Rating: 
Summary: The Last Dive
Review: This book will please the non-diver, the recreational diver, as well as, the technical diver. I wasn't aware that it was out and came across it by accident. I know many of the characters and some of the dives in the book. I am impressed with the accuracy and the facts of the various components of this book. It can probably serve as a form of a reference book. It is a necessary reminder to the hazards of diving. The author has done a good job at telling the story, not just of the main characters but also of many other aspects, such as why some choose do put all their time and money into this sort of diving. (I think I finally got it!) Some of the physiological aspects were clarified for me. The main negative or constructive criticism comment I have revolves around the sometimes "cheesy" romanticised parts, but it was weighted with enough of the other that drew me in nonetheless. Besides these parts will make it more readable by the general public.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book! (it must be!)
Review: My father has been diving in NJ for over 25 years, whenever he has the opportunity. An avid wreck diver, he was given this book by a dive partner and could not put it down! He fabulously recalled the entire story to me with such excitement, I would have to recommend this book to any divers, or otherwise who are interested in reading a compelling true story. Not one for novels, I was suprised that he enjoyed the book so much, which is testament to its worth!
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Summary: A Documentation of a Tragedy but much much more.
Review: This is one of those books as the pages dwindle away your disappointment rises as you realize that soon it will be over. As I started this book I thought it was going to be a patchwork of SCUBA diving stories. Nothing could be further from the truth. I soon realized that it was a skillfully woven account of the lives of several divers including Chris and Chrissy Rouse. While you'll get much more out of this book if you've experienced diving it is not necessary (he puts everything to layman's terms) to still have you hanging on the edge of your seat. Bernie Chowdhury's attention to detail which allowed him dive to the outer edge of the envelope and survive some close calls is the same asset that makes this book so enjoyable. While the title suggests it is simply about the loss of Chris and Chrissy Rouse on the U-Who, it is much more. The U-Who was the unnamed U-boat off the coast of New Jersey that John Chatterton and others spent 6 years identifying. There's substantial information here about the evolution of cave diving and the personalities and events that pioneered the first dives to the "Andrea Doria".Many dive stories seem to be ego oriented reports of exaggeration. Not this one. The author's unassuming approach takes full responsibility for the real close call which nearly cost him his life. The author shares with the reader not only what happened but what he felt on many of these long dives. For example some of the thoughts that pass through your mind as you hang suspended for hours at a time during decompression following a deep dive. I dove with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Divers Posse for 8 years in the early 1970s mostly in the pitch black lakes of Arizona and found myself reliving those dives but you don't have to have ever had a wetsuit on to find yourself totally immersed in this fine account of tragedies and triumph in sport diving. A must read for any diver!
Rating:
Summary: My husband would not put the book down
Review: From a slightly different point of view...the wife of the reader. My husband would not put the book down for any reason. I know it must have been a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Two cowboys take a nose dive.
Review: First of all, I wish to commend the author on one of the best written and most interesting books on diving I've read. And, as an avid diver, marine science journalist, dive historian, and reader of all the recognized classics in the genre, this is no small commendation. At the same time, I wish to offer the author some criticism regarding his style. The book was unnecessarily overwritten in its awkward attempts to educate the general reader about the basic principals of diving (something that should be left to the many training textbooks out there). This could have been accomplished in an appendix, and would have avoided the many annoying interruptions to the otherwise gripping narrative. Having said that, I still believe the book is a landmark work in the field of diving adventure and psychology. Personally, I would like to have learned more about the enigmatic Dr. Hunt, an eminent diving physiologist and the author's case worker. As for the Rouses themselves, I must confess I developed very little sympathy for them, if that was part of the author's intent. As their friend, I think the author did a fair job of telling their tragic story without scolding them or sullying their memory, but I would have been far more impartial, and far more harsh in my assessment of their foolhardyness. The book fails as a safety guide in this respect. I think the Rouses's attempt to dive the U-Who on air was more than a blunder; it was suicidal, and was a very bad example to set the diving community at large. Diving didn't kill the Rouses; the Rouses died of stupidity. May they rest in peace, and may other risk-takers take heed: you can't break the rules of diving physics and live to boast about it for long. And if you choose to do so, you are giving all divers a bad name.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: What made this book a real standout to me (as a non-diver) was the author's passionate familiarity with the challenges and dangers of the sport. It would be easy for an outsider to write a story that painted technical divers as thrill-seeking nutcases or exploited the tale of the Rouse's for novelty and sensation. As someone who survived an accident similar to that which killed the Rouses, Bernie Chowdhury brings a unique perspective to bear. At times, the books veers off into technical discussions which may be of little interest to non-divers, but these excursions are brief (and will presumably be of much interest to divers). I enjoyed the way Mr. Chowdhury painted the vivid characters involved in the sport, and the compassionate eye he turns on the foibles and political rivalries of the folks in the diving community. This is not only an enjoyable book, but a wise one.
Rating:
Summary: A lesson to take to heart, and an excellent read...
Review: 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 ) 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.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Dive: Messages for all
Review: This book largely covers an aggressive subset of SCUBA divers.. The extreme or TEK diver, but it holds a great deal of value for anyone by raising questions regarding life, risk, and tragedy. It covers the evolution of the accident not from a cold and technical aspect, but from a human and personality-driven approach. This ultimately gives us more insight into the divers (and into ourselves) than any simple accident-analysis could. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Educational
Review: As a new diver I found this book to be very educational while captivating at the same time. What made it more interesting was the NOVA program "Hitler's Lost Sub" which aired on November 14, 2000. This program is the one created from the TV documentary crew and shows actual footage of the dives and the sub. It was fascinating seeing the actual divers, boat and sub after visualizing the scenes while reading the book. If you are interested, see ... for more information. I believe they are also selling a video of the program.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I having been diving more than twenty years, I held instructor certification, I am a published author, a very critical editor and an often hard-to-please reader. I am recommending this book to all my diving friends and many non-divers. The book is interesting, well written, informative, and it pulls you in. The last half of the book is very exciting. It is a good read.
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