Customer Reviews

The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 2) Anguilla, St Maarten/Martin, St. Barts, Saba, Statia, St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua, Guadeloupe

5 star:		(3)
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I'd definitely give this guide full marks. It's without doubt the most comprehensive of the guides I looked at for the area I was travelling to(the Virgin Islands). It had everything we could have wanted to know and it definitely meant we did some better diving than we'd have done without it. We particularly liked that it gave us information about the British and US Virgin Islands and as they are less than 5 miles apart it's simple to dive both areas. They have some really different types of diving and we'd have missed out on a lot without the guide. We bought the book before we went but we took it along with us and used it all the time. One of the things we enjoyed reading was the descriptions of the dives andthe sections about the marine life. We've been diving for over 10 years and I've learnt more from this book than I have in my previous years of diving.

The Complete Diving Guide (2) is a must for anyone diving the Netherlands Antilles. I used it while cruising in the area on my yacht in St. Maarten and dived in Saba, Statia and Anguilla on the strength of the information in the guide book. It tells you where the best dives are and how to dive them. The maps show you where the dives are and there is a lot of general background about what the diving will be like. I was surprised how much information the authors included and there's no woffle, it's all good value for money.

As I said when reviewing Vol. 1 of this series of book, it is always interesting to see which ones are preferred by the Dive Guides at the sharp end. Take it from me, they are all using this book and if it's good enough for them then it's more than good enough for me. Not once have I found any of the three volumes in my possession to be lacking in any way.

The book is well written and includes plenty of general information on diving, facilities, climate, sea, regulations, boats, cruise liners, resorts, hotels, flora, fauna, shipwrecks, photography and safety. The book then covers each of the Caribbean countries which form the main subject matter before concluding with a Glossary, Bibliography and Accident and Emergency Information.

If you want a book full of pretty pictures - then look elsewhere. This is a true guide which contains all the information you will require. It does not fool you by pretending to be something it is not - as is the case with far too many so-called "Guides," but instead concentrates on providing all the relevant and peripheral information that any Scuba Diver will want to know before and during a trip to any of the Caribbean destinations covered. The maps and diagrams are particularly useful - and very easy to follow.

My advice is to look at the "information" given in this series of books and don't get side-tracked by something more flashy. Do not be tempted away from this one - it is a straight forward, no nonsense guide containing everything you will want to know.

In summary, any book claiming to be "A Complete Guide" has to include an awful lot of information. This one has achieved just that and will not disappoint the purchaser.

NM