Diver: A Royal Navy and Commercial Diver's Journey Through Life, and Around the World

by Tony Groom

Rare Book

Genres: Nonfiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2008

Reviews

[Andrée · Rating 3 out of 5]

cracking read though not the greatest writer (but heh - I can't dive never mind defuse bombs)
old fashioned language & mores in some places that might offend the pc brigade but I figure mad cap roistering is reasonable when body bags are involved

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down to earth author with lived experience. Tony Groom writes as I imagine him to speak. I found that really charming.

Diver hits hard when it needs to but never too many pages without making you laugh either.

[Nicholas Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale by the man who lived it, really enjoyed it, must read for any diver.

[Paulsk · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars.
It was very funny, insightful but for me lacked a more defined structure (somewhat chaotic in places).

[Johan Marais · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well-written factual account of a RN diver's experiences whilst completing the grueling course (which reminded me vividly of my own experiences as a SA Navy Diver), also during the Falkland War and his subsequent career as a commercial diver. It is full of amusing anecdotes as well as a few harrowing accounts, reflecting the authors steely nerve as well as his sharp wit. It makes for easy reading and will appeal not only to those who enjoy literature with a military flavour, but to anyone who enjoys a good non-fiction story.

[Mike Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent look into a little known section of the navy. Full of greats dits and funny pretty much the whole way through.

[Barbara T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, at times nail-biting. Knew nothing about mine clearance diving before reading this. Author is clearly a bit of a cowboy

[Michelle Ng]

A very entertaining book. Tony Groom is very humorous. A great book for divers. He told about how he first joined the navy only to become a diver and nothing else. And then he went on war... After that being a commercial diver, saturation diver.. Basically his whole life is about diving!



The only thing I don't quite like is the part about the Falkland war. It's too long.. I know it's an important period of the writer's life (he survived!) but it's too long for my personal liking. However I totally respect the writer. It always amazed me what commercial or navy divers can do under the most extreme condition. I would recommend this book to every diver.

[lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and irreverant book written by a diver in the British Royal Navy, who served in the Falklands conflict (mainly disarming unexploded bombs) and later went on to become a commercial diver in the North Sea. It's chock full of anecdotes about military hijinks and the practical jokes that all the divers played on each other, which provides for a lot of light entertainment in between true stories of war and what can happen when intense military and commercial diving goes awry.

[Ky Matthes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I am only half way done with this book I am rating and giving a review. If you enjoy diving and/or stories about people blowing stuff up this is a great book for you. The stories he tells about the shenanigans that got into are hilarious. I think even the non-diver would like this book.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of one liners and "military humour" if you like diving or engrossing biography's pick it up and dive in

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

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