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Title: Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival by S. Exley ISBN: 9-9946633-7-2 Publisher: National Speleological Society Pub. Date: June, 1986 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $8.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Great introduction to cave diving by one of the best.
Comment: The "brand new fifth edition" of Basic Dave Diving is last copyrighted 1986. I'm intrigued by cave diving, but am not yet a cave diver, so I don't know for sure, but question if some of the equipment discussed in absolutely up-to-date. The addresses for instructors and phone numbers for Florida recompression facilities may also be in question. I'm trusting, though, that the National Speleological Society (NSS) is not continuing to print something that promotes dangerous, discredited, technique. Moreoever, I've seen this book in the dive shops in north central Florida, and it still seems to be in use for cave diving instruction.
First, for those who judge value in the book by the quality of printing, note that this booklet is a typewritten, photocopied, booklet, copied on 8-1/2-x-11 in paper and folded in half with a cardstock cover. I just mention this so someone expecting more is not disappointed.
The book is divided into 10 short chapters, each 3 to 8 pages long, and the book can be easily read in its entirety in one evening. Each chapter begins with an actual accident report and an accident analysis leading into the subject of the chapter, whether it be silt, lights, guidline, air supply planning, etc.. Each chapter focusses on one aspect of proper cave diving, and thus the book divides techniques into small, easily digestible, pieces. Each chapter tells you what it needs to without adding extraneous information to complicate your understanding.
Note that the book focusses on cave diving technique in Florida, and warns the reader that different techniques may be appropriate in other locations.
I think that this book is a good, inexpensive, introduction to cave diving for someone with a curiosity about this sport, whether or not you plan to pursue it. The book is also written by the probably best-known person in the field of Cave Diving. (Don't let the fact that Sheck Exley died cave diving cause you discredit the information in this book - he balanced the risks with the rewards and willingly chose to push the limits of cave diving.)
It would be irresponsible of me to conclude this review without a warning. An open water diver armed with the this book might think that they know enough to safely cave dive, but PLEASE do not attempt cave diving without training from an appropriate agency. I am an open water divemaster, and do not feel that I yet have the experience to even begin cave diving training. Before beginning cave or cavern diving training, a diver requires extensive open water experience, must be thoroughly comfortable in the water, must be able to handle emergency situations without panicking, and must be physically fit.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Must Have for Cave Divers
Comment: This is a great book for anyone who is a cave diver or considering becoming one. Each chapter begins with a cave dive accident report. The chapter titles are: The Guideline, Air Supply Planning, Too Deep, Panic, Lights, Scuba, Silt, Emergency Procedures, Technological Emergencies, Physiological Emergencies. Some of these topics are applicable for all divers, while others have applications for specialties outside of cave diving (e.g. wreck diving, deep diving, tech diving).
After the accident report each chapter has an analysis section as well as specific details about the conditions or equipment leading to the accident and what could have been done to prevent the accident. Each chapter reads like the accident report column in the Divers Alert Network Alert Diver magazine, except Basic Cave Diving has more technical details. The book finishes with Sheck Exley's Blueprint for Survival: Ten Recommendations for Safe Cave Diving.
The author did a very good job describing the causes of the accidents. Most accidents occur because multiple things go wrong, the analysis of the accidents takes this into consideration and lists all the contributing factors. It's obvious that Sheck Exley spent a lot of time thinking about preventing accidents, and how to survive one if it happened. In the accident reports the names have been changed to protect the guilty, but if you read Sheck Exley's autobiography Caverns Measureless to Man, you will see he was involved in at least one of the accidents. Because of some of his early experiences Sheck Exley became safety conscious and systematic about planning his dives.
Even though this book was written in 1979, it is still widely used. I've seen it in cave diving scuba stores in Florida in 2001. There's little hope for a new edition, since Sheck Exley died while making an attempt at a depth record in Mexico in 1994. (The best place I've seen an objective summary of his life and death outlined is in Cave Passages by Michael Ray Taylor).
Whether you are an experienced cave diver or thinking about getting into the sport this book is worth the wait. And remember: Stop....Breathe....Think....Act.
Rating: 4
Summary: Cave diving accident analysis. Learn from fatal errors
Comment: Very important mind forming book about cave diving. Accident analysis covering the firsts statistical reasons people get killed in cave diving. s.Exley was among the most important people to learn from. All cave divers need this to play "What if..."
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Title: Caverns Measureless to Man by Sheck Exley ISBN: 0939748258 Publisher: Cave Books Pub. Date: March, 1995 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: The Cave Divers by Robert F. Burgess ISBN: 1881652114 Publisher: Aqua Quest Pubn Pub. Date: 12 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Technical Guide to Gas Blending by Nicos Raftis ISBN: 0941332845 Publisher: Best Publishing Company Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
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Title: Fatal Depth: Deep Sea Diving, China Fever, and the Wreck of the Andrea Doria by Joe Haberstroh ISBN: 1585744573 Publisher: The Lyons Press Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: NOAA Diving Manual: Diving for Science and Technology, Fourth Edition by James T. Joiner ISBN: 0941332705 Publisher: Best Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $93.00 |
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