Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
by Kevin F. McMurray

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Book Summary Information

• ISBN13: 9780743400633
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria

Book Review: Fascinating but morbid
Summary: 5 Stars

The book is on the face of it the history of deep sea diving of the wreck, which to quote another cliche is the 'Everest' of diving challenges - dangerously deep to you and me hence the title. The theme of the book is a history of the people who have dived the wreck and brought up various artefacts - mainly china, especially the people who have met a gruesome end in the process. Yes it is a history of death in the pursuit of the ultimate diving challenge and anyone who has entered the fantasy land of diving for hidden treasure who read this book will happily tear up their amature padi certficates.

The suspense of the history of the divers, exceptionally professional ones, who have met their end is truely gripping as the book drives home how easy one slight mistake has taken the life of such professionals. Usually for one reason - greed, but greed for that inanimate object that may elude them for another year or so. To compound the morbid nature of the book there is reproduced the waiver potential divers must sign with respect to their claim on any expedition leader is reproduced in full as an appendix!

An interesting aside to the book is that it details the dispute between the two principal boats who ferry hopeful divers (oassionally to the fate) to the site. Quite simply certain divers are loyal to one boat, they fall out and become loyal to another.

What the book lacks is depth in the history of the actual boat itself, but in its defence that is not what the book about. Mercifully to someone such as myself whose nearest deep diving experinence was Ivan Draper holding my head below the water for what seemed like 10 minutes at Spence Street baths in Leicester in 1979 when I was 7, the book is not overloaded with diving jargon or technicality.

One fascinating theme of the ships history, which is only very briefy touched upon is the myth (or is true) that one of the safes on the ship was carrying a vast amount of gold bullion from the Central Bank of Italy on its fateful voyage. UK residents with a good memory who watched a documentary on the ship in the 1980s will remember an expedition to recover the safes. For technical reasons only one could be recovered and after a fanfare on Breakfast television was opened only to find a stack of soggy banknotes. The other safe is down there but does it contain bullion - we may never know and if this book teaches you anything any expedition that hopes to find it will expect to lose one or more diver in the process.

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