An Ode To Shark Week!

Hey there, readers! I have GOT to share with you one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time! First off, let me tell all of you out there that this author is more heralded than J.K. Rowling is in my household. My daughter has been dreaming about swimming with sharks since she was five. No, not because I was a bad mother and she wanted to get away from me, but because - while her grandmother was babysitting one night - my six-year-old daughter got out of bed, came down the hall very quietly, sat behind Grandma, and watched…Jaws. Ever since, she’s wanted to save and swim with the ‘masters of the deep.’ Most teenage girls have pictures of that vampire, Edward, in their bedroom - but my child has the Jaws movie poster and tons of pics of sharks. So, suffice to say, this book was an outstanding read and a bestselling “HIT” inside our walls. However, the writing is so good, the pictures are so mesmerizing, and the very real stories of dives in some of the most beautiful locations on the planet - will make everyone in YOUR household fall in love, as well. Not to mention, I had the ‘good luck’ to be able to interview the author of this stellar book, and you can read all about his life “under the sea.”

Dive Log - Discovering Life Under the Sea

A ‘dive log’ may sound quite ordinary to readers out there. In fact, a dive log is a record of dives, which is quite ordinary. It is a book that divers use to record date, location, depth, and “bottom time” of each dive they make. But after readers get their hands on this book; after they begin reading about the most amazing locations that this world of ours has to offer; and, most especially, after they view the monumentally stunning photographs that have been placed among the words - that highlight almost every page - readers will soon see that this particular author has turned his ordinary “dive log” into one of the most extra-ordinary works you could possibly imagine.

When this author first began diving it soon went from a sport or a recreation to an obsession. This is not an overstatement. After seeing these locations, I don’t now how anyone could not be obsessed. The passionate writing explains everything from the sand chutes, to the eagle rays with their wings extended as they ascend to the surface, looking as if they are actually soaring through the wedgewood blue sky that surrounds the diver. The author articulates, with serenity and wonder, the symphony of millions of different kinds of fish that he swam through and beside on his adventures. The emperor angelfish, the eels that carouse the deep after dark, the sea urchins…everything is absolutely spoken about as if an artist was painting these incredible pictures for the rest of the world to enjoy. And the life above the sea is told with just as much verve and magic.

This author tells of the enchanting caves, lagoons, sunsets, canyons and beaches - and the amazing luxury that the “upper world” provides while you sip a martini and take it all in. In fact, these pages will make most readers’ imaginations go wild, as they begin to wish with all their hearts that they were there! They will crave a journey to every amazing place on this planet, where they can come close to a coral reef filled with eerie looking species like the spotted burrfish (there’s a full-color photo of this guy, and he’s creepy J )

Readers are taken to shipwrecks where they can get up close and personal with the dangers of the deep, while watching schools of fish dart in and out of cargo-hold doors. In fact, the prose is told so well, the reader can almost feel the slight chill in their veins and smell the old rust and metal “wreck” that was once going somewhere, only to find their final resting place under the sea.

A favorite will be ‘Robert’s Wall,’ where hammerhead sharks swim. Most are disinterested in the divers, but the heart will pound and the pulse will race as you begin to hear that famous “John Williams” music in the background as “Jaws” rose to the surface and embarked on his Hollywood career. There are also stories of lemon sharks - a lovely name - but still a master of the deep. Black-tipped sharks, gray sharks - the whole gang arrives and forms a beautiful, slightly deadly, aquarium inside your mind.

In the end, readers should “see” some very key points that can be taken from this beautiful book. Such as: After Hurricane Ivan struck, the author speaks of how things “came back together.” It will amaze and astound readers to know that an ocean filled with billions of life forms can evolve and begin again without missing a step. Whereas humanity, with our endless wars, have a far rougher time. Readers will also see the beauty of our environment, and how we should all be striving WAY harder to keep that environment intact. We cannot lose these truly stunning sights because of industrialism, or the work of corporations who simply wish to make money and don’t care about life under the sea - let alone life above it.

