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Deep Into Blue Holes: The Story of the Andros Project
Book by Palmer, Rob
188 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1997
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 6, 2023
3.5 stars
Let me start by saying that while the content of this book is quite interesting, I would not recommend for people who don’t have at least a little bit of knowledge of diving. Palmer is obviously highly experienced at diving, which leads the writing itself to be highly technical and expects the reader to have some foreknowledge or background in it. I would also say that the author has little intuitive writing ability (which can’t really be expected, as not everyone can be good at all things), which manifests itself in abruptly switching speakers without indicating it and inopportune switches in the narrative (i.e. inserting narratives of shorter dives in between the longer or more complex dives that are the backbone of the book and the project it is documenting). This means the writing can be confusing to follow at times, particularly when it comes to differentiating the different caves and their layouts. The few maps that were included were very helpful in visualizing what was happening and I wish there had been an index with maps of all the caves, not just the major ones. Overall, I think this would have benefited from an editor who payed close attention to details (such as names, as apparently there were 2 different Roberts on the trip- Robert Palmer, the author, and Robert Parker- both who go by Rob and it was hard to keep the two straight in my mind, as the author doesn’t differentiate between himself and the other Rob except by last name which sometimes makes the narrative feel as if it abruptly switches to third person) and continuity. I feel this would have been an easier and less confusing read if the author had stuck with the main narrative of major dives throughout the body of the book and included the less significant dives (with indicators of when they occurred within the main narrative) in a chapter close to the end, although I will say that it gets easier to follow the farther you get into the book. I also found thought that the archeology element close to the end added a unique new perspective that was well worth including.
Let me start by saying that while the content of this book is quite interesting, I would not recommend for people who don’t have at least a little bit of knowledge of diving. Palmer is obviously highly experienced at diving, which leads the writing itself to be highly technical and expects the reader to have some foreknowledge or background in it. I would also say that the author has little intuitive writing ability (which can’t really be expected, as not everyone can be good at all things), which manifests itself in abruptly switching speakers without indicating it and inopportune switches in the narrative (i.e. inserting narratives of shorter dives in between the longer or more complex dives that are the backbone of the book and the project it is documenting). This means the writing can be confusing to follow at times, particularly when it comes to differentiating the different caves and their layouts. The few maps that were included were very helpful in visualizing what was happening and I wish there had been an index with maps of all the caves, not just the major ones. Overall, I think this would have benefited from an editor who payed close attention to details (such as names, as apparently there were 2 different Roberts on the trip- Robert Palmer, the author, and Robert Parker- both who go by Rob and it was hard to keep the two straight in my mind, as the author doesn’t differentiate between himself and the other Rob except by last name which sometimes makes the narrative feel as if it abruptly switches to third person) and continuity. I feel this would have been an easier and less confusing read if the author had stuck with the main narrative of major dives throughout the body of the book and included the less significant dives (with indicators of when they occurred within the main narrative) in a chapter close to the end, although I will say that it gets easier to follow the farther you get into the book. I also found thought that the archeology element close to the end added a unique new perspective that was well worth including.
August 29, 2008
A co-worker and avid cave-diver knew and worked with the late Mr. Palmer. At his recommendation I read this hair-raising book. It's still on my shelf, won't part with it either. Good read if you're into cave diving.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews