Volume 1 gives you everything you ever need to know about scuba diving on these fantastic Caribbean islands: Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago & Barbados.
Volume I covers the Caribbean Islands from Dominica to Tobago. The first book of its kind for the area, The Complete Diving Guide - The Caribbean Volume 1 by Colleen Ryan and Brian Savage is meticulously researched and packed with useful information. The book describes over 240 dive sites and covers 50 extensively, and includes full-color underwater site plans.
All in all, the guide contains everything a diver needs to know to decide which island to dive and where to stay, which operators to dive with, which sites to visit, what to expect to see and even which camera lenses to use to capture on film what you actually see. " -- PADI Undersea Journal - First Quarter 1998
"The Complete Diving Guide - The Caribbean (Volume 1) is exactly what it professes to be. Intended to be the first in a series, it looks at the southern islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Each chapter starts with a short island introduction followed by a very specific description of the dive sites, operators and hotels.
The write-ups of the dive sites are full of interesting personal experiences. The rest of the chapter provides just the sort of information you need, such as which operators have english speaking dive guides and which recognise the depth limitations of BSAC rather than PADI.
Throughout the book's 390 information-packed pages are numerous interesting side panels. One describes the ships that sank in St. Pierre Harbour on Martinique when Mount Pelee erupted in 1902. The resulting dive sites sound so fascinating that I at once booked a trip to the island. Surely this is the acid test of a dive guide?" -- Diver Magazine, October 1998, Brendan O'Brien
"This book on the area is a must for visitors and tour group leaders" -- PADI Undersea Journal - Second Quarter 1998
"Three years ago Colleen Ryan and Brian Savage traded in their highly successful London careers for a life cruising the Caribbean on their yacht. And being keen divers they needed a guide to the area.
Dissatisfied with what they found they decided to write and publish their own. It took two years' hard work, the mastering of a whole new set of skills from marine biology to desktop publishing and some dogged determination. The result is the most accurate, useful and interesting guide to Caribbean diving yet published.
The first volume covers the southern part of the Caribbean from Dominica to Tobago, but does not stretch to Bonaire and Curacao. More than 240 dives are described with detailed graphics for 50 sites and most usefully all the dive operators are listed and evaluated.
The book looks as if it has been produced by a slick publishing house with all the resources in the world. It is hard to believe it was compiled by two amateurs in the saloon of their yacht moored off out-of-the-way Caribbean islands. A remarkable achievement and essential reading for anyone planning a diving trip to the area. The only problem is that you will end up wanting to sell up, buy a boat and spend the next several years checking out the dives in detail." -- Dive International, March 1998, Max James
From an article on diving in the Windward islands:
"This book on the area is a must for visitors and tour group leaders" -- PADI Undersea Journal, Second Quarter 1998
The Complete Diving Guide - The Caribbean (Volume 1) is exactly what it professes to be. Intended to be the first in a series, it looks at the southern islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Each chapter starts with a short island introduction followed by a very specific description of the dive sites, operators and hotels.
The write-ups of the dive sites are full of interesting personal experiences. The rest of the chapter provides just the sort of information you need, such as which operators have English speaking dive guides and which recognise the depth limitations of BSAC rather than PADI.
Throughput the book's 390 information-packed pages are numerous interesting side panels. One describes the ships that sank in St. Pierre Harbour on Martinique when Mount Pelee erupted in 1902. The resulting dive sites sound so fascinating that I at once booked a trip to the island. Surely this is the acid test of a dive guide? -- Diver Magazine, October 1998, Brendan O'Brien
We wanted to know which islands had good visibility and sheltered sites suitable for underwater photography; which had the steep walls and fast drifts that would give us exciting diving; which had good wrecks; which islands should we take our novice friends to; and where would we find sites we could dive independently from our yacht?
Because we were able to sail from island to island on our yacht we were fortunate to be able to sample the diving everywhere. But we realised that someone planning a vacation would not have that opportunity and by then we had discovered how different the diving was on each of the islands and what a wide range of quality of service was offered by the dive operators. So, in the absence of a truly comprehensive and objective guide, we decided to write one.
The Complete Diving Guide Series is the result of 5 years researching the diving in the Eastern Caribbean. We spent months on each island instead of the normal one or two week vacation that most people have, so we were able to study the diving and the operators in depth. We did some great diving and gained a real insight into the diving business in this region. In the course of our research we met many diving vacationers and often, in the absence of good information, they had not made the best choice of island (or even the best location on that island) for their particular diving needs.
We have written the type of diving guide we wanted to be able buy and we hope that our readers can make better informed decisions about their choice of diving vacation in the Eastern Caribbean.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely the BEST Dive Guide!,
By DUngls (Caribbean) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 1) Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados (Paperback)
We dive regularly in these areas covered by the Complete Dive Guide Vol 1, a place where information is scarce except for that offered by local operators. We found this guide, especially the Dive Maps and the information on the local Dive shops and their services to be the ABSOLUTE Best available. We recommend everyone who dives these areas grab a copy and keep it close. This guide has given us the ability to dive confidently and know we aren't going to miss anything the area has to offer.Thanks Brian & Colleen
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
winston reed,
By winstonreed (Milford, connecticut United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 1) Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados (Paperback)
July 2001 I dove several of the sites reviewed by ms Ryan and Mr Savageand found their profiles of the dives to be very accurate and helpful.I hope she and Brian Savage will do a "complete DG of the Bahamas,I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the book the Experts Use.,
By Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 1) Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados (Paperback)
It is always interesting to see which books are used by the local Dive Guides at the sharp end and this is how I was first introduced to this particular book just over three years ago in Grenada. Since then I have put it to good use on a number of assignments in the Caribbean and I have yet to find it lacking in any way.
The opening introductory chapter 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 commences with Dominica in the north and moves southwards to include Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago and Barbados before concluding with a Glossary, Bibliography and Accident and Emergency Information. The relatively few photographs are all of a good quality - but this is book that 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 Islands covered. The maps and diagrams are particularly useful - and very easy to follow in situ. On first sight, however, the book cover lacks impact and might easily be overlooked as the prospective purchaser gets side-tracked by something a little 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. Altogether, almost 400 pages packed with information - although that does include a small number of one-page advertisements. 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
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