Best scuba diving books according to redditors

> Interestingly offshore drilling rigs create an enormous deep water artificial reef and can attract all kinds of large fish. Great book written about it called Helldivers' Rodeo.

https://www.amazon.com/Helldivers-Rodeo-Scuba-Diving-Adventure-Oil-Platforms/dp/0871319365

Yep.

https://www.amazon.com/Helldivers-Rodeo-Scuba-Diving-Adventure-Oil-Platforms/dp/0871319365

http://apps.padi.com/scuba-diving/eMaterialsv3/Uniflips/Web-Portal/79180_1_OWD_Manual_Web.html


Paper copy of manual


Book that will teach you a lot more about diving theory

Honestly, $200 really isn't that big of a stretch. Quality dive gear isn't cheap. My diveshop has a package that gives you a $70 mask, $85 fins, $50 boots, $20 snorkel and a log book/binder for $200, so all in all you end up saving 70 or 80 bucks. The boots and log binder are essentially free.

However, Mask/Snorkel/Fins are the big money makers for a shop, not courses, instruction or big ticket items like regs etc.

As far as books, $70 is fair for text/elearning code + PADI fees. While you could get them anywhere else you will still end up paying the same somewhere else.

http://www.amazon.com/PADI-Water-Diver-Manual-Table/dp/B003JX0AUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396724450&sr=8-1&keywords=padi+open+water+diver+manual+2013

Is $60 alone, plus there will be a fee when PADI processes the cert as well.

In the end, diving is a VERY expensive hobby, and while I agree, don't waste your money. You will still be paying out large sums of money to dive in one way or another.

Just got back from a week there!

When you park at dive sites remember to leave the windows down and the doors unlocked (no seriously). So obviously only take stuff with you that you plan on taking underwater, so truck key/room key/ID/credit card/cash. Basically anything you leave behind in the truck don’t be overly upset if it disappears.

We picked up all three of the major dive site books, by a large margin Reef Smart Guides Bonaire: Scuba Dive. Snorkel. Surf. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1633539806/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_39uLDbTW6R2SA is the best.

Most trucks on the island are stick shift, so plan accordingly.

Our favorite meals were Mezze, It Rains Fishes, and Patagonia grill. The brewery downtown is quite nice as well.

We did breakfast in our room, and did sandwiches for lunch. Van Den Tweel is a simply phenomenal grocery store! We did yogurts and these little microwaveable mini pancakes and they were soooo good!

We froze a few water bottles and put them in a cheap freezer bag with other water bottles and our sandwiches, worked great.

Happy to answer any questions or clarify anything.

In fact, that's the exact book. We also got this.

This would help you make better decisions once you do start scuba diving!! That way you are safe and can return to your reddit family!!

Thank you for the contest!!

Just make a list to make sure you do not forget anything, those are unusual things you will be packing in ;).

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If you mean physical preparation, I would look at those

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https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Training-Freediving-Umberto-Pelizzari/dp/1928649467/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549303675&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Freediving-Underwater-Single-Breath/dp/1928649483/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549303675&sr=1-1

There is no Live aboard options, however I highly recommend the Aquarius dive shop, they rent great gear and have excellent guides. Figure about $100-150 a day for 2-3 tanks of diving. In cold water it’s tough to do more than 3 dives unless you are diving dry.

If you are looking for a buddy there is some great Facebook groups (Monterey Bay open scuba group is one) and people will buddy up there. I have met some great buddies from it.

There are several hotels that are diver friendly, the travel lodge even has out door sinks to rinse gear.

Water will be 55-60F down to 50F at depth.
This is a fantastic book about all the sites in the area - A Diver's Guide to Monterey County https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986257206/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mtm3Cb8PD9H48

August can have some great swell conditions but visibly can be low with algae blooms. Carmel Bay has better visibility than Monterey Bay but has tougher entries than Monterey.

If you want liveaboard then look at Truth Aquatics out of Santa Barbra which will also go out of morro Bay to dive big sur. It’s not luxury liveaboard like an aggressor but they are good boat with great crew.

The shore diving around Monterey is great and shouldn’t be missed, the guides are reasonable, and know the area much better than diving alone.

I really, really liked Helldiver's Rodeo. Don't know how much of it is true, but it reads kinda like a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Anthony Bordain. Very entertaining read.

My Dr wrote this book....


Its pretty interesting and I personally think all divers could benefit from the contents:


Safe Diving: A Medical Handbook for Scuba Divers

http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Diving-Medical-Handbook-Divers/dp/1770077537


Dr Allan Kayle is an experienced diving medical officer. A board member of DAN Southern Africa since 2001, he was a founder member and former president of the Southern African Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Association. A former medical advisor for companies operating in the Mossel Bay offshore oil fields, his diving career has included the salvage of HMS Birkenhead, the development of new life-support systems, and the training of commercial divers. Over the years, he has written many articles on the technical and medical aspects of diving.

Have you tried these forums: Malaysianunderwater/ Malaysiandivingcommunity?

