The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico [Paperback]

Humberto Fontova (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2003

The Helldivers frequently dive past 200 feet into the murky salt wash of the Gulf of Mexico, through the sea-life-covered steel beams of a giant oil platform. Members of different scuba/fishing clubs get together annually to compete.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company (January 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590770056
• ISBN-13: 978-1590770054
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,496,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!!!, June 24, 2004

By 

C. Good (North-Central Montana, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Paperback)

This is probably one of the most enjoyable books I have read in the last five years. The author and his cohorts are definitely brave, almost certainly missing a few screws and possibly suicidal, but they enjoy what they are doing so much that after a while the insanity of it all doesn't seem to matter. Stories about divers diving with football helmets so they don't get knocked out on the steel beams of the oil rig and the stalking of sharks (!!) in the opaque murk at the bottom of the sea floor would seem farcical or just stupid coming from almost anyone else, but when Fontova writes it is riveting, believable and also hilarious.

Fontova is often brutally honest about the risks that the rig-divers take. While his writing clearly expresses the enjoyment and thrill of this type of spear fishing, he does not try to glorify it or to imply that it is safe or easy or simple, because it is none of those things.

One of the best things about this book is also one of the most unexpected: it's not just about hunting, it's about everything else too. In between the stories about the dives, Fontova talks about south Louisiana culture, the workings and modification of spear guns, the theory of operation behind scuba gear, the rules for how deep and how long it is considered safe to dive (after which he talks about how the rig divers exceed all limits of safety or even common sense on their dives), the dynamics of the mixing of the Mississippi River water with the Gulf of Mexico water, a brief history of oil rigs, basic fish anatomy and the types and temperament of fish seen around the rigs, why Jacques Cousteau once gave a talk at a local dive shop, a first-person perspective on Che Guevera, and dozens of other things besides.

This is really an excellent book that I have recommended and will continue to recommend to family and friends. The only people who probably won't like it are anti-hunting activists and those that feel Prohibition should never have been repealed. Aside from them, it has something for everyone.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It takes guts, May 11, 2003

By 

Wendy L. de Carvalho (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Paperback)

As a diver and avid spearfisherman I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. Humberto expertly illustrates the essence of what it takes to dive on an oil platform. This aspect of scuba diving is definitely not for the faint at heart. His light humor throughout the book as he describes his dive buddies, friends, and adventures keeps your attention and adds to the story. I've never dived on an oil platform or "rig" as they are called, but after reading the book and hearing about all the big fish lurking below, I'm looking into making a trip to good ole Louisiana. Although he describes hunting 100 lbs plus fish, I'd settle for the 30 pounders. His stories of murky waters, sharks, eels, and angry trigger fish make you think twice about actually diving in, but hey, that is what makes for great diving stories. My hat off to Humberto. I only wish his book had more stories...at 203 pages, my appetite was just getting wet.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, January 7, 2011

By 

TheCat'sMeow - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Paperback)

Excellent and very exciting read, couldn't put it down. Don't let the cover fool you, it is very informative on spearfishing and scuba diving. It talks about the "old days" of spear fishing. Super exciting, and for the price, definitely a good deal. I read this book right after the Deep Water Horizon spill, and it deepens the impact of it. I would read it again if I had not lent it to a friend.