Caverns Measureless to Man [Hardcover]

Sheck Exley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 2009

Caverns Measureless to Man is the story of the passion of an extraordinary individual who spent his life exploring underwater caves.

For nearly 30 years Sheck Exley was the leader. He set records, he developed the techniques, and he maintained the highest standards of excellence. Sheck lived a life of adventure, danger, and excitement of a degree that few people can ever dream of, or, if they do, those dreams are nightmares. If you participate on the highest level, you know that some of your best friends are going to die. If you continue to push yourself and your equipment to the limitsif you persist in being a world class diver as Sheck wasthe chances are very high that you, too, will die. This book may terrify you, but it will unquestionably fascinate you, and in the end, Sheck Exley will convince you that his death came to him in the midst of the incredibly intense joy he took in diving into the depths of the earth. The boxed, limited edition is printed on special paper and is numbered 1-100. Sheck was going to autograph each copy and the profits were (and still are) to be his personal contribution to the Hamilton Valley Project of the Cave Research Foundation. Alas, Sheck died four days before copies of the book were available, and he never saw it. His contribution to CRF will still be made, however, as book collectors and admirers of Sheck Exley will soon buy up this limited edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sheck Exley for almost thirty years developed the techniques and set the standards for cave divers today. Many times while reading this book I found myself holding my breath while someone was stuck in a tight spot, fighting with damaged or defective equipment, lost in a silted-up passage, or just plain running out of air . . . This book is as close as most will ever want to get to an underwater cave." -- Paul Steward, Central Jersey Caver

"Sheck Exley was at the forefront of international cave diving. He had a fascination for depth which led to his demise, at the age of 45, while attempting a new world depth record in a remote siphon in northern Mexico in 1994 . . . . "Caverns Measureless to Man is a very readable autobiography of this exceptional man . . . . enthralling, laced with danger and excitement, yet tinged with a touch of humor. "This is a gripping book equally appealing to the diver and non-diver alike." --Tim Stratford, The International Caver

Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Cave Books (October 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939748339
• ISBN-13: 978-0939748334
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine book on cave diving by the world's premier cave diver, October 30, 2001

By 

Jeffrey Bozanic (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Caverns Measureless to Man (Paperback)

Sheck's book delves deep into what drives people to pursue an activity that most "sane" people shudder even to think about. Written by the one individual who was recognized as the finest cave diver in the world, he has both the experience and breadth of knowledge to write a truly superlative text on cave diving. Included in his narrative is a history of cave diving, related by one who helped set much of it. During his life, Sheck helped set the standards for safe cave diving, and was responsible for pushing many of the limits of the sport. In fact, many of those barriers he broke still stand as records or significant milestones. With the publication of this book, Sheck, even after his unfortuanate, untimely death, continues to contribute to an endeavor that epitomizes the nature of man... the curiosity, drive, and willingness to explore the environment in which he lives, even though the price of that knowledge may be death. If you are interested in caves, diving, or just man's willingness to explore, this book is a "must read."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read for anyone, January 20, 2000

By 

S. D. Owens "travellers" (Fort Smith AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caverns Measureless to Man (Hardcover)

You probably found this page because you're interested in cave diving, but any diver would be hard pressed to dislike it. This book neither sells or discourages the idea of learning to cave dive, but it more than adequately describes the unbridled fear of a diver in deep and well-deserved trouble, and that same diver's survival and subsequent development of accepted safety techniques. Sheck Exley will probably never be challenged as the world's greatest cave diver. Read the work of others at the pinnacle of this sport, and you will become convinced that the world lost something when Exley died.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book from a talent taken too soon, October 22, 2003

By 

EW - See all my reviews

This review is from: Caverns Measureless to Man (Special Edition) (Hardcover)

I read this book from front to back in about 4 days. It was a very enjoyable read and very hard to put down. Exley did a very good job describing the early years of cave diving and how it evolved to it's present state circa 1993.
I didn't want the book to end, for I knew that one more turned page was one step closer to the end of Exley's life.
I have read many books on diving-The Last Dive, Submerged, The Cave Divers, Final Descent, etc.- and I have to say that Caverns... was one of the more descriptive,better moving books of all that I have read. It was fascinating to read about all of the research, preperation and logistics that went into Exley's record setting dives. I also found it interesting to read about Exley's incredible luck through 20 plus years of diving. Of all the envelope pushing that was a part of cave diving and deep diving's infancy it was very apparent that Exley was incredibly lucky to not die or get seriously bent in his record breaking pursuits. Others around him, even partners, seemed to succum to the deep while Exley remained unscathed. Incredible luck or Incredible talent? Probably a lot of both.
What needs to be written now is an addendum to the book that discusses Exleys fatal dive at Mante and how and why it happened.
One thing is for certain, had Exley not lived, many of the safety measures that are a part of everyday life for a scuba diver would not have been invented. We scuba divers, won't fully realise the contribution that Exley made until we read this book.
A Great book, a keeper to be re-read many times.