Diver Down: Real-World SCUBA Accidents and How to Avoid Them (Paperback)

by Michael Ange (Author)
Key Phrases: public safety diving, public safety diver, trimix divers, Coast Guard, Captain Mike, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One diver, after a seemingly brief period below the surface, discovers that his gas supply has run perilously low. Another, paralyzed, bobs helplessly on the surface, and when a poorly trained divemaster attempts rescue, things go from bad to worse. Two other divers, fascinated by the bountiful undersea life of the Caribbean, fail to notice that a powerful current is sweeping them rapidly away from their unattended boat.

These are just a few of the true stories you’ll find in Diver Down, most of them involving diver error and resulting in serious injury or death. Each of these tales is accompanied by an in-depth analysis of what went wrong and how you can recognize, avoid, and respond to similar underwater calamities. This unique survival guide explores the gamut of diving situations, including cave and wreck diving, deep-water dives, river and drift diving, decompression sickness, and much more. It shows you how to prevent tragic mishaps through:

• Inspection and maintenance of primary and secondary diving gear
• Learning and following established safety protocols
• Confirming the training and credentials of diving professionals
• Practicing emergency responses under real-world conditions

From the Back Cover

True Tales of Trouble in the Deep and What You Can Learn from Them

One diver, after a seemingly brief period below the surface, discovers that his gas supply has run perilously low. Another, paralyzed, bobs helplessly on the surface, and when a poorly trained divemaster attempts rescue, things go from bad to worse. Two other divers, fascinated by the bountiful undersea life of the Caribbean, fail to notice that a powerful current is sweeping them rapidly away from their unattended boat.

These are just a few of the true stories you’ll find in Diver Down, most of them involving diver error and resulting in serious injury or death. This unique survival guide explores the gamut of diving situations, including cave and wreck diving, deep-water dives, river and drift diving, decompression sickness, and much more. It shows you how to prevent tragic mishaps through:

• Inspection and maintenance of primary and secondary diving gear
• Learning and following established safety protocols
• Confirming the training and credentials of diving professionals
• Practicing emergency responses under real-world conditions

Captain Michael R. Ange is the Managing Director of the Americas Division for the Professional Scuba Association International and contributing writer and technical editor for Scuba Diving magazine. During his diving career, Ange has trained more than 3,000 divers and several hundred instructors from around the world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071445722
• ISBN-13: 978-0071445726
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,498 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Scuba
  #6 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Swimming
  #53 in	Books > Sports > Water Sports

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So important for a diver to know these things, October 30, 2005

By	Ralph B. Asher (Ft. Collins Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a subscription to Scuba Diver magazine because it has a section called "Lessons for Life" that gives you the story of a diver who died or came close. This book includes those stories and so many more. It is so important to know the many ways that one can get into trouble and I rarely read one of these without learning something that changes the way I dive or care for my equipment. The one objection I have to certification and specialty classes is that they don't include these factual accounts of diver deaths and near misses. It is as if they don't want to scare us when in fact I find that each and every one has something to say as to how I should apporach the sport. I personally have made changes in behavior soley based upon the lessons taught by these stories and consider this book a must read for anyone diving today.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Essential Reading for Divers, November 10, 2005

By	David R. Bush "D. Bush" (Titusville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be required reading for an Advanced Diver rating or above (probably even open water, but might add too much stress to beginers). It is absolutely fantastic and definitly could save your life or the life of someone you love. Please don't kill yourself with mistakes that others have already made. Learn from the mistakes of others and avoid them. That is what this book is all about. This book has several stories of dive mistakes and what lessons can be learned from each case. If you are a diver I would consider this book to be #1 on your must read list. Get it, read it, live it, and dive happy!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great analysis of what can go wrong and why, October 1, 2006

By	Conrad H. Blickenstorfer (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One might consider this book by Michel Ange, who is Technical Editor of Scuba Diving Magazine, a downer as someone dies in almost every chapter. That's because Ange presents a series of case studies of diving gone wrong. Each chapter tackles a specific issue and tells the story on how something went wrong during a scuba dive, often with deadly consequences. The stories are real, though names and places have been changed so as to preserve the privacy of those involved.

While Ange's book presents some harrowing evidence that our sport can be dangerous and deadly, we must consider that this applies to almost any sport, and even to life in general. More accidents happen in bathrooms than anywhere else, and no one would consider them especially dangerous or deadly places. The value in Diver Down is that it describes what CAN go wrong if rules are not observed and common sense does not prevail. That is the gist and primary value of this book, to point out what can go wrong if we do not pay attention, become over-confident, or cut corners.

Each chapter is dedicated to a single topic: Nitrox, trimix, over-confidence, lack of experience, cave diving, wreck diving, decompression sickness, dry suits, lack of maintenance, navigation, rebreathers, following rules, and so on. Ange presents a scenario, describes what happenes, often to the bitter end, then analyzes the situation and closes the chapter with a set of rules on how the accident could have been avoided.

What makes the book extra valuable is the technical explanations inserted into each chapter. They explain, in plain English, the underlying concepts, physics, and technology. Likewise, the book's lenghty introduction serves as a Scuba 101 course (and is actually named "Scuba 101"). It is clear and concise and contains a lot of good information.

You will also quickly find that Ange heavily leans on some common sense guidelines: Follow the rules, always. Don't do anything you are not trained to do. Take diving and equipment maintenance very seriously.

Layout and graphics are basic. Do not look for colors and fancy graphics. And if you do not wish to know the outcome of each chapter right upfront, skip the intros that give them away. I have no idea why they are there.

Recommended. In fact, this book is so good, it deserved better graphic layout and treatment.