Deep Diving: An Advanced Guide to Physiology, Procedures and Systems [Paperback]

Bret Gilliam (Author), Robert Von Maier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

This is the first book to span the depth between traditional sport diving editions and the complex medical/commercial texts. It provides a balanced view of the fascinations and hazards of deep diving through extensive factual development of its technical chapters.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I strongly recommend this book to all persons interested in any aspects of deep diving. -- Book testimonial

If you plan to slip outside the envelope your training agency mailed you with your C-card, this book is a -- In Depth

One of the best single source diving texts I have purchased. -- Book testimonial

The wealth of information compressed into these pages bridges the gap from kindergarten to graduate school for most divers. -- Book testimonial

This is the definitive guide, essential to the safe conduct of deep scuba diving operations. -- Book testimonial --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Bret Gilliam is the current world record depth holder (452 ft. on air). He is a thirty-year veteran of the diving industry with experience in military, commercial and saturation diving. He is licensed as a USCG Merchant Marine Master, submersible pilot and recompression chamber supervisor. A prolific technical writer and symposia speaker, his work has appeared in most diving-related publications. He is President of Ocean Tech, a diving and marine industry consulting company. He lives in Maine. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Watersport Pub; First Edition edition (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0922769303
• ISBN-13: 978-0922769308
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,991,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to deep diving theory and practices, April 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Deep Diving: An Advanced Guide to Physiology, Procedures and Systems (Paperback)

Deep Diving is one of the first books to openly discuss the "taboo" subject of diving beyond recreational depth limits (>130'). In it Bret Gilliam (founder of Technical Diving International, president of Uwatec USA, former deep-air diving depth record holder) shares wonderful (and gruesome) stories and describes the history and today of the theories and practices of diving deep. This book can help you decide if getting training for deep and technical diving is for you

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Consider it essential reading despite being outdated, July 2, 2003

By 

Hassan Adly (Hurghada, Red Sea Egypt) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deep Diving: An Advanced Guide to Physiology, Procedures and Systems (Paperback)

Although he has some points, I disagree with the previous reviewer's harsh one-star assessment of this text. The second edition of this text dates to 1995, and as such can't be completely dismissed (other than some details which I will cover below).

I have been diving for 17 years, and even my technical dive training (TDI Extended Range) wasn't as informative to me (the theory part, at least) as this book. Just the historical references, including detailed accounts of fatal deep diving accidents, could make a book on their own, and really instill in the reader the value of training & advances in technical diving equipment systems, and provide a deep appreciation for the very expensive lessons that have been learned over the past half-century of experience.

I found this book to be more detailed in many aspects than many Technical Diving training manuals, and much more interesting to read. Certainly, this book is not a replacement for officially sanctioned manuals, though when I (soon) become a Technical instructor I plan to make my students absorb this text as required "additional reading".

Nevertheless, due to a lack of further updates beyond the first revised edition of 1995, readers should be aware that this book is slightly dated or completely outdated in the following aspects:

- New approaches to using helium mixes at much shallower depths than before, and more attention to breathing mixtures such as hyperoxic and normoxic trimix

- New developments in dive computers, particularly multigas, gas-switching computers such as the Suunto Vytec, the VR3, and Nitek He, the latter two supporting helium mixtures.

- Pre-dive planning of dive Multi-level, multi-gas profiles using PC-based software

- Various general diving and decompression procedures have become more standardized and stricter since this book's publication, particularly issues like gas-supply redundancy.

Despite these and some other less significant issues, this book remains a very important text which I think all technical divers should read, at least as a historical reference. Of course, it would serve both TDI and the diving community greatly if Bret Gilliam & co. would produce a new revision to this book, Which is why I am giving this book "only" four stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, July 31, 2000

By 

Susan M. Smith (Dundee, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deep Diving, Revised: An Advanced Guide to Physiology, Procedures and Systems (Paperback)

Reaslistic, practical, and easy to understand. Hazards and rewards of deep diving are both well defined. Safety well covered and emphasized. Good resource for either tekkies or those who will dive within recreational limits.