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Choose Your Own Adventure #32
Treasure Diver
With the help of some friends, you search for centuries-old sunken treasure in waters supposedly inhabited by modern-day pirates.
114 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 19, 2025
Julius Goodman's third and final book in classic Choose Your Own Adventure, Treasure Diver seems written with personal knowledge of diving, and that creates an immersive, chilling experience. After you and Beech, your mentor, discovered valuable silver coins off the Florida Keys, you purchased a boat you named the Ocho Reales to look for sunken treasure. Now you, Beech, a diver named Macaulay, and your friend Kate are in St. John Bay hunting for gold and silver that sank with a Spanish ship in 1698. You dive deep, but while underwater you spot a ship pulling alongside the Ocho Reales. Should you take time to surface and be sure no trouble's afoot, or trust Beech to handle it and resume your treasure run?
Exploring coral formations, you find an artillery cannon from the Spanish ship that sank. Attempt to raise the cannon right away, and when you arrive on deck of your boat, the captain of a fishing vessel is there demanding you exit the bay. Return later and the fishermen are gone, but should you post a lookout while the rest of you dive to evaluate the cannon? You and Kate stay aboard while Beech and Macaulay dive, but Beech's foot gets wedged beneath the cannon a hundred feet underwater. Keep your head and you might be able to save Beech and claim the treasure. If you pressed your luck at first and didn't immediately try to raise the cannon, Kate gets trapped in a scary, deep ocean current. Follow her in and you are yanked into a crevasse more than two hundred feet down. Nitrogen narcosis poisoning is imminent and your air tank is nearly empty; should you go deeper after Kate, or give up and ascend to the Ocho Reales? Your life and Kate's teeter in the balance. You’ll never be the same if she perishes on your quest for sunken riches.
Had you gone to the surface as soon as you saw the ship edging against yours, the lead fisherman—Captain Rounder—warns that this is the territory of Captain Jack, a modern pirate. Captain Rounder suggests conducting your dive at a reef due south; if you ignore him and stay, your team winches the cannon to the surface, but an approaching boat has you worried. You suspect it's Captain Jack, but you can't speed away with the cannon suspended midair. Drop it so you can race away, and the boat pursues. You're near a reef maze, but is the Ocho Reales nimble enough to navigate it? Perhaps you took Captain Rounder's advice and set course for the reef he mentioned, where you and Kate stumble across a cave. Return to the Ocho Reales and you have the option to employ heavy-duty digging equipment. It's a hassle, but might net you the fortune you've sought. Enter the cave immediately and you see a high-tech structure. Sneak inside and you may meet a nasty fate at the hands of someone who needs to be sure this place remains secret. Exit quickly enough to avoid that and you might have to outrun armed pursuers. There are many terrifying ways to die in the ocean.
Treasure Diver is Julius Goodman's best gamebook. He was either a diver himself or did all the homework to make the story feel authentic, and doesn't shy from some of the most disconcerting death endings in Choose Your Own Adventure. They are the most impactful parts of Treasure Diver, and are why I rate it two and a half stars, though Paul Granger's gritty illustrations do a lot of heavy lifting too. I don't rank this book on Choose Your Own Adventure's elite tier with The Cave of Time, Deadwood City, The Forbidden Castle, or Vampire Express, but it's on even footing with Danger in the Desert, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, and Underground Kingdom. This is an adventure worth going back to.
Exploring coral formations, you find an artillery cannon from the Spanish ship that sank. Attempt to raise the cannon right away, and when you arrive on deck of your boat, the captain of a fishing vessel is there demanding you exit the bay. Return later and the fishermen are gone, but should you post a lookout while the rest of you dive to evaluate the cannon? You and Kate stay aboard while Beech and Macaulay dive, but Beech's foot gets wedged beneath the cannon a hundred feet underwater. Keep your head and you might be able to save Beech and claim the treasure. If you pressed your luck at first and didn't immediately try to raise the cannon, Kate gets trapped in a scary, deep ocean current. Follow her in and you are yanked into a crevasse more than two hundred feet down. Nitrogen narcosis poisoning is imminent and your air tank is nearly empty; should you go deeper after Kate, or give up and ascend to the Ocho Reales? Your life and Kate's teeter in the balance. You’ll never be the same if she perishes on your quest for sunken riches.
Had you gone to the surface as soon as you saw the ship edging against yours, the lead fisherman—Captain Rounder—warns that this is the territory of Captain Jack, a modern pirate. Captain Rounder suggests conducting your dive at a reef due south; if you ignore him and stay, your team winches the cannon to the surface, but an approaching boat has you worried. You suspect it's Captain Jack, but you can't speed away with the cannon suspended midair. Drop it so you can race away, and the boat pursues. You're near a reef maze, but is the Ocho Reales nimble enough to navigate it? Perhaps you took Captain Rounder's advice and set course for the reef he mentioned, where you and Kate stumble across a cave. Return to the Ocho Reales and you have the option to employ heavy-duty digging equipment. It's a hassle, but might net you the fortune you've sought. Enter the cave immediately and you see a high-tech structure. Sneak inside and you may meet a nasty fate at the hands of someone who needs to be sure this place remains secret. Exit quickly enough to avoid that and you might have to outrun armed pursuers. There are many terrifying ways to die in the ocean.
