and I certainly don't regret buying this book.
Safe diving.
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Diver Down
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I have not personally experienced the sorts of "bad luck" that some of the divers in this book have had, and it is very easy with hindsight to say, "well, I wouldn't have done that", but would you?
A really enjoyed this book as did my daughter who is not a diver.
The book has prompted me to review my own technique, but unfortunately it has not encouraged my daughter to take up the sport.
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Good Read
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A good descriptive account of what can go wrong on a dive and the precautions you can do to better prepare yourself. A must have for the experienced diver. Do not allow non-diving partners anywhere near it though. Would not advise for any nervous divers, get experience and build confidence first before reading this.
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