Fatal Depth: Deep Sea Diving, China Fever, and the Wreck of the Andrea Doria
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 797.2309163
EAN: 9781592283040
ISBN: 1592283047
Label: The Lyons Press
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Studio: The Lyons Press
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Worst of the Andrea Doria accounts.
Comment: Having read most of the accounts of diving on the Andrea Doria and other deep diving sites I can say that this is the worst of the lot. The author is not a diver and admits it but obviously has not taken the time to have his work checked. Several references to "1-2 knots per hour" leave the reader wondering if the author has spent anytime on the water at all. Also some technical goofs where author makes clear he did not really understand some of what what communicated to him. Most aggravating is being left not knowing the outcome of the legal actions taken with regards to accidental drowning of Chris Murley. It was as if 1 or 2 chapters were missing from the end. Still some pretty good accounts of the mishaps aboard the Seeker from 1998-2001 as well as a reasonable retelling of the Andrea Doria sinking. In the end it is a worthwhile read as long as you look into the other books in this genre.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dangers of Deep Diving
Comment: My favorite book about my favorite shipwreck. This book is kinda a compilation of accidents. All that happen of the Andria Doria. And all from the Charter Boat the Seeker. A real page turner, a good read for the avid diver and non-diver alike.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book...
Comment: I'm an avid reader of anything related to scuba diving and freediving. This book filled my expectations. However, I also read The Last Attempt by Carlos serra and found it even more appealing and gripping than this one. I highly recommend both of them but The Last Attempt was a really nice surprise.
It's about the story of a female freediving champion who died during her last attempt to set a new world record held by her husband, a legend in the sport, but after her death, and even though everyting pointed towards him, and despite heavy scrutiny by the media, no one could establish what actually happened. I was astonished when i read it. Incredible story, so between The Last Attempt and Fatal Depth, i found myself delighted with a lot of good reading.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A magazine article on steroids
Comment: Fatal Depth offers a neutral report of several accidents, starting with the collision that sunk the Andrea Doria and then moving on to recount mishaps involving deep water scuba diving by recreational divers who want to explore the wreck and bring back artifacts. Some would call deep water diving of this type "extreme" diving (230 feet deep), though aficionados call it technical diving. The reporting of the mishaps themselves is brief since they often occurred while the diver was out of sight of others, but this is supplemented by substantial background information about the diver.
Haberstroh, by trade a reporter and not a diver, has written a book that looks at some of the non-technical issues, such as the boat captain's responsibility to assure the competence of divers who have the requisite certifications or who are accompanied by a reputable instructor. Typical of a reporter writing a story, he presents the issues but does not provide his own editorial opinion.
The failure to report the outcome of the lawsuit that is discussed in the book is annoying, but an online search revealed that the plaintiff lost the case (at least at the trial level) by summary judgment. Whether the case has been appealed is not readily ascertainable by an online search.
While a quick read, it does not compare favorably with Shadow Divers or The Last Dive, both of which are gripping. For someone interested in this genre, it offers enough new information to make it worth reading, and in that case, Fatal Depth would be a good book to borrow from a local library.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great reference book for technical wreck divers
Comment: Great book. Lots of accident information as well as the diving history of the wreck. A must have for your reference library. Learn from the mistakes of others.
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Editorial Reviews:
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At 11:10 p.m. on July 25, 1956, the luxurious Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria collided with the Stockholm forty-five miles south of Nantucket. Half a century later, the wreck of the Andrea Doria is still claiming lives.
Professional and amateur divers the world round consider the Andrea Doria to be the Everest of diving. At 225 feet below the surface, the wreck lies at the very edge of human endurance and accomplishment; ordinary air becomes toxic and the divers who go there suffer nitrogen narcosis or "the rapture of the deep." Symptoms include confusion, lack of coordination, and perhaps most deadly of all, a loss of the ability to make clear decisions. As a result, divers use Trimix, an exotic blend of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium to descend through the strong currents, rusted metal, and twisted wires to the ultimate symbol of deep sea diving accomplishments: china teacups and plates from the wreck of the Andrea Doria. For serious wreck divers, these fragile artifacts are genuine proof of their abilities as divers.
During the summers of 1998 and 1999, three elite divers lost their lives, all on separate dives from the top dive boat out of Montauk, the 65-foot Seeker. Craig Sicola was clearly suffering from "china fever" before he went down. He'd handled teacups brought up by veteran Doria diver Gary Gentile, and the gleam in Craig's eye was unmistakable. Craig dove on June 24, 1998. A few hours later, his body bobbed to the surface. He was carrying a plate.
Joe Haberstroh, the award-winning Newsday reporter, watched events unfold during the summers of 1998 and 1999. In this remarkable and intriguing book he recreates what was the pride of the Italian fleet, how it sank, the dangers of the deep, and the gripping personal stories of the men who live or die for a teacup from its remains.
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