I was having a conversation with a dear friend about my favorite books on diving and survival and I thought I would compile a list to share. Here is a master list of nine favorites.
The Real Story of Risk: Adventures in a Hazardous World – Glenn Croston
Cave diving may be known as the world’s most dangerous sport, but risk is ubiquitous in our everyday lives. Croston leads and entertaining and informative discussion about how we face risk and experience life challenges that allow us to discover our full potential.
Caverns Measureless to Man – Sheck Exley
This first person account reveals the very genesis of sport cave diving in the US. Sheck Exley describes close calls that helped him form the rules for safe cave diving. Ultimately the author lost his life in an underwater cave in 1994 while attempting a deep cave diver to 1000 feet.
The Darkness Beckons – Martyn Farr
Author, photographer and cave explore Martyn Farr has penned the ultimate history of cave diving. Complete with photos, this book tells the story of how the sport of cave diving evolved around the world.
Drs. Bill Stone and Barbara am Ende dived and crawled deeper into the planet than had ever been achieved before their 1994 expedition in Central Mexico. This gripping true story of adventure, science and technology tells the unbelievably and sometimes fatal feats of cave explorers.
Deep Survival – Laurence Gonzales
I’ve given this book to more people than I can count. If you participate in adventure sports and exploration, this book will help you understand what makes you tick and how to take on risks in a responsible manner that brings you home safe.
Blind Descent – James Tabor
James Tabor shares gritty stories of sump diving and caving expeditions that take ultimate explorers deeper into the earth than you can imagine. Imagine climbing Everest, except instead of great summits, you are venturing deep into the darkness of Mother Earth.
This is a great read that reveals the world of technical wreck diving. Like cave divers, wreck hunters are often drawn by exploration and scientific pursuits to find innovative ways and techniques to explore the underwater world.
Everyday Survival – Laurence Gonzales
A followup to Deep Survival, Gonzales takes the lessons of modern adventurers and applies them to daily life in a way that helps the average person understand and take risks in the workplace and at home to achieve new goals.
Touching the Void – Joe Simpson
I often read books about exploration, extreme environments and survival. I think these true life adventures help me mitigate risks and survive close calls in my sport of cave diving. In my opinion, few books have ever captured human strength and the capacity to survive like Simpson’s first hand account of a time he was left for dead following a tragic fall on a remote mountain.
