Last Dive is a heroic adventure story that anyone pursuing technical dive training or looking to dive some of the legendary wrecks on the east coast and Caribbean would thoroughly enjoy.
The last dive is a nail-biting story of a fathers son dive team’s antics and adventures that ended in a fatal tragedy. Bernie Chowdhury exposes the reader to the technical world of diving at a fascinating time. There were a lot of changes and technology being experimented with by the individuals in the book. Anyone interested in the technical wreck or cave diving will appreciate all the history and antics that led to many of our standard operating procedures today.
Things such as breathing mixed gasses, such as nitrox, which is pretty standard today, were considered risky and cutting edge. To breathe helium at extreme depths and the many early ideas as to why not a diver should be breathing these mixes. Should cave diving techniques such as running lines in a wreck be done versus the older explorations methods. Bernie does an excellent job of describing all the factions in the dive community and the difference in dive philosophy between them. The divisions and the reluctance to change within the community. This is all very interesting to me as a diver because I can see where a lot of change has happened, but I can also see where the resistance to change is still alive and well.
The author shares all this while telling you the Rouse family’s story. This father-son dive team has become obsessed with diving. In their four years of diving experience, they perform some of the most incredible dives. They cross paths with the Who’s who in the dive world in the late 90s and forge their reputation, leading to tragedy.
This is a recommended read for any diver interested in technical wreck diving and cave diving or anyone interested in dive history. This would also be an excellent read for any none diver who is curious about the history of technical explorations, diving, the mindset of the people involved, the amount of passion they possess, and what they are willing to sacrifice.