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Summary: Every technical diver should read this book!
Review: Kevin McMurray gives readers a glimpse into the real-life adventures of divers who brave the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic to visit the wreck of the Andrea Doria. The author's research is sound, the information he presents on the physiology of hyperbaric medicine and technical diving techniques is accurate, and his portraits of the men and women whose lives and work are most identified with Doria diving seem fair and unbiased.Comparisons between Deep Descent and Bernie Chowdhury's recent book The Last Dive are inevitable, since both cover the experiences of people who have lost their lives diving deep wrecks. In my opinion, McMurray's book is the more readable and his coverage of the technology associated with the sport are presented in a more organized (and less repetitive) way. Not that Chowdhury's book isn't good--simply keep in mind that reviewers who like it better than Deep Descent are expressing an opinion, not a truth. Yes, there are several textual errors in McMurray's book that should have been noticed by the copy editor, but they are few in number and don't detract from the overall story. I thoroughly enjoy each book written by Doria pioneer Gary Gentile, despite the copy errors (in fact, I recommend Gentile's Andrea Doria: Dive to an Era for some truly gripping accounts of the author's own dives into the bowels of the great liner). I can recommend Deep Descent without hesitation to every diver who has, or wants to, dive any shipwreck at any depth at any time. Sadly, some of the most valuable lessons for technical divers are learned by examining the fatal mistakes made by others.
Rating: 
Summary: Good wreck diving history, but not spell-binding writing
Review: McMurray's book is a great historical contribution to diving history, but it lacks the EMOTIONAL IMPACT of Bernie Chowdhury's THE LAST DIVE. While factual and interesting, this book did NOT move me. I don't think this author's writing holds a candle to Bernie's book, even though McMurray is a professional writer and well-published author. I found the numerous typos, spelling errors and awkward writing very distracting. As a diver, I think about the lessons of THE LAST DIVE almost daily. McMurray's book is worth reading, but should have been better edited. I think the Doria's victims deserve better. StrongDiver
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Summary: Graveyard of the Sea Gods
Review: McMurray's book is a page-turner; good luck trying to put it down. This is the compelling tale of early diving on the Andrea Doria before the common availability of mixed gasses and advanced technical dive equipment for sport scuba. The divers in this book were (are) the "sea-gods", masters of their sport, and yet the Doria quest dragged several of them to their final doom. The book describes the challenges, techniques and tactics of attempting a trip down to the "Everest of Scuba Diving", how the quest has evolved with the sport over time, and what went wrong for those who failed to return from their voyage to the bottom of the Atlantic. The story is gripping, and the narrative is instructional without resorting to dull, textbook explanations of diving. A must read for any wreck diver.
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Summary: Diving and Dieing on the Doria.
Review: She was once the pride of an entire nation. She was a post WW2 Transatlantic Liner with the most beautiful lines that only Italy can produce. Launched in 1951 and completed in 1952, the Andrea Doria went into service in early 1953. She displaced 29,083 tons and measured 656·5 feet x 90·2 feet with a draught of 45·4 feet. There were 10 decks, 11 watertight compartments and accommodation for 1,241 passengers and 575 crew. She was powered by 2 turbine engines capable of generating 50,000 hp and fitted with 2 propellers both of which weighed 16 tons. She was completely fireproof and every last detail was one of supreme luxury. As the flagship of the entire Italian fleet, with her went the hopes and aspirations of her country as it emerged from the turmoil and confusion of those dark years of WW2. On the evening of 25 July 1956 the Doria (as she will always be affectionately known) was approaching New York just as the Swedish Liner Stockholm was heading in the opposite direction. After a series of errors by the officer of the watch on board the Stockholm, it was almost midnight when the Andrea Doria was rammed by that ship which sliced deep into her starboard side. It was a mortal blow and, in a manner reminiscent of the loss of the Titanic, the point of impact could not have been in a worse place. As the Stockholm backed away a large deep gash was revealed through which the Atlantic Sea was already pouring. The Doria took on an immediate 30 degree list to starboard - a list which would slowly increase until she was finally lost. That inexorable process took over 11 hours and the Andrea Doria sank at 10:09 am 26 July 1956. Today, the Andrea Doria will feature heavily on any scuba diver's list of top ten shipwrecks of the world. Fortunately for the ship, she rests at a depth of 235 feet (99M). I say "Fortunately" because that depth restricts the number of divers who have the necessary deep diving skills to visit such a wreck. Consequently, much of her collectable brass and other fittings will remain uncollected - simply because there isn't the time at that depth for divers to get to work. Unfortunately for many scuba divers who do insists on visiting this immense and very deep shipwreck, however, they appear intent on looting her contents and in this way this shipwreck continues to claim far too many lives. Some of those who have been lost to this wreck (not all of whom are mentioned in this book) were amongst the most qualified and experienced of scuba divers. Deep Descent is a story of diving and looting this wreck and of some of those who lost their lives. It is not a story for the faint-hearted diver. It is, however, a cautionary tale for all scuba divers - from all over the world, whether they have any intention of diving this wreck or not. Whilst it is an excellent read, one cannot easily condone the underlying gung-ho attitudes of those involved. NM
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Summary: Andrea Doria at it's best
Review: The best book on wreck diving I ever read.
