Introduced by Jeff Goodman

It’s rare in this modern world to find true adventure, to explore places where few or none have gone before. The expedition to dive the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic is one of those adventures. Picking up the book and at first glance, it is the wonderful dramatic images that jump out of the pages at you. The text is compelling and takes the reader through the expedition from beginning to end with great detail on the technology, planning and the team that made this incredible journey possible.

A dive-by-dive exploration of the wreck with near identical build and layout to Titanic.

Expedition Britannic is an insight into the art of deep wreck diving which features incredible original photographs of the largest ocean liner on the seabed.

What does it take to dive Titanic’s sister ship? This huge vessel from a bygone golden age of ocean travel lies at over 100 metres (330’) below the surface. It is not a dive for the faint-hearted. Requiring meticulous planning, precise execution and good conditions, only the most capable technical divers will ever experience it. Even then, tragically some do not make it back to the surface. Expedition Britannic is the story of the May 2019 mission to dive the Olympic-class liner-turned-hospital ship, HMHS Britannic.

Sunk near the Greek island of Kea during World War I, she will only be ticked off the bucket list of relatively few of the most dedicated deep divers. Steeped in history, the opportunity to see a largely intact near-replica of the world’s most famous ocean liner makes it an ultimate dive to aspire to. Deep wreck photography specialist Rick Ayrton is one such diver. Assisted by expedition leader Scott Roberts, he takes us through the planning, logistics and preparation essential for scaling one of the pinnacles of wreck diving. Then we explore the wreck with him — going deeper than most divers will in their lifetimes to photograph this once great ship — and make new discoveries.

About the author

Rick Ayrton is a technical rebreather diver and deep wreck photography specialist. A winner of several underwater photography awards, he is the current Chairman of the Bristol Underwater Photography Group and a member of the British Society of Underwater Photographers. He was involved in the filming of both series of Deep Wreck Mysteries and has written for 990 Magazine, Sport Diver, Diver and Scuba. You can see more of his work at rickayrtonpics.com. Dr Scott Roberts is a British technical diver who is passionate about wreck diving as well as marine conservation.

The book

Release date 5 October 2021 | RRP £25 | Paperback | ISBN 978-1-909455-41-2 | 176 pages | 221 x 170 mm Available now from Divedup.com, online and from retailers