Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World

by Tim Ecott

In Neutral Buoyancy, journalist and diver Tim Ecott takes you on a guided tour of the history of undersea exploration and the emergence of diving culture. He tells the extraordinary story of man's attempts to breathe underwater, from the sponge divers described by Aristotle, to the development of sixteenth-century diving bells, to the invention of modern scuba equipment. Along the way, Ecott intersperses the story with his own thrilling adventures, from the waters of the South Pacific to the remote islands of the Seychelles, from explorations in the clear, flowing tides of Sardinia to a near-death experience in the cold gray depths of the English Channel. Filled with engaging stories of humanity's conquest of the undersea world -- and heart-pounding action that will leave you breathless -- Neutral Buoyancy is a compelling blend of history and adventure, an exciting overview of the world of undersea diving.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Sports, Travel, Adventure, Nature

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2001

Reviews

[audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a delightfully accomplished history of scuba diving pierced at intermittent moments by the author's own (extensive) experiences diving.

Luckily, the author keeps mostly to the background and allows his (extensive) research to shine shine shine.

Y'ALL. Did you know that Britain's Gibraltar harbor got blown to smithereens in WW2 because Italy managed to invent the first ride-on-top torpedoes? I am not even lying. Then Britain retaliated by training torpedo riders by dragging them on logs behind speedboats, in the dark, with no steering controls, in the Outer Hebrides.

I. CAN. NOT.

That is one episode in what is a well researched and well written history of man's obsession with bopping about underwater, with and without assistance. There is so much here to chew and unpack and I read the whole thing in a day because yes, I like scuba things, but more to the point I like well-researched things, and this qualified quite a bit. I really, really (really) liked how the author confined his contributions of his own experiences to who he interviewed (and he pulled hella strings) and brief musings about diving next to a volcano. Many more authors need to learn this restraint in writing up their well-intentioned research.

Reader, I loved it, despite the fact I cannot and will never be able to scuba in this lifetime. Although, sad news: the author hates fat people, and that kind of spoiled certain parts. Also if you are animal-harm sensitive (hello, is me), skip anything beginning with turtles and the entire section set in the Seychelles.

[Ken Sparta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I have to admit that anything diving related currently moves to the top of my book pile. This was a great one though. It is well written and will appeal to non-divers as well. Ecott does a great job of weaving the history of the sport with passionate descriptions of his dive adventures. If you dive you need to read it. If you get excited when John Mcphee writes a new book you will enjoy it. If you have a Horvathian interest in rats......You should borrow it next time you visit.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lyrical book that intersperses a history of how undersea exploration and diving evolved with a personal history of the author’s adventures as a diver, with stories from the Seychelles and Florida and the UK. If you dive or even snorkel or just like undersea exploration this is a wonderful book. If not then you may be bored...

[Gary Sharpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, I can't say that I really enjoyed this one. The author bounced around a bit too much; there just didn't seem to be any cohesive direction or narrative. I got lost and distracted often. I might have enjoyed it more if he had put less effort in trying to describe the visuals of a given location/experience, and more on the content related to diving: science, history, technique, culture, etc. All that said, there were some nuggets that were interesting, specifically the parts about Sea Lab, Cousteau, naval warfare, and a few others.

[Maria Longley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diving is a fascinating thing. Holding out the promise of an alien world diving lets you in to glimpse what most of us have only seen in nature documentaries (or the odd film). Tim Ecott is a diver and writes about an eclectic mix of topics. At it's best there are great interviews with the heroes and pioneers of the diving scene and these bits were generally my favourite. Perhaps as well because in these sections the pace slows down a bit for an in depth look rather than bouncing around from topic to topic every page or so. There are some fascinating threads in this book but overall it felt too bitty. Turns out that just "diving" isn't enough of a topic to hang a book of memories and snippets of history and information together. I learnt a lot but it wasn't a very satisfying read. The history of sponges is amazing though!

