Customer Reviews

The Cave Divers

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
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As if you're wearing weight-belts too, the author draws you down to join the feerless few who dare the hidden underwater depths. Very entertaining, but equally educational, which is helpful to us landlubbers who have only dreamt of clenching down on a regulator mouthpiece. The book covers the early days of aqua-spelunking right up through the present, touching on the evolving equipment and techniques, including a piece on the challenges and tricks of underwater photography. Great pictures and diagrams, and the stories are arranged such that it isn't necessary to read front to back. The reader can dive in anywhere and not get lost...which is more than can be said for some of the chapters' subjects. Either way, you'll enjoy reading every page. But beware of the bends!

The Cave Divers arrived through my letter box just as I was departing for a long-haul flight - always a good opportunity for some fairly uninterrupted reading. It proved to be an excellent choice of book.

The Cave Divers traces the history of Cave Diving from the earliest beginnings - where explorers held their breath and plunged into freezing waters deep inside hitherto unexplored cave systems, through the era of tremendous discovery made possible by Scuba Diving equipment and right up to the advent of modern Rebreather systems.

Combining his personal experience of over 50 years of diving with a very easy style of writing, the author has created a fascinating and readable account of the successes and failures that has made the sport of Cave Diving exactly what it is - one of the most advanced, technical and adventurous forms of diving available today.

The book commences with various accounts of early adventurers such as; Count Begouen who discovered artefacts made by prehistoric man in the dry caves of the Pyres in 1913, Casteret who, in 1932, risked life and limb to plunge almost naked into a dark and icy abyss to make one of the most unique finds in the annals of discovery and exploration - and with nothing more than a candle and a box of matches, the very first attempts to explore the caves of Somerset in 1934 and a detailed account of how both Cousteau and Dumas came very close to death in the Fountain of Vaucluse in 1946.

Chapter by chapter this book visits the important cave systems of the Bahamas, Europe, UK, USA and Venezuela as it explains many of the individual accomplishments made by the men and women who pioneered, expanded and continue to develop the sport of Cave Diving. In this way, the Author brings the reader through each significant milestone, contribution and innovation right up to the very latest in Rebreather systems before finally concluding with his own view of what the future holds.

This book will be of interest to Cave Diver and non-Cave Diver alike - and invaluable for those contemplating taking up the sport. My only criticism is that it contains no mention whatsoever of the late Rob Palmer - who's own contribution was far from insignificant

NM

This is THE book for anyone who has any interest at all in the sport of SCUBA diving or just interested in reading about extreme high adverture.It is one of the most interesting, enjoyable and captivating books I have read in quite awhile. It puts you right there in the caves, sinks and sumps with some of the worlds best and most experienced cave divers(and some who were'nt) and lets you get a feel for what it is like to explore worlds that few will ever see. From Florida's famous Wakulla Spring Survey Project and the remains of early man found at Warm Mineral/Little Salt Springs to the HUGE underwater labyrinthss of the Yucatan Peninsula and Huautla cavern system in Mexico, each chapter is a detailed account of these adventures including maps, drawings and photos. I highly recommend this book.

'Robert Burgess succeeds in conveying the excitement, eloquently painting pictures of the sights and describing the intellectual challenges and satisfactions, masterfully mixing adventure with history, sociology, archaeology and some hard-learned lessons in physics. There are chapters with unexpectedly happy endings and others detailing tragic mistakes made in this unforgiving environment... it is easy to see why this book earned a 'Book of the Year' award from Forward Magazine... As a photographer, Burgess is able to add another dimension to this book... Burgess' photos cover many decades and many caves... Overall, the book is a delight, entertaining and an easy read. It's a great vacation book, full of adventure, divided into chapters that can easily stand alone or mesh together...[Burgess] masterfully glides the reader through tales of history that cavers and non-cavers will enjoy.' Susan Brillhart Book Review IMMERSED. The International Technical Diving Magazine

This book is very interesting and well written although the title is a little misleading. The book pens the more interesting diving experiences of some of histories most famous cave, spring, sump and cenote divers. It tells of their experiences in a time when the type of diving that they were doing was still new and had not yet been fully explored. Many of the stories that are in the book tell of the near death experiences and possible dangerous situations that many of these divers were faced with and yet still lived through. The chapters in the book range from the tales of some of the early cenote and cave divers and their discoveries all the way through the record setting depth attemps of Sheck Exley. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in some of the stories of the earliest and most famous technical divers or those who have an interest in some of the earlier archiology divers and the things that discovered through their expoits.

