THE CAVE DIVERS by Robert F. Burgess

THE CAVE DIVERS
ISBN 1881652114

This is an award-winning book about one of the world's most dangerous sports. Chosen by librarians and bookstore owners as a Book of the Year award winner in Fore Word Magazine's annual contest, The Cave Divers takes the reader into the dark, watery world of underwater springs where mastodon bones, seven-inch long fossil shark teeth, and death sometimes awaits the unwary diver. Learn the secret of caves that repeatedly trapped victims. Read about incredible underwater rescues from the watery labyrinths. Join Burgess as he descends into water-filled stone "time-capsules" where scientists discover the remains of 12,000-year-old Ice Age Man. Join early cave diving explorers who first braved the watery barrier into the unknown to find a prehistoric graveyard of mammoths, and cathedral-sized caverns never seen before. Here are daring feats of pioneer dive exploration from the sport's earliest beginnings to the mixed gas miracles accomplished in these deep inner-world watery mazes today. Go along on world record depth dives. Join the group who swam a secret way into a dry underwater cave and when their lifeline broke realized no help would come because they were the only ones who knew how to get in! 352 pages. Over 60 color and black and white photos and maps. Paperback 6 x 9 © 1999 Aqua Quest Publications.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Wookey Hole (England 1934)
2. Fountain of Vaucluse (France)
3. First U.S. cave dive (California)
4. Yucatan-1800's to present (Mexico)
5. Wakulla Springs 50's to present (Florida)
6. Otter Spring (Florida)
7. 10,000-year-old man (Florida)
8. Warm Mineral Springs (Florida)
9. Bluebird Spring (Florida)
10. Huautla cave system (Mexico)
11. Cave archaeology
12. Blue holes (Bahamas)
13. Rebreathers
14. World record depths & distance
15. Lost but to God!

FROM THE BOOK:

"They were at 210 feet, but Cockerell had no conscious sensation of feeling any narcosis yet. He was not the least apprehensive, but felt good about the dive...confident that Royal would be just five feet behind him... He followed the guideline... "I swam into a tunnel with very low clearance...I swam back into it and at this point the whole dive became confused. After that I could not remember whether I had been holding the safety line or not. But apparently I let go of it when I turned around because I was instantly engulfed in sediment. At that point I experienced my first real apprehension. Royal was no longer with me and I had no idea where I was."

PUBLISHER REVIEW:

"An interesting mix of adventure and archaeology that probes one of the earth's last frontiers."
—Publisher's Weekly

WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK:

"Robert Burgess succeeds in conveying the excitement, eloquently painting pictures of the sights and describing the intellectual challenges and satisfactions, masterfully mixing adventure with history, sociology, archaeology and some hard-learned lessons in physics. There are chapters with unexpected happy endings and others detailing tragic mistakes made in this unforgiving environment.... It is easy to see why this book earned a "Book of the Year" award from Forward Magazine.

Beginning with a 5-year-old boy in France, you are delightfully walked through the beginning history of cave diving — from the very brave to the totally crazy, from France to England, Mexico, Florida and the Bahamas.... Divers who favor Mexico will appreciate the early chapters describing exploration efforts starting in 1878 and continuing on through the 1950s....

As a photographer, Burgess is able to add another dimension to this book. Pictures are especially valuable in caving, especially for those who have never dived in them. Burgess's photos cover many decades and many caves. A personal favorite is the 1956 photo showing a pillowcase being used as a liftbag for a mastodon bone. The resourcefulness of our predecessors is amazing. Just taking many of these underwater photographs was very challenging, as told in a humorous chapter titled, "Into the Caves with Gun and Camera." Those new to underwater photography will be appreciative of the ease of taking excellent pictures using modern camera systems.

The adventure is mixed with the lessons learned from tragic mistakes, bad judgement and overwhelming egos.... Overall the book is a delight, entertaining and an easy read. It's a great vacation book, full of adventure, divided into chapters that can easily stand alone or mesh together.... It is obvious that Robert Burgess loves this sport and he put great effort into telling the tale of the early explorations... he masterfully glides the reader through tales of history that cavers and non-cavers will enjoy."
—Susan Brillhart, IMMERSED The International Technical Diving Magazine

"I thought this was going to be another tech book by a well known cave diver. Not so! Engrossing! Reads as well as a good novel--can't wait to see how these pioneers solved the next problem. This is a book that touches a broad spectrum of society- courage, ethics, and the desire to discover the unknown carry the reader to the last page."
—Bruce Higgins

"As if you're wearing weight-belts too, the author draws you down to join the fearless few who dare the hidden underwater depths. Very entertaining, but equally educational, which is helpful to us landlubbers who have only dreamt of clenching down on a regulator mouthpiece. The book covers the early days of aqua-spelunking right up through the present, touching on the evolving equipment and techniques, including a piece on the challenges and tricks of underwater photography. Great pictures and diagrams, and the stories are arranged such that it isn't necessary to read front to back. The reader can dive in anywhere and not get lost...which is more than can be said for some of the chapters' subjects. Either way, you'll enjoy reading every page...but beware of the bends!"
—Eric Zillmer, Grand Rapids, Michigan

"This is THE book for anyone who has any interest at all in the sport of SCUBA diving or just interested in reading about underwater high adventure. It is one of the most interesting, enjoyable and captivating books I have read in quite awhile. It puts you right there in the caves, sinks and sumps with some of the worlds best and most experienced cave divers (and some who weren’t) and lets you get a feel for what it is like to explore worlds that few will ever see. From Florida's famous Wakulla Spring Survey Project and the remains of early man found at Warm Mineral/Little Salt Springs to the HUGE underwater labyrinths of the Yucatan Peninsula and the Huautla cavern system in Mexico, each chapter is a detailed account of the exploration of these systems including maps, drawings and photos. Plus, other stories of the early pioneers of cave diving like Cousteau and Dumas. I highly recommend this book."
—Doug Bogert, North Florida

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The Cave Divers