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John Kean

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Lost Wife, Saw Barracuda: True Stories from a Sharm El Sheikh Scuba Diving Instructor Kindle Edition

by John Kean (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 311 ratings

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Want to leave the rat race?
John thought his new life abroad would be simple; go to work and teach people to scuba dive. How wrong he would be. For over a decade, this ex-stockbroker has been chased by aggressive sharks, had a 737 airliner drop from the sky into the sea, broken four bones, been arrested three times and finally, blown up by terrorists. On the plus side, John earned a decent living by convincing over 2,000 paying students to stick their heads underwater and start breathing. His accounts are genuine, enlightening and seriously funny. You’ll find a laugh on nearly every page. The most explosive chapter is his chilling, minute-by-minute account of the Sharm bombings in July 2005. John Kean’s rare civilian insight of a grand scale terrorist attack shows the human cost of those caught up and the tremendous resolve of unlikely rescuers in preventing further loss of life. Lost Wife, Saw Barracuda will thrill and entertain… and make you thankful that you’re alive. Read it now.
What the readers say
… An Excellent Read. ... Brilliant Book!! … Hilarious! … Very funny and thoroughly enjoyable. ... Fantastic. ... I Read it Twice. ... A super special book, fun to read and enjoyed every page. ... Funny, informative and very well written. ... An Exceptional and Captivating Book. ... Great stories about scuba diving and life in general. ... Thought the narration and stories were excellent. ... It's laugh out loud funny.
It’s a must read if you’ve ever been even remotely near water!

Print length

301 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

November 9, 2013
File size

2859 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004WKUEIM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Kean (November 9, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2859 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 301 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,162,268 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #431 in Scuba Diving
- #1,689 in Adventurer & Explorer Biographies
- #1,691 in Travel Biographies & Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
4.2 311 ratings

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John Kean

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John Kean is a heavyweight in the scuba diving industry and a three-times Amazon best-selling author. 'A Walk on the Deep Side' is ranked by The Book Authority as the Best Scuba Diving eBook of All Time. His books continue to entertain, enthrall and inspire a generation with incredible stories from above and beneath the sea.

With over 10,000 scuba dives made and 2,000 students trained, John attained recreational and technical diving's highest instructor ratings and also served on two NGO regulatory bodies in the Red Sea. A twenty-year feature contributor to Diver Magazine John is a regular guest speaker at the leading dive shows.

In the early millennium John led several international teams for multiple world deep dive records and completed two, sponsored, long distance motorcycling and diving expeditions. In doing so John became the first 'diving biker' in the world to combine the two sports over multiple countries.

Among his many diving guests and students are Grammy Award-winning rock stars, premier league footballers, a US Secretary of State, Middle Eastern Royal family, a British comedy icon and several billionaire industrialists.

On the other side of the glamour of exotic diving resorts and super yachts are the sometimes outrageous incidents and events that occur when Middle East meets West and when the unprepared take on deep water. John has witnessed, close-up, grand-scale terrorism attacks, shark attacks, a people's revolution, an airliner crash, drownings and worst of all... third-world taxi drivers!

To the delight of his readers, this highly observant and humorous author occasionally steps back from it all to process the mayhem and write it all down. He is an aquatic and literary locksmith opening doors and eyes allowing an unparalleled first-hand view of the greatest force on earth.

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4.2 out of 5

311 global ratings

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Oh, even Diving can make wonderful Reading!

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2014

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I loved this book. Oh, I loved it! I am not a scuba diver. But I have a fair insight into the sport, what with my daughter and son-in-law being ardent divers. From pool practice to nitrox, I have heard it all. Yet re-gathering the same from John Kean proved extremely entertaining. His lucid pen oozes apt metaphors, without banishing the reader to cohabit the thesaurus. Reading it on the Kindle, I kept right – screen tapping my phone with the ‘excitement of a cat in a Whiskas factory.’ Ever wondered (like Kean does) how every shipwreck transforms into an underwater museum for scuba divers, but not a single air-crash site is of any tourist relevance? Kean is big time rib-tickler. The ‘cadaver’ swaps places with a drowning Kean during his rescue diver course. That robber wreck-diver, losing his pants in the flicking act, ‘auditions like an underwater porn artist’ scurrying to cover his bums. Still, descriptions of the snorkeler’s tragic end or the aftermath of Sharm bombings are a study in sobriety.

Kean’s vivid details of the sunk WWII SS Thislegorm with its well-preserved rows of motorbikes, cannons and rifles, like ‘in an underwater shopping mall,’ would send any diver jetting off to Sharm El Sheikh. Lesser mortals need to hear from a daughter, or invest in his other book SS Thistlegorm - World War Two's Greatest Shipwreck.

Wait! Is Sharm El Sheikh a safe place to visit after all of Egypt’s political turmoil? Well, once I read his Sharks, Fights and Motorbikes - When it Rains in Egypt, I will know. I can’t wait to.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Funny read about working as a scuba instructor.

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2012

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I've read a few other books written by "scuba professionals." They might have been great divers, but they were horrible writers. Kean is one of the rare ones that can do both. He does a great job giving you a fly-on-the-wall prospective of what it is like to be a scuba instructor at a resort area. I've never been to Sharm, but after reading his book, I feel like I have. As a scuba instructor for about 20 years, I appreciated his insights on the type of students you come across, teaching techniques, and life on a small foreign island.