If you want to know about technical diving, and about the everest of wreck diving this is the book.
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Summary: He needs a better editor
Review: The first half of this book is terrific. It focuses on the history of the Andrea Doria itself and on the history of diving on the wreck. McMurray does a great job of intertwining the history with his own personal experiences and the personalities involved in the events he describes. And then apparently the editor decided his job was done, because the second half or so of the book bogs down, gets very repetitious, and certainly loses the personal connection. ...The final thing that bothered me was that the book is ALMOST comprehensive in its descriptions of diver deaths on the Doria, but by omitting a couple of the incidents (except to list them in the appendix), the reader is left wondering why he didn't write about them at all. ...This doesn't keep the book from being fascinating and well worth reading. I could hardly put it down, particularly for the first half or so. As a diver who has delved slightly into the areas of technical diving and wreck exploration, I found the book an intriguing insight into the sorts of people who go far beyond what I would ever want to do. ...
Rating:
Summary: Great read - Couldn't put it down
Review: This book is an excellent and easy read. There are no "dull" spots and will be interesting for anyone who likes diving, shipwrecks or the sea. This 300 page book is organized very well and the chapters are very focused on the details and dynamics of deep diving or the Andrea Doria wreck. All divers will relate to the author in his explanation of the diving experience. Insight and tribute are paid to some of the leaders in deep diving without being opinionated or biased. Great book. Will read more by this author. Very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Great read - Couldn't put it down
Review: This book is an excellent and easy read. There are no "dull" spots and will be interesting for anyone who likes diving, shipwrecks or the sea. This 300 page book is organized very well and the chapters are very focused on the details and dynamics of deep diving or the Andrea Doria wreck. All divers will relate to the author in his explanation of the diving experience. Insight and tribute are paid to some of the leaders in deep diving without being opinionated or biased. Great book. Will read more by this author. Very interesting.
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Summary: the must read book for all divers ,novice to tech
Review: this book made me totally aware of the dangers faced by the deep wreck divers and the top one percent of the tech diving community. i could not put the book down as it described in detail the last moments of numerous divers on the Doria wreck and what led to their demise. it also gave great insite into tech diving techniques and wreck diving. many misunderstandings and many questions i had before i read this book have been resolved. i have learned from the authors experiences and those of the people in the book.this book is a must for any diver.
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Summary: Excellant book for wreck divers
Review: This is a great book about diving the Andrea Doria dealing mostly with the deaths that have occured and how they happened. If you have been around this type of diving for awhile you will recognize most of the people mentioned and quoted (Billy Deans, John Chatterton, Gary Gentile and so on). The deaths and the events leading up to them are described in graphic detail including several photos of the dead divers being recovered. Kevin McMurray goes into great detail in terms of analyzing the accidents including what boat they were diving on, who they were diving with, type of gas being used, type of equipment, the dive plan and such. No attempt was made to sugar coat the tragic events, just the hard details and facts with enough background information on each diver to help you better understand the complete picture. This book was definetly not written for or about recreational diving. No single tank air dives on pretty tropical reefs and 82 degree water. This book is about hard core wreck divers pushing the limits in deep cold water with poor vis and strong currents. If you enjoyed 'Last Dive' then you will surely like this book. I know that I couldn't put the book down.
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