Treasure Diver is Julius Goodman's best gamebook. He was either a diver himself or did all the homework to make the story feel authentic, and doesn't shy from some of the most disconcerting death endings in Choose Your Own Adventure. They are the most impactful parts of Treasure Diver, and are why I rate it two and a half stars, though Paul Granger's gritty illustrations do a lot of heavy lifting too. I don't rank this book on Choose Your Own Adventure's elite tier with The Cave of Time, Deadwood City, The Forbidden Castle, or Vampire Express, but it's on even footing with Danger in the Desert, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, and Underground Kingdom. This is an adventure worth going back to.
February 27, 2018
I love the Choose Your Own Adventure series - I started reading them in sixth grade, as my teacher had several in her classroom library. I quickly started collecting them, and I have a fairly large personal collection of them now.
I read this one to my boys for bedtime over several nights. They went through many of the endings and were happy when they finally got the big win. What I really like about this book is the use of actual scuba diving terminology, with particular emphasis on the effects of decompression, nitrogen narcosis, and other realistic issues of diving.
The art is what I consider to be classical Choose Your Own Adventure art, with many of the pictures being evocative of the story being told.
I read this one to my boys for bedtime over several nights. They went through many of the endings and were happy when they finally got the big win. What I really like about this book is the use of actual scuba diving terminology, with particular emphasis on the effects of decompression, nitrogen narcosis, and other realistic issues of diving.
The art is what I consider to be classical Choose Your Own Adventure art, with many of the pictures being evocative of the story being told.
April 2, 2012
This was one of the most memorable Choose Your Own Adventure books I ever read. It is set mostly in the ocean, but although the title suggests it is all about buried treasure, there are paths that are more about ocean exploration and the dangers of a deep. You can cross paths with a deadly octopus, risk running out of oxygen, or come up empty handed. This one was a lot of fun and I read it a few times.
July 5, 2020
La serie de Elige tu propia aventura es, literalmente, un clásico de nuestra infancia. He releído algunos, años después, y me parecen un poco cortos de miras, limitados en las posibilidades, pero cuando tenía 10 años cada uno de ellos era una maravilla lista para ser explorada hasta que hubiera dado todo lo que tenía dentro.
Al final siempre sabías que ibas a recorrer todos y cada uno de los caminos posibles. La emoción estaba, por tanto, en ganar y pasarte la historia al primer intento. Si no podías, pues nada, seguro que en el intento 18 acababas encontrando el camino. A veces los autores iban "a pillar", poniéndote los resultados buenos detrás de decisiones que eran claramente anómalas.
Recuerdo haber aprendido tanto palabras como hechos y datos en estos libros. No nadar contra la corriente cuando quieres llegar a tierra, dónde colocarse cuando un avión va a despegar, un montón de cosas interesantes y un montón de historias vividas, decenas por cada libro, que convirtieron a las serie en una colección fractal, donde cada vez podías elegir un libro nuevo entre los que ya tenías.
Llegué hasta el tomo 54 y dejé de tener interés por la serie, pero la serie siguió hasta superar los 180 títulos. Tal vez mis hijos quieran seguir el camino que yo empecé. Si quieres que lo sigan, pasa a la página 7.
Al final siempre sabías que ibas a recorrer todos y cada uno de los caminos posibles. La emoción estaba, por tanto, en ganar y pasarte la historia al primer intento. Si no podías, pues nada, seguro que en el intento 18 acababas encontrando el camino. A veces los autores iban "a pillar", poniéndote los resultados buenos detrás de decisiones que eran claramente anómalas.
Recuerdo haber aprendido tanto palabras como hechos y datos en estos libros. No nadar contra la corriente cuando quieres llegar a tierra, dónde colocarse cuando un avión va a despegar, un montón de cosas interesantes y un montón de historias vividas, decenas por cada libro, que convirtieron a las serie en una colección fractal, donde cada vez podías elegir un libro nuevo entre los que ya tenías.
Llegué hasta el tomo 54 y dejé de tener interés por la serie, pero la serie siguió hasta superar los 180 títulos. Tal vez mis hijos quieran seguir el camino que yo empecé. Si quieres que lo sigan, pasa a la página 7.
February 13, 2019
This book is great is very descriptive, action packed, and keeps you waiting for something good to come out of your choice from turning to the next page. I like this book because I’ve always wanted to go scuba diving and searching for treasures, although I didn’t know about what could happen like your diving partner (Kate) gets killed by a underwater current. The only reson why I rated the book 4 stars is because I died to fast and I felt the book should have latested longer. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this series or any type of adventure books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2020
This was so much fun! I found it in a Little Free Library and absolutely loved reading through it. It's well organized, entertaining, and it has that lovely vintage charm. Also you can die in an exciting assortment of ways! I docked one point only because several included sharks, and though they tried to rationalize it ("fishermen suddenly threw chum into the water!"), it's pretty clear they were just trying to capitalize on fear of sharks, which I do not like.
