The Frontier Below: The Past, Present and Future of Our Quest to Go Deeper Underwater

by Jeff Maynard

A journey through time and water, to the bottom of the ocean and the future of our planet. We do not see the ocean when we look at the water that blankets more than two thirds of our planet. We only see the entrance to it. Beyond that entrance is a world hostile to humans, yet critical to our survival. The first divers to enter that world held their breath and splashed beneath the surface, often clutching rocks to pull them down. Over centuries, they invented wooden diving bells, clumsy diving suits, and unwieldy contraptions in attempts to go deeper and stay longer. But each advance was fraught with danger, as the intruders had to survive the crushing weight of water, or the deadly physiological effects of breathing compressed air. The vertical odyssey continued when explorers squeezed into heavy steel balls dangling on cables, or slung beneath floats filled with flammable gasoline. Plunging into the narrow trenches between the tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust, they eventually reached the bottom of the ocean in the same decade that men first walked on the moon.Today, as nations scramble to exploit the resources of the ocean floor, The Frontier Below recalls a story of human endeavour that took 2,000 years to travel seven miles, then investigates how we will explore the ocean in the future.Meticulously researched and drawing extensively on unpublished sources and personal interviews, The Frontier Below is the untold story of the pioneers who had the right stuff, but were forgotten because they went in the wrong direction.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2023

Reviews

[Soph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who tf is This determined to go So Far underwater??? You couldn’t PAY me to get into any of these contraptions let alone get SUNK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN in them

[JournalsTLY]

Start by looking at the photos at the back of the book - opening up a whole new world of the oceans as well as the history of undersea exploration .

Thoughtful approach to the history of going deeper into the seas by bringing the reader through the different layers of then ocean , with parallels into the thought and technological progress through the ages .

Fascinating read .

One highlight that I particularly enjoyed is to read about the interaction of early scientists / observers - Halley , Haldane , Boyle - their interaction of thought , theory , machinations ( actually forging with metals and pipes) and their interaction. sometimes rivalry, with their peers.

The dream to walk on the sea bed may sound less glamorous than walking in outer space - but it is , as this book will tell - it is equally challenging , dangerous and beautiful a journey .

[Whisper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate when people write bad reviews of books simply because they didn’t do research of what the book was actually about but I’m going to be doing just that right now.

I was expecting a completely different kind of story with more aquatic facts and information about the ocean. Instead it was about them rich men (and poor men aligning themselves with rich men) that made the sport of diving. So the story was so boring to me because that’s not what I wanted.

Other than it not being what I expected the writing was dry and the way it was presented was a little scattered.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a very (dry) history of humans exploring underwater. Interesting to learn things like if you drew something working, and patented it, that was as good as proving it worked. I wish it focused a tad more on the current state of underwater exploration. The version i read had the titanic craft that exploded as the cover picture but that was never really covered. I want a future where we go exploring the deep a la Seaquest and not have everything just be military based.

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Adored this - very informative, extremely well written and extraordinarily fascinating ☺️

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

[Eben Viljoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about exploring our oceans and diving, lover it!

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up as an audiobook to listen to on my drive to work with a pal and I really enjoyed it! A little dry at times (that’s a funny joke because it’s about the history of diving 😅) but overall very interesting! I plan to take this one home to my dad and brother as I think this will be right up their alley 🥰