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this to focus more on the actual experience of scuba diving in various environments and not so much an a multitude of historical info. Much of the history was of no real interest to me; there were a couple of sections I enjoyed but most of that was rather tedious. When Mr. Ecott writes about his experience of diving the book is more enjoyable, but even there...as someone whose interest in scuba has recently been piqued and is trying to decide if I want to learn, this book did not inspire the passion I had hoped it would.

[DMK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this quite a lot but it just wasn’t what I was expecting so I can’t blame the book. I guess I was expecting something nail biting like Blind Descent or more thrills given the subject. Still, it had some interesting history about things I never would have imagined I’d enjoy learning about (sea sponges!). I also didn’t feel hugely connected to the author. He came across as a bit sexist and arrogant at times but the book is twenty years old now. Also, some names of key characters were wrong which was proven by a quick google search. Some poor editing. But worth a read for sure.

[Chuckdee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this..the author went wide vs deep (no pun intended!) in covering the topic and sharing his extensive experience. I did enjoy learning more about the Grek sponge divers and some of the lesser known “stars” of diving (Mrs Hass was quite a baby doll!)

[Khammcshanaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like I was reading a diary of a friend. It gave me flashbacks of the time I use to dive and how much peace and serenity the sea gives me. I wish that someday I get to do it again. Indeed, it was a nostalgia-filled read.

[Poppi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and interesting and educational

[Abigail Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, enjoyable read.

[DW · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a collection of chapters on seemingly random diving topics, from ancient Greeks to a detailed description of the qualities of the sponge through the development of modern scuba equipment the stories of current free-diving record-holders, interspersed with stories of the author's own diving experiences. The book didn't cover enough ground to be comprehensive, but at the same time it covered several topics I wasn't interested in (nearly-dead community of Greek sponge divers in Florida?)

Most interesting personal story: him diving on a rough day in the English Channel and having to leave a scared newbie diver alone on the bottom in a strong current because he and the course instructor got tangled in a rope while trying to reach her. Most interesting bit of history: the guy who invented modern scuba (before Costeau) had studied jiu jitsu in Japan.

This book was close to making my author-is-a-douche-bag shelf, but the author wasn't quite that bad.

[Mitch Torkelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

an informative book where the author covers a mix of topics related to the big blue sea—history of scuba, freediving, human underwater habitats, and many more, while describing some of his favorite diving experiences.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter is surprising in its power to evoke, and Tim Ecott makes good use of his personal diving experiences, aptly conveying the near-zen of being underwater. This personal reflection, though, is combined with a history of diving, which Ecott doesn't handle as well. The facts are dense and packed together, so that following along is a chore. A decent book that would have been better with a little more focus.

[Luke Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd easily give it a 3.5, actually. This book is good and well worth reading, even for someone who, like me, has never been diving. There are a lot of fascinating facts and lovely descriptions of underwater adventures. Quite well written too. But it drags in parts. (I could go 4 stars, but I'm trying to be stingier in my ratings.)

[ALX · Rating 2 out of 5]

the chapter about diving for sponges and the industry of sponge gathering and selling in florida was really interesting. the rest of the book was boring and had way too much about his personal feelings while diving.

[Alice Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting historical stories mixed with some nice stories from his own diving experiences. probably need to be a diver to get the most from it otherwise the historical bits might not have been quite as good as I found them to be. loads of stuff in it that I mean to look further into

[Claire S]

Possible gift for M. R. Man. (if already has, would become mine then!).

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not nearly as much fun for non-divers, but it made me itch to get back in the water.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything to do wih the ocean or water, so this book was another interesting read for me. It had detailed information which I did not expect and enjoyed.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Diving Book Ever

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of diving interwoven in the author's memoir. Could have done without as much memoir and more of the history of diving.

[lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history of diving, but not really a page turner.

[Grzegorz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling! Almost impossible to lay down.