Amazing Diving Stories from One of Our Own Writers

In the search for great underwater adventure writing, one needs to look no further than Amazing Diving Stories, the absorbing new book by John Bantin, one of Undercurrent's top-notch contributors. He has compiled dozens of true tales that will intrigue and delight everyone, from the seasoned scuba diver to the bathtub snorkeler. Consider the British diver who barely survived a crocodile attack while diving from a popular Indonesia liveaboard, the foolish divers descending to 270 meters, and the divers fired upon by the military when diving in the Red Sea. Or that "new" dive resort in the U.K. run by a delusional innkeeper, who gave his hungry guests a rifle to shoot a sheep for dinner. Or divers' excitement searching for sunken WWII planes with Papua New Guinea natives. Some of John's stories occur in areas unfamiliar to North American divers (he lives just outside London), but the trials and tribulations described in his more than 60 pieces (organized in categories such as Dangerous Animals, Near Misses and Not so Near, and Treasure Seekers and Finders) will be recognized by anyone who has strapped on a tank.

John is today's most engaging writer about the underwater world (here's a man who makes 300 scuba dives a year), and he gets behind the scenes of terrible tragedies, applies his great wit to his own travels and travails, and explores unusual and bizarre behaviors -- both animal, fish and human -- that take place a few fathoms down. John has been a mainstay in the pages of Diver magazine in the U.K for more than 30 years, and for good reason. Not only does he have a keen eye for a good story, his smart, conversational writing style and keen British wit keeps his readers' attention.

I had the pleasure to have dinner with John a few years back, and reading this book is like hearing his voice. His deep knowledge about diving, sharp humor, and talent to spin a good yarn have come together in Amazing Diving Stories. Don't save it for your next dive trip. Savor it now while the autumn leaves fall.

To buy John's book, go to www.undercurrent.org , click on "Books," and you'll go directly to Amazon; the profits we earn from this, and every, transaction you make while you're there will go directly to save coral reefs and their critters.

- - Ben Davison