Full disclosure: I gave it to my 9-year-old sister, who classified it as "boring." Oh well.
Full disclosure: I gave it to my 9-year-old sister, who classified it as "boring." Oh well.
January 23, 2019
I think that this book was definitely my favorite book so far of the Choose Your Own Adventure series because this book is the longest so far. I lasted pretty long but them I died to a pirate ship. I would recommend to anyone who wants a short book that they can read in ten minutes or less. Pretty realistic and I rated it 4 out of 5 stars because it wasn’t that interesting to me but if you want a short story than this is the book for you.
November 25, 2024
Being the author of "The Horror of High Ridge", the best book ever written in the CYOA series, I was quite confident the next title penned by Julius Goodman was about to deliver the same thick atmosphere and narrative tension. Even if it doesn't live up to the same high verge of engaging dreadfulness of the previous title, the descriptions of the deep diving of the main characters are equally dark and enthralling in their haunting realism.
February 17, 2021
We spent a lot of time on this one. In our first round, we survived, but diving buddy Kate died a terrible death.
In our second round, the little boy made very safe choices because he didn't want Kate to die again (I love kids so much). This time, we almost got eaten by a shark, but Kate rescued us. It was like she was thanking us for all those safe choices on her behalf.
In our second round, the little boy made very safe choices because he didn't want Kate to die again (I love kids so much). This time, we almost got eaten by a shark, but Kate rescued us. It was like she was thanking us for all those safe choices on her behalf.
May 30, 2024
If correctly, i found 19 endings, and my favourite was: (pages) 1, 3, 6, 13, 26, 59, 74, 92, 34, 35, 51, 57, 71, 95.
It was my first "Choose your own adventure" type book, so I don't have any comparison.
But the plot was a bit basic and characters a bit shallow, but I don't think I must look for stuff like this in this type of books.
It was my first "Choose your own adventure" type book, so I don't have any comparison.
But the plot was a bit basic and characters a bit shallow, but I don't think I must look for stuff like this in this type of books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2024
Pretty sure this is the one with an ending where you are swallowed whole by a great white? Only thing I really remember from all of these CYOA books I read as a kid.
December 10, 2015
En ésta entrega eres un explorador / submarinista que junto a tu amigo e instructor más una par más de especialista, te embarcas en la que será tu segunda aventura marina, en tu propia nave: el ‘ Ocho reales’ (en honor de las monedas que encontraste y te consiguieron a comprar tu buque) en busca de un importante tesoro de un galeón Español que naufragó a finales del 1600.
Ésta es otra muy buena obra de aventuras R.A. Mongomerry (bajo el seudónimo de Julius Goodman), sobria, bien documentada, coherente en desarrollo, realista a nivel técnico y llena de precisiones para tratarse de un libro infantil; libro digno del nivel de uno de los dos mejores autores de la serie (y en particular, mi favorito, más que Packard, que si bien es ágil y adictivo, es menos serio y con muchas licencias).
Antes de comenzar la lectura, se nos da unos datos – resumen acerca del ABC de la inmersiones, con los básico a saber para después tomar nuestra decisión de manera correcta en el desarrollo de la historia.
Dotado de un carácter serio y con aventuras semi largas, nos encontraremos con piratas, depredadores en los océanos, y sobretodo, con los peligros de la práctica de la inmersión como la descompresión, la corrientes marinas, desorientación, etc..
Buen libro!
Ésta es otra muy buena obra de aventuras R.A. Mongomerry (bajo el seudónimo de Julius Goodman), sobria, bien documentada, coherente en desarrollo, realista a nivel técnico y llena de precisiones para tratarse de un libro infantil; libro digno del nivel de uno de los dos mejores autores de la serie (y en particular, mi favorito, más que Packard, que si bien es ágil y adictivo, es menos serio y con muchas licencias).
Antes de comenzar la lectura, se nos da unos datos – resumen acerca del ABC de la inmersiones, con los básico a saber para después tomar nuestra decisión de manera correcta en el desarrollo de la historia.
Dotado de un carácter serio y con aventuras semi largas, nos encontraremos con piratas, depredadores en los océanos, y sobretodo, con los peligros de la práctica de la inmersión como la descompresión, la corrientes marinas, desorientación, etc..
Buen libro!
April 29, 2011
'Choose your own adventure' series #32, Treasure Diver... in these books the reader gets to be the central character by choosing what path the tale follows through a variety of endings...
January 27, 2015
Read with a tutoring kid. I think I remember reading this as a kid...
September 29, 2015
I loved the choose your-own-adventure books during my early years, and believe these are a great set of books for those who are new to reading their own books.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews