The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent Into the Ocena's Depths Descent

by Bernie Chowdhury

Book Overview

"Superbly written and action-packed, The Last Dive ranks with such adventure classics as The Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air."--Tampa Tribune Spurred on by a fatal combination of obsession and ambition, Chris and Chrisy Rouse, an experienced father-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve wide-spread recognition for their outstanding and controversial diving skills by solving the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented, World War II German U-boat that...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060194626
• ISBN13: 9780060194628
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

For serious divers only!

If you are fascinated by dive depths and all the regulations attached to this sport, then read this book. But it lacks for a reader solely interested in adventure or the nail-biting seat of your pants intrigue. I finished this book rather quickly probably because I skipped over so much of it.

If you're a diver- you will LOVE this!

As a recreational diver, I found this true story that takes place within the deep diving community absolutely amazing, exciting, and a little scary because of the risks these men take. I bought the audiobook, which is one of the best abridgements I've ever come across (and thankfully, it's long- 6 INCREDIBLE hours of well-written accounts of the adventures of deep divers and why they do what they do. *Also, the reader is one of the best, if not THE best narrator I have ever heard read an audiobook.) It's written so well that you always understand clearly what is going on, and you really come to care about these guys- these divers that need to go beyond the recreational diving limits of 130 feet, risking their lives to do so, and you find yourself envious of their skill and courage to do it. Have you ever wondered what it's REALLY like to go into a recompression chamber? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be at 240 feet, diving an undiscovered shipwreck?...If you're a diver- YOU'VE GOT TO LISTEN TO/READ THIS BOOK! Take it on your next dive trip.

Extremely well-written story, but the 'tragedy' doesn't play

I am a technical diver with some wreck experience, although I do not possess the advanced training (Full Cave, Deep Air, etc.) of either the author or the father-and-son team who perished, the Rousses. I found Bernie Chowdhury's "The Last Dive" to be an exciting, well-told account of a very unfortunate accident, but I must respectfully say that the two divers featured in the title did not earn my sympathy.I live in Alaska, and every year men and women die in this state pursuing activities that are not unduly dangerous--hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, flying, and the like. Sometimes the accidents are the result of poor planning, inadequate equipment, and a failure to grant nature the respect it demands. But sometimes people die when it seems they did everything right, the victims of plain bad luck. Chris and Chrissy Rouse fall into both categories.In the end, I give Mr. Chowdhury high marks for a fine job of telling the story of his two friends. The many background details on diving were fascinating and accurate, and the author's re-creation of the Rousses' last dive on the U-boat had me on the edge of my seat. But if there's a lesson here, it's that technical diving does not lend itself to people with Chris and Chrissy's competitive personalities and careless attitudes.

A lesson to take to heart, and an excellent read...

As a diver with a drive to excel like the Rouse's, I found this book both chilling and thrilling. I think Bernie really hits home when he begins to probe the psychology of extreme diving. I'm sure any diver will find the accidents described in the book chilling, however, I believe they point out an interesting trend. It's highly unusual anymore to hear of a fatal scuba accident due to equipment failure, especially in extreme dives. Instead, the fatal accidents in extreme diving seem to show a trend of minor mistakes, shortcuts, or flawed decisions that cumulate to result in a fatality. And in most cases, one error sets off a domino effect of following errors. (Not using Tri-mix on a dive to 230ft --> severe narcosis, impaired judgement, clouded mind --> inability to find stage bottles for decompression --> direct ascent to sfc, skipping over 90 minutes of decompression --> death )<p>That is certainly a simplification, and there is no guarantee the Rouse's would have survived if they had been on Tri-mix for that fateful last dive. However, knowing what happened to them on that dive, it certainly could have been the fabled last straw on the camel's back.

Must read for anyone who dives deep - a cautionary tale

Scuba diver's delight...Wow! This is a fantastic introduction to the world of wreck diving. If you have ever drawn breath on a regulator, you will appreciate this well-written book. This is the best popular work on the thrills, dangers, and deadly mistakes experienced in the sport of technical diving. The story of a father and son who lost their lives, and the near-miss of the author himself, this book explains in a readable yet captivating way the history, background, and living reality of diving on shipwrecks. Although I personally take issue with his 'trophy-hunting' attitude to artifact recovery, Chowdhury gives keen insight on the frame of mind which drives people to the extreme.The same way 'Into Thin Air' draws you to the summit of Everest, even if you've never hiked more than a mile in your life, 'The Last Dive' introduces you to the mystery, fascination and danger of the depths.I highly recommend it!

Excellent Book!

I picked this book up with no intention of buying it whatsoever. Once I began reading it in the store I knew that it was one that I wouldn't be able to put down. I bought the book and finished all 350 pages in a night. It was a gripping story with the author paying excellent attention to the history and detail of scuba diving. As a recently certified diver, I found myself realizing things that weren't apparent to me before. The stories within this book will forever stay in my mind..both in the water and out