The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean, Volume 3 (Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands/British Virgin Islands) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ Colleen Ryan (Author), Brian Savage (Author) "We began The Complete Diving Guide series because we thought that there was nothing available to give divers detailed and comprehensive information about diving in..." (more)
Key Phrases: bluebell tunicates, deepwater sea fans, diving independently, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Charlotte Amalie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At last, the Eastern Caribbean has the dive guide it deserves. "

Volume I covers the Caribbean Islands from Dominica to Tobago. The first book of its kind for the area, The Complete Diving Guide - The Caribbean Volume 1 by Colleen Ryan and Brian Savage is meticulously researched and packed with useful information. The book describes over 240 dive sites and covers 50 extensively, and includes full-color underwater site plans.

All in all, the guide contains everything a diver needs to know to decide which island to dive and where to stay, which operators to dive with, which sites to visit, what to expect to see and even which camera lenses to use to capture on film what you actually see. " -- PADI Undersea Journal - First Quarter 1998

"The Complete Diving Guide - The Caribbean (Volume 1) is exactly what it professes to be. Intended to be the first in a series, it looks at the southern islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Each chapter starts with a short island introduction followed by a very specific description of the dive sites, operators and hotels.

The write-ups of the dive sites are full of interesting personal experiences. The rest of the chapter provides just the sort of information you need, such as which operators have english speaking dive guides and which recognise the depth limitations of BSAC rather than PADI.

Throughput the book's 390 information-packed pages are numerous interesting side panels. One describes the ships that sank in St. Pierre Harbour on Martinique when Mount Pelee erupted in 1902. The resulting dive sites sound so fascinating that I at once booked a trip to the island. Surely this is the acid test of a dive guide?" -- Diver Magazine, October 1998, Brendan O'Brien

"This book on the area is a must for visitors and tour group leaders" -- PADI Undersea Journal - Second Quarter 1998

Product Description

The Complete Diving Guides to scuba diving in the Eastern Caribbean, including descriptions of ALL dive sites, dive stores and operators. Island maps show the location of dive sites and stores. Dive sites are illustrated by underwater maps and photographs.

Volume 3 gives you everything you ever need to know about scuba diving on these fantastic Caribbean islands:Puerto Rico (including Mona, Desecheo, Vieques and Culebra), US Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St John and St Croix) and the British Virgin Islands (including Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke, Salt Island and HMS Rhone, Cooper Island, Peter Island and Norman Island)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Cruising Guide Publications; illustrated edition edition (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944428495
• ISBN-13: 978-0944428498
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #651,846 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

  #29 in	Books > Travel > Caribbean > Puerto Rico
  #40 in	Books > Travel > Caribbean > Virgin Islands
  #72 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Scuba > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very comprehensive guide to the Virgin Islands, July 31, 2000

By	Bill Hunnisett (St Thomas, US Virgin Islands) - See all my reviews

I have been meaning to review this book for some time as it is one of the most thumbed books on our book shelf. My wife and I run a charter yacht in the Virgin Islands and many of our guests are keen divers. We bought The Complete Diving Guide for our own use initially but it has since become part of the yacht's library as our guests find it so useful and enjoyable to read. (as our copy is getting rather worn I'm pleased to say that many of them buy their own copy after having seen ours). It is rare to find a book that is so comprehensive and which presents a vast amount of information in such a readable manner. In particular we find the island and dive site maps useful along with the descriptions of the dives and the underwater route maps. I can direct our guests at the tyupe of dive that I think they would enjoy and they can read about it beforehand. They can also choose the dive store they would like to use. I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone planning to do some diving in the Virgin Islands (it even covers the Spanish Virgin Islands).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but..., September 27, 2007

By	JAVIER MORALES-RAMOS (San Juan, Puerto Rico United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is designed to offer a good list of places to scuba relying on the use of dive operators - it lists many. Its use for a couple who just wish to go alone (in a buddy system, of course) is limited, since the locations are not exactly defined. The book also offers a lot of advice as to many facets of diving in these areas. In general, it is an excellent book with the caveat of not giving exact coordinates nor reference points by which to find the specific spots.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good guide, March 19, 2007

By	Ricki L. Riis (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very thorough on the coverage that I was looking for. I recommend this book. Actually, I couldn't find any other books that covered Puerto Rico.