Guide books?
http://www.amazon.com/Dive-Sites-Malaysia-Singapore-Jackson/dp/0844248622
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Malaysia-Globetrotter-Dive-Guide-Jackson

The major dive operators are on facebook, you might get better responses there.

PNM, the National Library at Jalan Tun Razak is well equipped, and no registration needed if you need to sit down and do your research.

A visual of how I would imagine spearfishing sharks near the Gulf's oil rigs as read in the book The Helldiver's Rodeo.

Gareth Lock’s book ‘Under Pressure’ is a fantastic read.

Lots (about 20 I think) of diving incidents together with analysis and key learnings. This is the most important book about diving safety since Sheck Exleys ‘Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival’ imo.

Under Pressure: Diving Deeper with Human Factors https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/199958497X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6igIDbHX14PHB

Here's a couple more links:

http://www.aquaexplorers.com/beachdivingLongIslandNY.htm#.WJIaPlPac-U

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Island-Shore-Diver-Islands/dp/0961616776

I stayed at the Hilo Tropical Gardens hostel. Super nice, great people and quiet. plus, they also run a homemade ice cream shop!

You can get to Mauna Kea no problem with any rental. For Waipio most cars with decent clearance should be fine as long as you take it nice and easy, and ride a low gear. don't be an idiot and burn your brakes out. would recommend a rental with a manual transmission.

But for true back county exploration 4x4 or by foot is your best option.

Big Island Revealed and Big Island Trailblazer are excellent books. you should also get a detailed map.

Check out The Green Sand beach, close to South Point. Its amazing. drive down and spend the whole day, or camp out.

as for the ganja, it's all over. you just need to ask the right person. Pakalolo is it's Hawaiian name btw.

It's a bit pricey, but this is the Bible of underwater habitats: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Sea-James-Miller/dp/1886699011/

Here are some cheaper but less comprehensive options:

https://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Outpost-Underwater-Springer-Popular/dp/1441963561/
https://www.amazon.com/Undersea-Colonies-Dennis-Chamberland-ebook/dp/B0040ZNS1E/

Did a trip up there a couple of years ago. Video/trip report here: http://uonsubaqua.com/scapa-flow-2014/

I'm not the best writer but hopefully it might help a little. Check out Rod Macdonalds Dive Scapa Flow book for info on sites and the history:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dive-Scapa-Flow-Rod-Macdonald/dp/1845967712

Would thoroughly recommend Bob on the MV Halton as a skipper, or at the least check out some of his pics! http://www.mvhalton.co.uk/

Definitely go by plane.

Oh and btw, nice choice ;)

Edit: also read this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1742204449/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1406687042&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

You're right. After the initial "wow" factor wore off I realized that this is probably more harmful than supportive of them and their plight. What would you recommend to do instead? I've got two weeks out in the Philippines and a lonely planet guide for snorkeling / diving.

Thank you! We used the Bonaire Reef Smart Guide and found it to be really helpful. I recommend checking it out. We took a lot of video on the trip where my wife and I talk about what we liked best. We will post it on my channel but I'll try to post it here as well.

We really liked "Something Special" and the dives we did at Lac Bay on the East Side of the island the best I think. The stuff on the east side we did with Bonaire EastCoast Diving and had a really good experience. Definitely check that out.

The Six Skills, by Steve Lewis.

Shadow Divers is absolutely worth reading as well.

If you feel your daughter is up for it and you believe she is mature enough then i say go for it. Make sure you express the importance of proper dive safety and dive training. Aside from basic training you receive from whatever organization you choose i recommend buying some extra literature that you and your daughter can read and learn together. http://www.amazon.com/Diving-Science-Michael-Strauss/dp/0736048308/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374017731&sr=8-3&keywords=dive+physiology
The best book for learning about the physiology of diving and the changes that occurs to your body. It can be a heavy read but a must for all divers in my opinion.

I'd suggest one of Simon Pridmore's books, probably Scuba Fundamentals
https://www.amazon.com/Scuba-Fundamental-Start-Diving-Right/dp/1530524067

His other books are geared for a diver looking to improve skills or instructors.

Scuba Confidential Is a good book that is an overview of different aspects of diving.

US Navy diving manual is a free book full of useful info.

reef.org Provides free online and in-class training on identifying underwater critters. You can also help track species populations using their surveys.

Join a dive club. Our dive club has monthly meetings and we have visitors talking about local diving events and trips to exotic locations. There is easily 600+ years of diving experience in the room when we meet.

Scubaboard.com has some useful info, but most of what is on there is crap. Read it until you can tell the difference. Keep your post to dive ratio below 10 posts to 1 dive. You don't want to be a poser.

None of the above is more important than actually diving.

If looking to purchase a book, consider getting Six Skills by Steve Lewis: http://www.amazon.com/The-Six-Skills-Other-Discussions/dp/098122802X


Another good book is Deco for Divers by Mark Powell: http://www.amazon.com/Deco-Divers-Decompression-Theory-Physiology/dp/1905492294

Then, there is the ever adorable scuba tank water bottle: http://www.amazon.com/TankH2O-Scuba-Stainless-Steel-Bottle/dp/B00C2AAVRS