Books to Dive Into
Interested in diving deeper into the underwater world, adventure, and well-being? Enjoy reading exciting, fast-paced non-fiction? Then you are in the right place!
Peak into interesting corners of history, explore more about our oceans and learn new insights on well-being. These books spurred my passion for exploration and opened my mind to the limitless potential for what is still undiscovered in our world and within ourselves.
Here are some of the books I would like to highlight and highly recommend. I will continue to update this list with new additions. Hope you all enjoy!
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
by Robert Kurson
Captivating true story of discovering a WWII U-boat off the coast of New Jersey. This book shed light into a world of wreck diving and of a history I never knew existed. This book captures the passion, technical diving, and courage required to discover, not only an unknown wreck deep in the Atlantic Ocean, but to also investigate the history of the wreck itself.
Into the Planet: My Life As a Cave Diver
by Jill Heinerth
Hear from the OG cave diver Jill Heinreth on her journey to becoming one of the world’s foremost cave divers! In this book she explores inside icebergs, ancient Mayan cenotes, and Flordia cave country. Her unique perspective sheds light into the development of expeditionary cave and technical diving while discovering places humans have never been before. This book further inspired my passion for learning cave diving.
The Underworld
By Susan Casey
Susan Casey provides a riveting look into her research on the deepest underwater corners of our planet. I really enjoyed her poetic descriptions of the depths of the oceans and inspired me to embark on my own “katabasis” (to explore the depths of the ocean and ourselves). The history of submarines and the incredible stories behind how they evolved are fascinating. There is so much interesting adventures and detail that this is a book I will reread many times over!
The Lost City of Z
By David Grann
The ultimate adventure book! Real life account of a father and son team with the ambitious goal of finding the mysterious Lost City of Z deep in the Amazon rainforest. Their encounters with nature, indigenous tribes, and perplexing finds makes for a story that is impossible to put down. I won’t leave any spoilers, but this is definitely a mystery that we may never know the answers to.
Endurance
By Alfred Lansing
This is one my all time favorite books. The story of Shackleton and his crew is both a terrifying and awe inspiring tale of survival. They overcame impossible odds in one of the most unforgiving places on earth. Their story is a real testament to human tenacity and faith.
The Devil’s Teeth
By Susan Casey
This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the behavior of sharks. Susan Casey literally dives into shark infested waters off the famed Farallon islands off of San Franscico. This dark and desolate place is a prime hunting ground of great white sharks. She offers a breathtaking account of brushes with these fascinating creatures. It provided a new found respect for the apex predators and their importance to our eco system.
Breath
By James Nestor
Fascinating research into the harnessing the power of our breath to achieve enhanced performance and a healthier life. This book sheds light into what breathwork techniques will make a difference in our well-being and the science behind why it works. Breathwork is a really powerful tool that we all have access to at any time and any place!
