Down Time: Great Writers on Diving [Paperback]

Ed Kittrell (Editor), Casey Kittrell (Editor), Jim Kittrell (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

More than 35 passages from novelists, journalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, and scientists detail an intertwined passion for diving and the written word in this collection. From Robert Stone’s portrayal of a diver who faces the terrorizing prospect of his air running out to Clare Booth Luce's search for the treasures of the underwater realm, every passage reveals a perspective of the world that only divers have known. Humor columnist Dave Barry battles a lobster and explains why staying on the ocean’s surface is like “going to the circus and staring at the outside of a tent.” From Rangiroa to the Red Sea, from deep within caverns to the eerie light under ice, from the lethal silliness of nitrogen narcosis to the elation of soaring over unfathomable depths, every selection, like every dive, is a unique experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By far the best literary collection about scuba diving." -- Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine

About the Author

Ed Kittrell is a writer and editor and an avid diver. He lives in Glenview, Illinois. Casey Kittrell and Jim Kittrell are writers and licensed scuba instructors. Jim lives in Glenview, Illinois. Casey lives in Austin, Texas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Look Away Books; Second edition edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965834441
• ISBN-13: 978-0965834445
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent collection, not all stories fantastic, December 6, 2004

By 

Henry N. Heinz "Henry" (Indonesia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down Time: Great Writers on Diving (Paperback)

I recently read this collection of stories while on a nice tropical vacation where I did a couple of dives - so was in the mood. Below, I have broken down some of the positives and negatives that I took away from this collection:

The positives: This is without a doubt a comprehensive collection of writings - in terms of the time period covered and styles of writing (humor, poetry, etc). I thought that some of the stories were really great - couldn't help but laugh at Dave Barry's description of diving. I found a few of the older pieces very interesting due to the historic perspective / context.

The negatives: Any time you take on a project to complile a collection this large across different writing styles, it should be a given that all pieces are not going to appeal to all readers. About 25% of the stories simply did not appeal to me.

Secondly, there also seemed to be a recurring "What my first dive was like" or "What it feels like when you are down there" theme. I also found this a bit tiresome after awhile. As a diver, unending explanations of how clear and blue water is, the sense of weightlessness, etc got to be a bit much. Almost drove me to the best example I could think of - a bottle of Bombay Gin.

Closing: A large enough body of work that I think that every reader will find some of the stories very worthy reading. Light enough for a good vacation or bedtime read. Worthy enough purchase - I think a good gift type of purchase for that diver's christmas fin.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 60% dull, January 5, 2008

By 

Shawn "ER RN" (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down Time: Great Writers on Diving (Paperback)

I consider myself to be an avid diver and reader, so I'm naturally drawn to books that cover a wide berth of topics regarding the ocean and diving. This particular book I had a difficult time wanting to finish. The perspective of the stories were grossly limited by both the recurrent theme of being a new/first time diver and by the fact that few were written after the mid 1970's. There are a few gems amongst the chapters, Dave Berry's lobstering for instance, but the wade through the rest of the book was tiresome. My advise is do not purchase, visit the Library and be willing to skip large portions.

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, June 9, 2009

By 

Linda "Benjamin" (Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down Time: Great Writers on Diving (Paperback)

It is hard to get across the myriad of feelings one experiences in Scuba diving. This collection succeeds in doing so. Particularly good was the selection from Philippe Diole , "Mingled Atoms." In short, I emphatically recommend this collection to both divers and non divers.