The Helldivers' Rodeo: A Deadly, X-Treme, Scuba-Diving, Spearfishing, Adventure Amid the Off Shore Oil Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

by Humberto Fontova

An account of some of the wildest, most x-treme sportmen in recent memory.

Genres: Nonfiction

244 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2001

About the author

Humberto Fontova was born in Havana, Cuba. He and his family of 5 attempted to leave in 1961, but only 4 of them were successful. Humberto Fontova Sr. (author's father) was grabbed by the milicianos. He yelled to Esther (mother) and the 3 kids (Humberto age 7, Patricia age 8, and Enrique age 5) to "Go ahead!....Whatever happens to me, I don't want ya'll growing up here!" The next day, from a cousin's house in Miami, Esther called Cuba and found out that Humberto Sr. was in La Cabana, firing squad central where 2100 men and boys were murdered. Humberto Sr. stayed there for 3 months and then was released and returned to his family in New Orleans.

Humberto grew up in New Orleans. He graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in Political Science. He received his Masters Degree from Tulane University in Latin American Studies. He is married to Shirley Fontova and has three children, Monica, Michael and Robert. He is an avid hunter, fisherman and scuba diver. He has been writing for the hunting and fishing magazine: Louisiana Sportsman for almost thirty years. He has also written for other magazines such as Sierra, Scuba Times and Bowhunter. In 2001 he wrote his first book, The Helldivers' Rodeo; an extreme scuba diving and spear fishing adventure. Shortly after it's release, Humberto appeared on 3 episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher which included other panel guests such as Tom Green, Florence Henderson and James Coburn. In 2003 he released his second book, The Hellpig Hunt; a hunting adventure in the wild wetlands at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

In 2005, he released his 3rd book which is a departure from his earlier writings into a more political genre, Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant. A political and emotional expose' about Fidel Castro and the only totalitarian dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere. This book has been published in english and spanish. In early 2007, his 4th book was released. Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots who Idolize Him; which has now been published in four languages, english, spanish, portuguese and czech.

Humberto has appeared on such shows as The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly, Hannity and Colmes, Fox and Friends, Glenn Beck, The Dennis Miller Show and various shows for Telemundo. He is constantly traveling across the country speaking at different events and universities. Humberto continuously writes articles for many news websites such as www.humaneventsonline.com, townhall.com, www.americanthinker.com, www.newsmax.com and frontpagemag.com.

Reviews

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Helldivers club was a club first started initially to go snorkeling in the area of Louisiana as the area did not have the environment that attracted very many fish. The author who was a member of this club describes how the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico helped create an environment that was or is comparable to reefs with a large quantity of fish and sharks and some very large ones in the area of 300 lbs. The touch on how with the development of diving gear help make a new sport of spear fishing. A sport where with trying to get the biggest fish or shark you can get with trying to avoid the many dangers that could easily result in your death. I thought it was humorous how they found a new use for their disco clothes. The book at many times through the book it felt at the level of being sophomoric or way too much machismo involved. But give it a read and see what you think one thing for sure these guys where crazy.

[Robert Bauman]

Great Read

[John Imhof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart. As a dive professional I cringed at all the safety violations. No wonder several of their cohorts died.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Humberto Fontova seems a fun guy, and he's done good work politically in helping to expose the lunacy of idolizing tyrants like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. I first became acquainted with his writing through libertarian web sites. As a memoirist, however, Fontova apparently loves his own prose. Exhibit A: the title of this book. It's not just a spearfishing adventure; it's a "deadly, extreme" spearfishing adventure. He (and his editors) would have done better to let readers supply the adjectives in their own heads.

On the plus side, kudos to Fontova for writing about the early life of Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau, who (as many people do not know) was a spearfishing legend before he hit it big with National Geographic specials about the ocean in the Seventies. It was also amusing to find out that oil rigs have become havens for marine life, and that polyester suits and other disco-era regalia can be usefully recycled as wetsuits-on-the-cheap.

On the minus side, what wore me out about about this book after awhile was its "party all the time" ethos and occasional sloppiness. It's not a Cuban thing, it's a Fontova thing. I suspect Fontova's subsequent writing about Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, while equally impassioned, is better.

[Ramiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

another crazy book about the mad men who call the underwater world their home... loved it!

[Paul Goodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and really funny.