The author takes a fresh look at the recreational activity of scuba diving including a bit of history, changes that have taken place in the oceans, dumb things divers do, and many personal experiences from diving throughout the world.Tom Leaird became a diver in 1961 and a YMCA Scuba instructor in 1969. He volunteered to either author or co-author nine training manuals. A background in photo lab management came from the U.S. Army plus 31 years with Lifetouch Prestige Portraits. He began Leaird's Underwater Service as a part time scuba store in 1971. Tom has certified more than 250 new instructors from Europe to Hawaii with the Yscuba program until it ended in 2008. To replace that program, he started Scuba Educators International and continues as CEO. Tom and his team of 12 instructors in the area of his home in Muncie, Indiana, have certified over 4000 scuba students and growing.

The author takes a fresh look at the recreational activity of scuba diving including a bit of history, changes that have taken place in the oceans, dumb things divers do, and many personal experiences from diving throughout the world.

If you are ready to get serious about SCUBA diving as a career choice, let this book be a fast-pass through some of the mental, motivational and administrative obstacles that many of us have had to overcome when becoming a diving professional. This book covers everything you need to know to turn your life around and to start teaching SCUBA diving professionally. Some of the chapters include: 1. 7 Habits of a Successful Dive Instructor 2. Getting Your Life Sorted 3. Training Agencies, Dive Centers and Equipment 4. Writing a Good Scuba Resume and Social Media 5. How to Land Your Dream Job 6. Common Mistakes on the Job 7. Safeguard Your Future - Visa, Insurance and Retirement 8. Finding Your Niche 9. Becoming an Industry Leader 10. Advice and Stories from the Pros Nick Derutter is a multi award winning PADI(tm) Platinum Course Director. He has trained hundreds of diving instructors and thousands of recreational divers worldwide. He runs Instructor Development programs in The Americas and Europe, is a Tec Trimix instructor, hyperbaric chamber operator and Diveheart(tm) Adaptive SCUBA Instructor Trainer. Besides teaching SCUBA divers and instructors, he runs a successful online dive store called Dive SAGA(tm), an online diving magazine and a diving media business.

Describes how twelve-year-old Suzanna learned how to scuba dive and with her father, Peter swam with the sharks of Andros.

If you are a diver, what you learned about topics such as decompression sickness and narcosis in your scuba diving classes is unlikely to have been as complete as you thought. Most of it will have been over-simplified and some of it will just have been plain wrong, as diver training agency texts have not kept pace with the science. Scuba Physiological gives you a chance to catch up. A recent book called The Science of Diving was a collation of work done by scientists in the field of decompression research as part of a three-year project called PHYPODE (Physiology of Decompression). The book did not reach the diving public; mainly because it was written by scientists for other scientists and they speak a different language than most of us. Simon Pridmore is not an expert on diving medicine but he knows something good when he sees it. When Simon read The Science of Diving (with help from Google), he thought it was worthwhile working on it to try to make it more accessible. The original authors agreed that this was a good idea and Scuba Physiological is the result. There have been great advances to make diving safer, but, despite nearly 170 years of research, the fundamental nature of decompression sickness and decompression stress remains unknown and there are still glaring gaps in our knowledge. Scuba Physiological provides a good summary of what we know, as well as a glimpse of where the science is taking us and some invaluable tips to make you a safer diver now. Among many other things, you will learn: 1. Pre-dive hydration, exposure to heat, whole body vibration and oxygen breathing may reduce the risk of DCS. 2. Post-dive, our bodies have most bubbles running around them 30 to 40 minutes AFTER we have surfaced. Post-dive hydration and certain other post-dive behaviours are therefore also essential. 3. The effects of nitrogen narcosis continue for a period of time AFTER a dive. 4. All dive computers have a known DCS risk rate. 5. Exercise during the period up to 120 minutes after surfacing may increase your risk of DCS. 6. Never use a weightlifter's breath-hold and release technique when pulling yourself into the boat post-dive. 7. A little dark chocolate before a dive may be a good thing for you. What the experts say: “With this latest volume, Simon Pridmore makes a significant contribution to the body of practical knowledge in the science of scuba diving. If you are looking for a thorough understanding of the science of diving and how it might be impacting your safety and enjoyment of diving, this book is a must read.” Dan Orr, President, Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences and President Emeritus, Divers Alert Network Foundation "This book makes it easy to understand the latest discoveries in diving research and our current understanding of what happens to our bodies when we dive." JP Imbert: Decompression designer and technical diving pioneer "There are some lovely thought-provoking ideas and questioning of current dogma. This book is well worth the read. " Dr Ian Sibley-Calder, HSE Approved Medical Examiner of Divers, Occupational Health Physician "This book is an excellent discussion of the issues. It is an enjoyable, simplified read of a complex subject and easy for a non-scientist to comprehend. I consider this an essential text for every diver's shelf." Joseph Dituri PhD (c), CDR, US Navy Saturation Diving

The Physics of Scuba Diving features questions at the end of each chapter, for which answers can be found by visiting http://nup.com/physics-of-scuba-diving-answer.aspx

Scuba Confidential is a unique book packed full of valuable tips and expert advice, giving you unprecedented access to the secrets of dive professionals and technical divers. With Scuba Confidential, you will learn how to master skills and techniques that will make you a more confident, capable and safe diver. It offers an informed, balanced view on some of scuba diving's most contentious issues like going solo, deep diving and rebreathers and includes a comprehensive analysis of how diving accidents happen and how to make sure you do not become a statistic. Scuba Confidential also gives you valuable insights on a vast range of topics such as what it is like to do a cave diving course, how to make sure you buy the right equipment, what to consider when choosing an instructor, things even the pros get wrong and where to find the best diving in the world. This is candid, no-nonsense practical advice from a professional who has been involved over the last three decades with virtually every aspect of the sport. Have you ever wondered? How to look as comfortable in the water as the professionals do? What it is like to dive inside shipwrecks? Which training courses are most worthwhile? If you would make a good technical diver? If you should be considering a rebreather? How you can improve your diving skills? How you can reduce your air consumption? Why diving accidents happen and how to prevent them? Whether you might sometimes actually be safer solo diving? How to dive deep safely? Or How muck diving can possibly be any fun? Scuba Confidential has the answers to these questions and many more.