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Book review "The Last Dive" by Bernie Chowdhury


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24 replies to this topic

#1 damselfish

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 01:28 PM

I picked up a book by Bernie Chowdhury called "The Last Dive" for my long airplane ride to Hawaii last month and spent the whole 7 hour flight reading. This is a true story of a father and son who died of the bends after a deep dive gone wrong. They were tech divers, cave divers and penetrated a U boat at great depth and got into trouble. It talks a lot about the history of diving, dive equipment, famous ship wrecks, Navy dive tables and the pro's and con's of air, nitrox and trimix. It tells the details of what happens with the bends physically and lasting effects. It tells of Martini's law and the effects of Narcosis. I learned a lot about diving and the trouble you can get into in caves, solo diving and wreck diving. I recommend this book to all new divers and I think even experienced divers will find this book interesting.
I found this book at Barns and Noble in the sports section under diving.
Enjoy! and Have a safe dive! ~ Damselfish
Ain't love a BEACH?

#2 Cold_H2O

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 02:06 PM

I read the book years ago... also found it very interesting.
Borrowed it from a dive buddy.. still have it... might have to pull it out and do a reread before I return it.
(If I ever do return it... borrowed it over 3 years ago :teeth: )
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#3 Ariesno1

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 02:49 PM

Yes, it is a great book. Another good book is Shadow Divers. It's about the same U-boat.

BTW, I met Bernie at Dutch Springs last month. He came to our BBQ. :teeth:

#4 bottomtime

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 06:56 PM

good book, lotsa local lore to north Florida and the springs :teeth: as well as early tech divers :)

I loaned my book to a friend and never saw it again :lmao:

It must of been good reading or he's a slow reader,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

#5 shadragon

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 07:04 PM

Deep Descent and Dark Descent are both recommended as well. They are about diving on the the Andrea Doria and Empress of Ireland respectively.
Remember, email is an inefficient communications forum. You may not read things the way it was intended. Give people the benefit of the doubt before firing back... Especially if it is ME...! ;)

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#6 sudsymark

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 09:00 PM

The Last Dive certainly makes you sit back and think about your diving. It put into prespecitve why you dive with a buddy, plan your dive and not guilt your buddy to diving when something seems off.
In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we underdstand; and we will only understand what we are taught. -Baba Dioum

#7 damselfish

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Posted 10 July 2008 - 10:09 AM

Yes I couldn't believe these guys were going to a shipwreck at over 200ft deep solo. Anything could happen, and it did! ~ D
Ain't love a BEACH?

#8 Cold_H2O

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Posted 10 July 2008 - 11:20 AM

You must also keep in mind the time of the book... The events took place a few years ago..
So much was still new and unknown in the diving world.
Well Behave Women Rarely Make History ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Formerly known as gis_gal and name tattoo'd for a small bribe!

#9 SquattingRadishDM

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Posted 10 July 2008 - 02:15 PM

Yep its a good read, for all levels of diver. I've got Deep Descent and Dark Descent on order from Amazon :teeth:
The sea does not belong to despots. On its surface iniquitous rights can still be exercised, men can fight there, devour each other there, and transport all terrestrial horrors there. But at thirty feet below its level their power ceases, their influence dies out, their might disappears.
Ah, sir, live in the bosom of the waters! There alone is independence. There I recognise no masters! There I am free.
Jules Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

#10 Geek

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Posted 10 July 2008 - 06:35 PM

I recommend reading ALL of the books mentioned so far in this thread. Many of the same events are covered from different perspectives in these various books.

The primary events in the Last Dive happened here in the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. Some local shops make these books required reading prior to taking any tech courses.

The other thing that should come through from this reading is that the type of diving you are doing matters. Wrecks are not reefs. Cold water is not warm water. Deco is not recreational diving. You need the right training and equipment to get involved in the kind of diving these divers were doing or anything else that is new and different from your prior diving experiences.

#11 peterbj7

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Posted 12 July 2008 - 09:30 PM

The subject matter of the book is very interesting and relevant to all of us. My only criticism is that it desperately needs another proofread and duplicate passages (of which there are several) removed.

#12 Diverbrian

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Posted 10 September 2008 - 10:13 AM

That book is my humility lesson and has helped me have patience with current issues that kept me from diving for the last year or so. One of the morals of that story is that if you have to cut corners (financially or otherwise), technical diving is not for you until you straighten those things out.

It is better to wait and straighten out life issues and then come back than be reckless and continue to attempt dives that you are not in a position to execute.

I'll be back next year and the water will still be there. That book reminds me of why I made that decision.
A person should be judged in this life not by the mistakes that they make nor by the number of them. Rather they are to be judged by their recovery from them.

#13 PerroneFord

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Posted 10 September 2008 - 10:54 AM

I skimmed through it a couple years ago. Didn't find much helpful in it to warrant spending the money.

Don't dive deep on air, don't solo, leave the macho BS at home, don't cut corners, don't use crap dive gear. Doing any of the above could end your life.

Sorry, No revelations there.



(Yes I know this post will be controversial, maybe seem arrogant, etc. etc.)

#14 PerroneFord

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Posted 10 September 2008 - 10:58 AM

You must also keep in mind the time of the book... The events took place a few years ago..
So much was still new and unknown in the diving world.


Like what?

Mix was readily available, tables were established, not doing deep air dives was pretty well established in the tech agencies, using snapbolts instead of suicide clips was pretty well understood, etc.

What amazes me, is that I still see a lot of the NE Wreck guys doing all the same things that killed these people and plenty others. As evidenced by the triple fatality last year on the Grove.

#15 georoc01

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Posted 10 September 2008 - 11:09 AM

The chapter that got me in this book was the 1st person description of what it was like to get bent. You know the author is going to survive, but it was quite a ride.

And yes, right after finishing the book I was sitting with a artist who works with shells and coral. He gets permits from the government and dives outside the marine park. Never got certified, down 180 feet on air. He invited me to join him on his next trip. I declined.




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