Fantastic things come in small packages, and although this work is not the grandest of tomes, it is certainly one of the most incredible collection of stories you will ever read. There is a place in the book where the author speaks of Post-Impressionist painter, Paul Gauguin, where he quotes him as saying that all Paul wanted was, ecstasy, calmness, and art. And that is exactly what this particular book gives to one and all! (Publisher: The Chauncey Simpson Press; ISBN: 978-0-9843173-1-8)

An Interview With the Author!

Can you tell readers about your very first dive? Why it was something you wanted to do, and how it felt the first time to take that risk?

I have a hard time sitting still. My wife and I were fortunate to be spending two weeks on Grand Cayman Island. Our condominium was across the street from a small dive shop, and I walked in and asked about learning to scuba dive. The owner told me that I could take a resort-course that would allow me to go no deeper than twenty feet, and I had to be accompanied by a certified instructor during the dive. I reported for training the next morning. After classroom instruction and training in a swimming pool, we jumped into the ocean for our first “open water” dive. I was nervous. The piece of equipment that delivers air to the diver is called a regulator. I was so nervous during my first dive that I not only clenched the mouthpiece in my teeth, but I also used one hand to hold the regulator to make sure that the “reg” did not slip out of my mouth.

The underwater photography was just stunning. Have you ever thought of giving up your day job and doing that full time?

Thank you but, no. Those pictures were taken using a Cannon ‘point-and-shoot’ camera in an underwater housing. The really stunning underwater photos are taken with sophisticated SLR cameras with multiple flashes attached.

What/Where is your absolute favorite location to dive?

My absolute favorite dive was off the coast of Curacao adjacent to the Lions Dive and Beach Resort. We were on a cruise, but the resort looks like a wonderfully relaxing place to stay.

And…what is one location that you would LOVE to dive into?

I understand that the diving off the coast of Thailand is spectacular.

I know you have received your Master Scuba Diver Certification as well as your Rescue Diver Certification. Is that a difficult process if someone wanted to begin to head towards that goal? Is it perhaps like flying? You have to log in a certain amount of time?

I believe that Master Scuba Diver requires 100 dives. I found the certification process the perfect way to enjoy my hobby while developing additional skills. The Rescue Diver course will likely increase any diver’s confidence to deal with emergencies on the boat or in the water. PADI – the agency through which I am trained – also requires short Specialty Courses, such as Deep Diving, Wreck Diving and Underwater Navigation. Learning how to make those dives safely and develop those skills through training by certified instructors, gave me a great sense of comfort in making repeat dives of the same type without an instructor.

Is Divemaster the ultimate destination?

When I started writing Dive Log, achieving Divemaster was my ultimate goal. In order to qualify for Divemaster, I would have to devote at least two weeks to working with a dive shop, and I cannot make that time commitment presently. I would still like to achieve Divemaster eventually.

As far as fear and safety are concerned. Have you ever felt at risk or have something happen during a dive that was frightening?

I hope that I always remain aware of the risks associated with diving each time that I get in the water. Otherwise, I could take something for granted or generally be less careful than I like and need to be. Being vigilant, of course, is not the same as being afraid, but being afraid is sometimes unavoidable. As far as something frightening, I have been on some pretty rough boat rides and watched people have a difficult time getting back on board a boat in rough seas.

You speak the words “safety of dive shops” many times in the book. What is a dive shop? And how does one know that they’re safe?

A dive shop is the term in the diving industry for the storefront of the organization that provides the equipment, hires the Divemasters, runs the boats and, usually, sells gear, tee shirts and other mementos of that particular dive trip. If the gear is sloppily stored or appears to be poorly maintained, that reflects to me that the entire organization may be sloppy or disorganized. That, in turn, suggests to me less concern for the patrons’ safety than a dive shop that is well organized and clean.

What is the strangest sight you’ve every seen on a dive?

The strangest thing that I have seen on a dive is a Divemaster who had been scuba diving for forty years picking the anchor of the dive boat out of the sand and swimming with it until he found a site that better suited him. It paid off; I saw the largest ray that I have ever seen a few minutes after he re-deposited the anchor into the sand.