Customer Reviews

The Taming of the Slough

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is what it is - a detailed book about Peacock Springs and some of the other U/W caves of north Florida. It is detailed, well researched book on a specific cave system, from a scuba divers point of view. If you want to learn about this area - might be the ONLY book you can get - hence it is invaluable. Has sections on the biology of caves, geology, maps of caves, past explorers, etc.
I wish they'd spend more time on specifics of all the divers who died in these caves - just to keep the many amateur divers out of them and alive!

The Slough was unfinished and it is not as good as the Caves Measureless to Man as a result of this. However it is considered a classic as a standard textbook for underwater cave exploration techniques.

Sheck during his life used to frequent my local dive shop and dive with the owner quite a bit. Back when I was a cave diver he was idolized by the entire cave diving community. This book is fascinating as it chronicles the early formative years of cave diving. Too many of Shecks contemporaries died in caves. No one thought Sheck would, but he did while making a dive that seemed pointless. I am glad I gave up cave diving, but I respect immensly those of my friends who still do it. I especially respect those that provide scientific data to those who would save our fragile aquifer.