Connect with us
background

Miscellaneous Blogs

Book Review: The Diver’s Tale by Nick Lyon

Published

on

In the spirit of the quoted acclaims – A brilliant book and thank you Nick for making it not too thick and having large writing.

This book could be re-titled ‘Everything you wanted to know about diving but were afraid to ask’. As I started reading my mind immediately jumped to the Monty Python song ‘Always look on the bright side of life…da dada dadadadada’.

Having known Nick for a few years now I was expecting a book that would be informative, emotive, honest and funny. It didn’t disappoint. For those of us who have been diving for quite a few years now, it evoked great memories of our own experiences, whilst for those who are relatively new to diving it will entice you to make your own adventures.

The Diver’s Tale cuts to the essence of diving, the rough and the smooth, the charm, the adventure, the romance, the pitfalls and the tragedies. It looks at the hard truths, the sheer fun and a few of the scary bits too.

There is a delightful honesty to this book as Nick takes us on a random journey through his diving days from the very beginning in the 80’s to today, and in doing so, highlights the true definition of the British Diver who was typically in the past the man who had his shed at the bottom of the garden and could make everything from wire coat hangers to rocket engines but who now is happily joined by the entire family.

He writes about equipment, medical science, boats, on board toilets, dive companions, weather. He describes beautifully the difference between a dive holiday and dive expedition and it’s not what you would expect. He covers hotels, B&B’s and self catering with the pros and cons of each. He looks at conservation, salvage and the perils of underwater photography and many other aspects of getting wet.

The story concludes with the loss of his great friend Paul in a rebreather accident just off the beach. It is a sad part to a wonderful tale but brings forth a great feeling of humanity and love.

About Nick (in his own words…)
I was passionate about the sea from an early age, inspired by the films of Cousteau. I was a keen snorkeller from the age of 7 and had my first dive aged 18 in 1981. I have over 4,000 logged dives and hold qualifications from several agencies, primarily BSAC where I’m an instructor trainer. I was a columnist for Scuba Magazine for 7 years and still write for them. I’m about to relocate to Orkney with Julie (also a diver) to Skipper the dive boat Valkyrie.

The Diver’s Tale is available now in paperback & ebook | RRP £12.99 | Available from Divedup.com, online and from retailers. ISBN 978-1-909455-24-5 | 174 pages | 234 x 156 mm

Jeff is a multiple award winning, freelance TV cameraman/film maker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world's oceans and their conservation that hold his passion with over 10.000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the 'Underwater Action Camera' course for the RAID training agency. Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life, witnessing, first hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time. Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.

Blogs

The BiG Scuba Podcast Episode 173: DEEP – Making Humans Aquatic

Published

on

Gemma and Ian visited DEEP and were hosted by Phil Short, Research Diving, Training Lead, and were given a tour of the facility at Avonmouth and then over to the Campus at Tidenham.

DEEP is evolving how humans access, explore and inhabit underwater environments. Through flexible, modular and mobile subsea habitats that allow humans to live undersea up to 200m for up to 28 days, work-class submarines, and advanced human performance research, DEEP completely transforms what we are capable of underwater and how we conduct undersea science and research.

www.deep.com

You can listen to Episode 173 of the BiG Scuba Podcast here.

We hope you have enjoyed this episode of The BiG Scuba Podcast.  Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.   Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback via The BiG Scuba Bat Phone    +44 7810 005924   or use our social media platforms.   To keep up to date with the latest news, follow us:

We are on Instagram                     @thebigscuba

We are on Facebook                      @thebigscuba

We are in LinkedIn                          https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian%F0%9F%A6%88-last-325b101b7/

The BiG Scuba Website                  www.thebigscuba.com

Amazon Store :                                https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/thebigscuba

Visit   https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast and subscribe – Super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.

Continue Reading

Blogs

The BiG Scuba Podcast Episode 172: Dr. Joseph Dituri

Published

on

Joseph Dituri

Gemma and Ian chat to Dr. Joseph Dituri. Dr. Jospeh Dituri lived undersea for 100 Days in a mission combining education, ocean conservation research, and the study of the physiological and psychological effects of compression on the human body.  

Dituri enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1985. He served continuously on active service upon various ships and shore stations where he was involved in every aspect of diving and special operations work from saturation diving and deep submergence to submersible design and clearance diving. Now that he is retired from 28 years of active service to the United States, he is the president of the International Board of Undersea Medicine. He also volunteers his time as the CEO of the Association for Marine Exploration. He is an invited speaker on motivational, sea and space related topics.

Fuelled by his passion for exploration, discovery, adventure, and making the greatest possible positive contribution to the world, he is fighting for change in a big way and with great enthusiasm.

You can listen to Episode 172 of the BiG Scuba Podcast here.

www.drdeepsea.com

We hope you have enjoyed this episode of The BiG Scuba Podcast.  Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends about us as each share and like makes a difference.   Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback via The BiG Scuba Bat Phone    +44 7810 005924   or use our social media platforms.   To keep up to date with the latest news, follow us:

We are on Instagram                     @thebigscuba  

We are on Facebook                      @thebigscuba  

We are in LinkedIn                          https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian%F0%9F%A6%88-last-325b101b7/

The BiG Scuba Website                  www.thebigscuba.com

Amazon Store :                                https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/thebigscuba

Visit   https://www.patreon.com/thebigscubapodcast and subscribe – Super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.

Continue Reading

E-Newsletter Sign up!

Experience the Red Sea in May with Bella Eriny Liveaboard! As the weather warms up, there’s no better time to dive into the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea. Join us on Bella Eriny, your premier choice for Red Sea liveaboards, this May for an unforgettable underwater adventure. Explore vibrant marine life and stunning coral reefs Enjoy comfortable accommodation in our spacious cabins Savor delicious meals prepared by our onboard chef Benefit from the expertise of our professional dive guides Visit our website for more information and to secure your spot: www.scubatravel.com/BellaEriny or call 01483 411590 More Less

Instagram Feed

Popular