What is the best scuba diving novel you've ever read?

[CT-Rich]

Having read it more than 20 years ago, I would suggest Peter Benchley's The Deep. Pirates, drugs and wet tee-shirts, what more can a man want in his scuba fiction? I know there will be push back against Benchley because he also wrote Jaws, THE book many people blame for vilifying sharks. But, diving has such a rich history of true adventure stories, like Shadow Divers, The Last Dive, Setting the Hook, and just about anything by JYC, that fiction can be tough to top. The other problem with fiction about an activity like scuba, is that the activity should be the setting, not the plot. The Clive Cussler books sometimes have scuba, but the last one I personally read was written with a co-author, was absolute dreck. The plot was terrible, the diving followed made up rules of physics. Read the novels where he is the only author. I actually like the period pieces he starts many of his novels with, unfortunately, they end up letting you down after that.

Cussler did write some excellent non-fiction diving books, I would recommend The Sea Hunters, which is about his real life interest in historic shipwrecks.

 

[Nirvana]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Raising the Dead (a.k.a. Diving into Darkness) by Phillip Finch. It tells the real events surrounding the discovery and subsequent recovery attempt of a body about 270m (885 ft) deep in a cave. I've found it as good a read, if not better, as Shadow Divers. Definitely worth a look.

 

[Mudd]

+1 for both Shadow Divers and Raising the Dead. I found Shadow Divers more of a fun read, while Raising the Dead was more emotionally compelling.

After reading Raising the Dead I then happened to stumble upon the video retrieved from Shaw's camera videotaping the recovery... quite an impact after reading the book.

 

[Chief Dave L]

Paul Mila has 4 fictional books with scuba diving as a large part of the stories. Whales' Angels, Fireworks, Dangerous Waters & Near Miss. I found all four an excellent read.

Dave

 

[MSltr]

David Poyer has four inexpensive novels available on Kindle: Bahamas Blue, Down the Sunless Sea, Hatteras Blue, and Louisiana Blue

 

[Yarbrough]

Check out any of the "Doc Ford" novels by Randy Wayne White a South Florida Local, Treasure by Robert Daley (about Mel Fisher) and the "Secret of Pirates Hill" (A Hardy Boys Adventure) by Franklin W. Dixon. There's some SCUBA for all ages.

 

[jonhall]

Have to agree with others before - Clive Cussler books usually with the character Dirk Pitt.

 

[kwinter]

Have to agree with others before - Clive Cussler books usually with the character Dirk Pitt.

Dirk Pitt is a prima dona. Al Giordano is the real star.

 

[jonhall]

Dirk Pitt is a prima dona. Al Giordano is the real star.

Have to agree; Al is just a sidekick to Pitt and doesn't get enough credit in the books. And, in the movie 'Sahara', couldn't they have found a better Al to Matthew McConaughey's Pitt? Oh yeah he's just a sidekick!

 

[Diver Dan 28]

Raising the Dead by Phillip Finch. Is a must read in my opinion. It knocks Shadow Divers, The Last Dive, Deep Decent, and Fatal Depth all out of the boat. They were very intresting to read. I however wouldn't recommend them unless you like trash talk about drunks, boat captians and other divers deaths. On the other hand if you want to read about a "normal" diver (if there is in fact such a beast) "Raising The Dead" will blow you away!! I haven't read any of Gary Gentiles books because all the books I've read made him sound like a Jerk. I'm not dismissing the courage and training it takes to dive the Andria Doria, I just wish the authors would leave out the B.S trash talking. I enjoy watching Deep Sea Detectives, it has John Chaterham, and Richey Kohler the two divers whom many say found out the identity of the U-WHO.
If you know of anything other than Andria Doria books please post them.