Rating: 
Summary: Must read for anyone who dives deep - a cautionary tale
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Far from perfect, but a real page-turner, and a great read!
Review: As a fairly experienced wreck diver myself, I was very intrigued by the book title and dust-cover summary. So when a fellow instructor offered to loan me his brand new hardback edition three years ago, I jumped. Two days later, I'd consumed it fully, having read it entirely in just two sittings! If you're interested in what happens to divers who push the limits, you'll find this book incredibly engrossing. Author Bernie Chowdhury, a highly experienced technical diver and editor/publisher of a technical diving journal ("Immersed"), combines the real-life facts surrounding the fatal story of the Rouses with fairly exhaustive foundational material on the technical and physical challenges of diving well beyond the so-called "recreational" depth limit. The author's descriptions of technical diving (both wreck and cave environments) paint a vivid picture of what it's like to be there in person. I sometimes felt myself physically tensing my muscles as I anticipated impending crisis situations in the book. Chowdhury describes his own brush with decompression sickness ("the bends") where he could very easily have stuck to the story of the Rouse men and their demise without disclosing information about his own incident. However, consistent with the book's overall underlying theme, the author uses his own almost fatal incident to reinforce the fact that rules, guidelines, checklists, and safety procedures are all created for good reason. Whenever a diver bypasses these or lets his macho attitude carry him into the dive, he's simply an accident waiting for a place to happen. The story bounces around a fair bit, somewhat like a modern action film -- we're initially introduced to the "situation" just before the major event occurs. Then, before we can actually see it through to conclusion, the story jumps backward, and we experience a series of interwoven flashbacks recapping all that led up to that moment... before finally replaying the actual incident and conclusion of the tale. In this case, the author not only describes thee technical training the Rouse men obtain as they progress in their diving, he also tries to paint a picture of their individual personalities and their rocky relationship as father and son, each driven by an extremely competitive spirit. By the time the reader finishes this book, almost no fatality described in its pages will seem to be a surprise. You can see them coming...not because the author tips his hand (though he sometimes does), but because there are SO MANY errors made in each and every case the author outlines! Some reviewers have indicated being put off by Chowdhury's reconstructed dialogues between various characters throughout the book. Clearly he couldn't know exactly what was said in many of these private conversations. But since he knew all of these divers personally and interviewed many others in the tech diving "fraternity" before writing this book, he knew each of their personalities, their typical vocabularies, and their overall demeanors. Thus, although somewhat contrived and clearly conjecture on the author's part, these segments of dialogue help create colorful characters for us as we read about their adventures and misadventures. Highly recommended for anyone who is already a certified scuba diver, or anyone considering taking up the sport. If it makes each reader just a bit more cautious for the next few years after reading it, this book is an incredibly cheap risk-reduction product.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and thought-provoking
Review: The author uses the tragic story of the Rouses as a framework to discuss the history, successes, tragedies and mysteries surrounding deep water diving. Although the story of the Rouses is fascinating itself, Chowdhury's exploration uses these characters to demonstrate the personalities and thought processes that lead humans to investigate and push their own limits to extremes. Through this, he encourages all people to follow their heart to adventure but consider the often tragic possibilities in order to develop a mature,clear-headed approach.
Some readers miss the point and believe this is a novel that should entertain only. Chowdhury spends a great deal of time on diving history, diving physiology, and other diving mishaps. Some readers may believe that they are so much smarter than the characters in the book. The author points out that no one is too good/smart to get into trouble. And these are exactly the people the book is aiming to explore and describe.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Descent Into Adventure Diving
Review: This book is a fascinating read. Chowdhury draws on his own experiences as a technical diver as he tells the story of a father and son, Chris and Chrissy Rouse--"the Bicker Brothers." The Rouses' heavy involvement in SCUBA diving led them to pursue becoming part of the diving community's elite. The author relates his own experiences, both diving with the Rouses and doing the same kind of extreme diving the Rouses, and he, were compelled to do. As he relates these experiences Chowdhury lays open his own soul so the reader can glimpse inside the minds of those who reach into the watery depths. Was it merely a father and son adventure, the thrill of doing something few others dared, or the siren song of mystery that led the Rouses' to the U-WHO and ultimately their deaths? In all probability it was a combination of the three. The author examines the controversies over deep, technical, wreck, and cave diving. He also show how these various communities draw an uncommon type of person. While these may be thrill seekers, they could probably be described more as hard-driven adventurers. These individuals want to reach past the ordinary and excel in the process. Sometimes the drive exceeds judgement. When that happens fatal results can and do occur. Chowdhury is in effect eulogizing his friends, but he also is exorcising the demons of "survivor's guilt." Just a year prior to Chris and Chrissy's fatal dive the author had a similar experience with aborted decompression and being evacuated by the Coast Guard for recompression therapy. Chowdhury barely survied his ordeal. Fate was not so kind for the Rouses. The Rouses went from being open water divers, to cave divers, then to extreme wreck divers. They made dives on the "Everest of Diving" the Andrea Doria and the Empress of Ireland. They were using cave diving techniques to push the edge of technical wreck diving, often to the disdain of "pure" wreckers. Each of the extreme diving communites--deep, wreck, or cave--have