Tech Diving Book List
Diving history and science are crucial elements to expanding your knowledge as a diver. There is more out there than the course textbooks and there’s always something new to discover. I’ve selected a handful of books that are relevant to cave diving and tech diving.
Deco for Divers
By: Mark Powell
#1 book recommendation for tech divers
If you can only read one book to expand your knowledge about decompression this is the book. Powell’s book starts with a historical perspective and rolls into modern diving practices, research, and safety. It covers all applicable decompression knowledge that’s currently available and wraps it up in a layperson friendly manner. Most technical diving textbooks are based on this book but but fall short of Powell’s ability to articulate.
Technical Diving
By: Mark Powell
For a complete understanding of gear and techniques in technical diving, this introduction does the best job of educating the reader. This book is the equivalent of “Deco for Divers” for gear and procedures.
Shadow Divers
By: Robert Kurson
Before my first technical diving course, my instructor had me read this book. For the aspiring technical diver this book is frightfully inspiring. Few other books show the realistic and accurate risk of technical diving like this book does. In conjunction with portraying that risk well, this book also tells the story of an incredible underwater discovery at a different time in technical diving. The technology and research available during these dives is ancient compared today, but the great storytelling, accurate summary of risk, and inspiring discovery make this book a requirement for every diver’s bookshelf.
Caverns Measureless to Man
By: Sheck Exley
The man, the legend, the father of cave diving. Exley’s book covers his life and contribution to cave diving. This detailed account of his life and dives puts perspective to the history of cave diving compared to the largely recreation hobby it is today.
Taming of the Slough
By: Sheck Exley
Peacock Springs is an icon of cave diving in Florida. The taming contains Sheck’s history of exploration and other resources collected by the editors. Exley’s stories of the original exploration give modern readers and idea of the immense amount of work required for us to enjoy a leisurely dive after glancing at a map today.
Deep and Breath
By: James Nestor
Deep is focused on James’s journey to better understand freediving and Breath is a follow-up book that dives into breathing. Both are applicable to technical diving because our breath control dictates buoyancy and CO2 retention. Breath sticks out in particular because of it’s focus on breathwork and mastering our breathing. Breathwork has proven health benefits at the surface and those health benefits can transition to the underwater world. The techniques behind breathwork can be used while diving, to keep a clear head in good and bad situations.
Technical Texts
These books are more focused on technically detailed topics and may not be what you’re hunting, but they’re the authority for their topic.
Breakthrough
By: John Clarke
Scrubbers are the magic material that removes CO2 in a rebreather, or that’s how many people view scrubbers. The inconclusive and inconsistent dive site chats about appropriate scrubber times, care and function are typically invalidated and contradictory. I bought this book out soon after it’s release to see what novel content it contained from what I knew. I did not enjoy this book at first. Then I realized the purpose of it. This book doesn’t push a crazy new narrative. It doesn’t modify most CCR diver’s profiles or procedures. This book provides the data and the nitty gritty that puts the facts behind the procedures that many CCR divers are already preforming. Science is observations that are repeatable, and this text puts the science behind CO2 scrubbers in rebreather applications. Clarke’s book is filled with equations and math, which he readily admits as taxing for all readers. The conclusions section at the end summaries all the points while referencing the math and data in the preceding chapters. If you’re not math keen feel free to skim to that section. The introduction and descriptions of testing techniques should not be skimmed over though, they’re very interesting and provide perspective into how hard Clarke and his team worked in the sake of safety and science.
Regulator Savvy
By: Peter Wolfinger
When I signed up for my first regulator repair technician course my mentor assigned me this book. I was slightly overwhelmed. How could my 1 day class cover the information in this book? It didn’t. Wolfinger’s book is not a 101 for regulator repair, it’s the dissertation.
I get asked often if divers should service their own equipment. My typical recommendation is “no” because an experience technician is going to perform better and have the proper equipment. I believe that anyone servicing regulators should read this book, cover to cover, at least once. It won’t teach you the manufacturer recommendations – you absolutely need manufacturer specific training for that – but it will give you a complete understanding of what’s happening inside the regulator. Even if you’re not trying to be a service technician, scan through this book to see the awesome graphics of regulator innards – they’re neat.
The Oxygen Hackers Companion
By: Vance Harlow
The introduction paragraph of this book might be one of the most eloquently worded paragraphs ever written about something as technically deep as gas blending. This book’s purpose was to dismantle misinformation about making nitrox in the early days of blending. Much of that misinformation exists still today, even in popular diving textbooks. While released in a much different period of technical diving, the information contained in this book is relevant for gas blenders, compressor operators, and even just plain old diving nerds.