Shadow Divers

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:17 pm

I know many (if not most) of you have read this book... I just picked it up on a business trip, after remembering Nailer's recommendation, and I simply can't put it down.

Perhaps I'm way behind the curve here, but I had to post something. Anyway, if you haven't read this book yet, you really should check it out. Good stuff!!!

DiverDown · Post by **DiverDown** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:46 pm

Yep, its a good read.. I cant wait till the movie comes out (sometime in 2007).. Thats what I read anyway..

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:54 pm

A movie?! I was just thinking that it would make a great movie!

divernick · Post by **divernick** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:28 pm

A movie of the book does sound interesting. To whet people's appetites though...Nova did a documentary on the investigation into identifying the sub. There is video footage shot by the divers on the submarine. And lots of interviews with the main guys trying to figure it all out. The film is called Hitler's Lost Sub. I do believe its available from Amazon, or any of those type of places.

Nick

DiverDown · Post by **DiverDown** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:48 pm

Yes, it was Nova that did the documentary. I ordered the video and watched it once, and I let someone borrow it. and guess what, I didnt get it back

!! Still it was great and it brought John Chatterton and Richy Collar to fame. "Via Deep Sea Detectives".A good read is, The Last Dive, By Bernie choudery. It is about the "Rouses" a father and son dive team. They wound up losing there lives during an exploration dive trying to solve the mystery about the "U-WHO"

Pinkpadigal · Post by **Pinkpadigal** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:54 pm

I met Robert Kurson a few years ago when he was in town promoting "Shadow Divers". He is a nice man and we communicate via email once in a while. He is an amazing storyteller. He cannot swim at all, let alone dive. His descriptions all come from multiple interviews with John, Richie and others involved with finding out the story regarding U-869.

Zen Diver v1 · Post by **Zen Diver v1** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 2:33 am

It's a great read, I couldn't put it down either.

-Valerie

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:33 am

I loaned my copy out, and it hasn't made its way back to me yet ... it's on it's fourth reader since then ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:13 am

U-869?!

YOU RUINED IT!!!

Ok, so I looked at the pictures in the back of the book first and figured it was U-869 because they were showing all the officers and some crew all labled with that identification.

It's a great story and I'm going to check out the other titles noted here... any other great recommendations for video or book?

PS: "Into the Blue" - fun story, great looking women wearing "not much," VERY questionable diving practices (or some down-right stupid), and a couple shameless Halycon plugs.

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:16 am

Oh yeah - "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" ... one of those movies that leaves you wondering if you'll ever get that 1.5 hours of your life back. Later it grows on you... "Do interns get Glocks?" "No, they all have to share one."

What is the DIR procedure for carrying a Glock underwater anyway?

BDub · Post by **BDub** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:25 am

Sounder wrote:
any other great recommendations for video or book?

Sheck Exley's "Caverns Measureless to Man" is a great read too.

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:57 am

Shadow Diver is an amazing read... drama, mystery, "humans", cool diving, you'll get sweaty palms from reading about diving to 200 plus ft. on just air. The descriptions of narcosis and more are just spellbinding.

lurch · Post by **lurch** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:20 pm

Sounder wrote:PS: "Into the Blue" - fun story, great looking women wearing "not much," VERY questionable diving practices (or some down-right stupid), and a couple shameless Halycon plugs.

And a couple lucky bastages got to grope Alba

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:31 pm

Damn! I didn't realize they were on plain air!!!

They didn't go into the mix and their description of being narced

is intense (the drums) but I thought they were diving a mix! I also haven't heard anything about stage bottles - a couple mentions of a pony but that's it.

It begins in August/September 1991 - was nobody mixing gasses in '91? If not, when did mixed gasses emerge? Any dive-history scholars know?

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 2:29 pm

Sounder wrote:Damn! I didn't realize they were on plain air!!!

Near the middle / end of the book a couple of divers show up using tri-mix, which the deep divers of the time call "voodoo gas". Very interesting...

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:04 pm

I ordered the DVD from Amazon - it should be here soon. Once I watch it, folk's are welcome to borrow it... but I DO want it back!!!

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:38 pm

It finally arrived and I watched the Nova DVD "Hitler's Lost Sub" - WOW! What a great documentary! It was the perfect blend of history and diving. I'm going to watch it again to make sure I caught everything. Very cool overall, but the scene showing how the bent diver couldn't move his legs and was being moved around by guys on deck was troubling and hard to watch. It's short and not very graphic, but still bothersome.

I give the program an A+ and recommend people watch it. Mine is available to borrow but, as mentioned before, I DO want it back!!! I haven't finished the book yet, and I don't think this will ruin it (I already turned to the back looking at the pictures), but if you're reading or planning to read the book and don't want to spoil the ending, wait on the Nova program.

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:11 pm

Trimix didn't get much recreational use at all until the late '80s. Its still voodoo gas in many minds, just look at the DSAT curriculum. 2 deco mixes with their potential switch mixups are ok for intro tech divers but a clear head isn't? (The Rouses knew how to dive helium mixes but chose air because it was less expensive.)

The Glock goes on the waist, just next to the knife. :-)

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 2:28 pm

"Do interns each get Glocks?" "No, they all share one!" What a great movie! I need a red cap.