strongly held opinions about the way in which a dive should be conducted. What is ironic is the fact that the arguments are still going on among the various diving "communities." For anyone interested in adventure, irony, or tragedy--The Last Dive will draw you in and leave you gasping for air. While much of the book examines technical diving it does not dwell on the technology of diving as it does the psyche of diving and, for that matter, any adventure sport. There is one factual misstatement about cavern diving depth limits being 130 feet. Actually the cavern diving depth limit is 70 feet and total depth plus penetration into a cavern shall not exceed 130 feet. Also, toward the end of the book, there is strong speculation about Sheck Exley's death. Exley was someone that Chrissy Rouse admired. Chowdhury stated that Exley had miscaluated the amount of gas needed to make the dive and when he realized this he tied himself into the line so his body could be recovered. Reports that I read stated Exley's body was entangled in the line. Exley knew his gas consumption rate and meticously planned each dive. He should have had enough gas with him and he certainly cached enough extra gas for stage decompression. No one knows why Exley died--equipment problems, narcosis, or oxygen toxcity. The author was speculating here, but the text makes you think he had inside knowledge. (Note: I have learned that Exley would wrap the line around the valves of his tanks in order to rest--this is exactly how he was found.) Aside from these two problems I found the book compelling. A must read for the techinal diving crowd. The book is also an insightful, introspective look at why people love high-adventure. If adventure novels are your primary reading genre pick up "The Last Dive." It contains as much drama, but with added facet of being a true tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: All divers should read
Review: As a newly certifed addict to diving I can clearly relate to the obsession exhibited by the Rouses (and others) Bernie writes about. This book is scary and I recommend every new diver read it, especially Chrissy's battle with the bends and ultimate death. Just as Bernie says many times, we all think it can never happen to us, but I found myself saying: "yea, I can see how that happened" with each fatality he describes. Although clearly no expert, I find his technical descriptions of diving detailed and accurate, yet simple to understand. My only reason for withholding the "5 star" rating is that I found the text somewhat disorganizaed and hard to follow, ultimately going back re-reading chapters 1 and 10 together for the full effect. Other than that, thanks Bernie, for an informative, educational and exciting read!
Rating:
Summary: What every diver show know ....
Review: Dry-docked and I finally have time to read this book! Chowdhury makes an attempt to clarify the mystique of hardcore diving for divers and non-divers alike. The book is generally well written and much can be gleened from the manner of writing as well as what's said. Commentaries about the book's organization are not as annoying or as fatal a flaw as other reviews critique. I'll bypass what has been said amongst other reviews. Like all of history's pathfinders, new roads are often paved with the bodies of pioneers. Modern procedures in cave and technical diving were forming at the time this story transpired, and diving deep on air alone was acceptable. No matter how plans are made to lower risk, anyone who opens new roads into an unknown, from test pilot to tech diver, must have a daredevil's disposition. The care the book's divers gave towards their mountains of equipment attests to their position on survival, yet other items in their lives were instrumental to their deaths. What doesn't come across clearly is that, like a drug, a breed of person finds life vibrant in the context of risky adventure if they survive risky adventure, and this is further magnified by the idea of seeing or doing what few, or none, have experienced before you. To paraphrase Chowdhury, just as there's a difference between hiking and climbing Mount Everest, so is there between recreation SCUBA and tech or cave diving, or between reading Skin Diver or the defunct AquaCorps{e?!} SCUBA can be an adjunct to one's vacation, or a way of life. Dedicated divers share strong comradeship that, like war veterans, stems from shared experiences, particularly perilous ones, and telling the tale. The bonds of such a 'dive tribe' is alive and well, and its ranges can be experienced through interacting with the hundreds of divers who flood... or the wreck divers of NJ, where part of the Chowdhury's story unfolds. While one could read the Last Dive in the context of the Rouse story, its also as much about the siren song of the whole of SCUBA, its history, its extremes, its culture and the adventure spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Reading
Review: Essential reading for any budding deep or wreck diver. This book is not a technical diving manual, but rather an account of what not to do when you go diving. The book is well written and you will have difficulty in putting it down. Well worth the money and essential reading for any diver with intermediate experience.
Rating:
Summary: Hardcore divers must read - others would enjoy
Review: Cave and wreck divers all over the world should read this book. Excellent story and well written. Even nondivers would enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Condoning Stupidity
Review: To call the two main subjects Chris and Chrissy "technical divers" is a real travesty to the responsible tech diving community. The author parades them around as heros, even telling of his own "bends" incident. Diving air on the U-Who... they really got what was coming to them.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written, painful to read as a result
Review: The author attempts to romanticize the lives of the Rouse family, who came across as an extremely dysfunctional group. My take is that they were, at best, irrational cowboys, taking ill advised risks and were completely irresponsible, in all aspects of their lives. They were, in the end, tragically victims of their own poor judgement and behavior (as where many of the people talked about in the book). The author should have titled this book after himself, as this seems to be his favorite topic, to the detriment of the story. From his poor writing style, composition, leaving out information which would have made the story much more interesting, and to his repeating the same information over and over again, this book was difficult to enjoy. The author took a compelling event, and ruined the story.
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