New to technical diving, I found this historical perspective very interesting. Being French, I was most impressed by Burgess' firsts stories about early dives by pioneers. Each chapter recounts a Cave diving exploration history, and can be read independently. It is also well written, in an entertaining style and does not try to play it too "tekkie". The focus is on exploration. I spent a straight week nights on it, and loved it all the way down. You gonna be hooked.

This book is actually a revised and updated version of a book by the same name that was published in 1976. It has about 12 new chapters and some minor revisions to some of the old ones.

Some of this book, especially those chapters dealing with underwater archaeology, deal more with diving in springs and sinkholes rather than in horizontal caves.

Most of the book, however, is devoted to harrowing tales of cave and wannabe cave divers. Many of these stories are woven into what seem, to this long time cave diver, to be the equivalent of fish tales told by fisherman. In other words, the veracity of some of the underwater horror stories may be questionable and are apt to be given to hyperbole. On the other hand, if you have a son, daugther, spouse, significant other, etc. that you don't want to take up this sport, just have them read Burgess' book.

I must admit it is well-written, but borders on a work of fiction rather than being a factual book. It also contains some erroneous information. Its biggest sin, though, appears to be one of omission. This book hardly mentions one of the most fascinating regions of underwataer caves--Florida's Woodville Karst Plain--and the world's most innovative and daring cave divers, those exploring it: Woodville Karst Plain Project.

If you wish to be entertained by macabre tales of a dark water-filled realm, nonetheless, then you will enjoy reading this book.

Jeff Wexler Florida

Burgess's recount of these various cave diving episodes makes a good read. It is not very detailed on technical aspects, nor pretends to be a comprehensive re-tracing of the cave diving history. It does however weave in suspense filled short stories the beginnings of cave diving, its major players and their accomplishments. Without the boring list type of dry dates, names and events. Will interest the few passionate about the sport, as well as all adrenaline rush and adventure seekers. To me, it gave a backdrop, a character and a soul to many of those names I looked up to when I started venturing deeper and longer in the underwater realm.

Gale Research says: "Robert F. Burgess has written a number of books examining underwater exploration and adventure. Many reviewers note that these books appeal to both the beginning student and to the person reading for adventure and entertainment. For instance, in a review of The Cave Divers published in the Christian Science Monitor, W. W. Smith remarks that "Burgess has written a highly readable and exciting book about the adventures of brave divers who ventured into sunken caves. . . . This book has enough technical background to interest the diver and spelunker, yet enough suspense and fresh insight to interest the casual reader." And of the same book L. E. Logan comments in Library Journal, "This book is highly recommended reading for all scuba divers, cave divers, and anyone else who has an interest in the development of underwater paleontology and archaeology." To advanced and exceptional cave divers disappointed because their record cave penetrations of recent years was not detailed in this edition of my book, I most sincerely apologize. The reason is that this edition of the book was completed long before their records but was not published until now. I regret my inability to recognize their tremendous contributions to advancing these highly dangerous explorations, but do hope they understand the difficulty of this necessary delay between the actual writing of a manuscript and the years it may take before it appears in print.

Burgess's recount of these various cave diving episodes makes a good read. It is not very detailed on technical aspects, nor pretends to be a comprehensive re-tracing of the cave diving history. It does however weave in suspense filled short stories the beginnings of cave diving, its major players and their accomplishments. Without the boring list type of dry dates, names and events. Will interest the few passionate about the sport, as well as all adrenaline rush and adventure seekers. To me, it gave a backdrop, a character and a soul to many of those names I looked up to when I started venturing deeper and longer in the underwater realm.