My only concern is there might be people who read this book and say, "That's it! I'm quitting my hectic city job and becoming a full-time divemaster/instructor!" As a scuba instructor for about 20 years, I can tell you scuba is a difficult way to make a living. The industry is rife with flagrant sexism, racism, and ageism. It is not uncommon for employment ads for divemasters/instructors to say things like "attractive people only", or "over 30 need not apply." Wages are very low, and the hours long. Many people who become instructors quit after a couple of years. Most of us who stick around do so only because it is a part-time job, or have been working at something else long enough to have money saved that they can afford to leave the rat-race (which seems to be the case with Kean.)

5 people found this helpful

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D. Cole

Must read for all divers!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2011

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Mr. Kean wrote this book with wit, insights, lessons to be learned for new and existing divers, inserting stories that make you laugh, draw a breath in anticipation, experience real life scenarios as seen from the instructors point of view. It is not a teaching manual though, but I wasn't looking for that when I purchased it. I wanted a book about real life stories and it sure did deliver!!! I wish this book was in hardback form, I'd like to gift it to a few friends that don't have Kindles. This book should be found on the shelves of all dive shops, alongside the classics such as "Shadow Divers, Caverns Measureless to Man, Scuba Diving Safety, and quite a few more I could name. It's a great read on the beach, during winter when you might not be able to dive due to bad weather conditions (he didn't have that problem!!!) and also understand what it's like diving in a foreign country as your primary occupation and give up the white collar office. I've read it twice and will read it again. The title is very aptly named, and very very worthwhile listening to that story!! I'd say this book is a sneak peak into Mr. Keans dive log!!!! Thankyou Mr. Kean, and when may we ask is your next book out??? You have much more material I'm sure and I know I would love to read it!!! Thankyou!! (from a cold water dry suit diver in the USA)

4 people found this helpful

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Roger Corman

Great stories about scuba diving and life in general

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2013

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I loved John Kean's book Lost Wife, Saw Barracuda. I read the Kindle version and couldn't put it down for the day or so it took me to get through it. I have recently discovered scuba, later in life, and everything he writes about the scuba business seems so true to my own experiences, and gives great insight into what it's like from the dive guide/instructor perspective. I have more respect for them, having read this book. The book is humorous throughout (having read the book, even the re-reading the title makes me smile as it's such a great punch line). I haven't been to Sharm but got my start snorkeling in Nuweiba in the 70s (during Israeli occupation) and I know the diving and snorkeling are spectacular on the red sea. I think the Open Water class John taught is much more thorough than the one I took in Hawaii (two days total to get certified) and it makes me wonder what I missed. It would be great to go to Sharm for some advanced classes.
John shares his journey from IT professional in the UK to dive instructor in Egypt and gives a lot of insight into the issues and compromises one makes. I look forward to more books from him!

4 people found this helpful

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Jonathan Dodds

Great read

Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2021

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Fantastic book - superb story telling from a man who obviously had a great life and career teaching diving in Sharm.
I couldn’t put the book down - read it, you won’t be disappointed.

Dirk J. Huck

Good read, entertaining and educational

Reviewed in Germany on August 26, 2017

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Thoroughly enjoyed it. Interesting insights into the diving industry, both educational and entertaining, not just for me as a diver. Great stories, some hilarious, others tragic, stories of the kind you just can't make up. Good mixture of personal stories, general observations and historical background. In short: Good read!

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Tim - UK

Hilarious, moving at times, but above all a very entertaining read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2011

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I have been a diver since 1998 and have read many dive books over the years - however, its not often you come across a book like this one. Told by a Sharm El Sheikh diving instructor, it gives a very candid view into the trials and tribulations of working in one of the industries busiest dive resorts. Without giving too much away, the book grips you from the start with a preview to the tragic events of July 2005, when the resort fell victim to a terrorist attack, claiming the lives of nearly 100 people and wounding many more.....

However, don't be fooled - this book has many facets, some of which will have you rolling in laughter, so much so I spilt a cup of hot tea over myself! I'm still smiling now thinking about the passage in question. The book is based on true events, which makes it all the more readable and spans the authors career from the very start to the present day.

I started reading it in the evening and had it finished by the next afternoon, as I was unable to put it down. Regulars of Sharm may know the author, as he has also written a very informative guide to one of the worlds top wreck dives, the S.S. Thistlegorm, which gets a mention in this book. John Kean's writing style is very relaxed and its like hearing stories from a mate over a pint in the pub.

Its all in here, 'warts an all', with something for everyone - so if you are a diver and certainly if you have ever dived the waters around Sharm El Sheikh, then you will enjoy this book and it comes highly recommended. In fact if you are thinking of trying a dive, then this may well seal the deal for you and have you running for your credit card in search of some sea, sun and fun beneath the waves. A true insight into life behind the mask of a diving instructor.

4 people found this helpful

STEVE BRIGGS

A good read about being a diving instructor

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2015

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Packed with easy to read stories from the authors experience as a diving instructor in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh plus some interesting insights into the world of professional diving instruction as a career and lifestyle choice. It would have been easy for the author to focus on himself but to his credit he doesn't and the focus is the students and Sharm, giving the book a nice balance and a loose theme. I enjoyed it, its not a classic piece of travel literature but I would thoroughly recommend it to any sports diver enthusiast.

Michael T.

Really Funny

Reviewed in Germany on July 25, 2015

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Nothing more to say: funny stories from a scuba-Instructor in Sharm. Everyone who has been there once or is in the diving business will enjoy this book!

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