The Diver & The Cook by Lasse Spang Olsen COST : £ 20 PURCHASE FROM : Divedup . com ISBN : 978-1-909455-61-0
Scuba Diving Malta Gozo Comino
Book reviews
The Diver & The Cook by Lasse Spang Olsen COST : £ 20 PURCHASE FROM : Divedup . com ISBN : 978-1-909455-61-0
This is one of the most extraordinary stories of survival and courage you are ever likely to read . In 2013 , Harrison Okene was working as a cook on the Jascon-4 tugboat off the coast of Nigeria when it sank in circumstances that remain unclear to this day . The vessel plummeted quickly to the seabed at 30 metres , with Harrison trapped in an air bubble .
This is a story of two parts , dealing first with Harrison ’ s remarkable survival , confined in the recesses of the tug . There , he fashioned a raft from two life jackets and so found a way to conserve energy as he contemplated his next move . The other major component is the experience of the team of commercial divers who arrived three days later to survey the wreck and retrieve bodies . Instead , saturation diver Nico van Heerden found Harrison still clinging to life in an air pocket with depleted oxygen levels .
How they managed to return him safely to the surface is one of the most extraordinary rescue stories I have ever heard of . It has certain parallels to the Tham Lung cave rescue of 2018 , in which more lives were at stake but there was at least some opportunity for planning . In this case Harrison – who had never dived previously at that point – had to be quickly acquainted with commercial diving equipment and then guided out through the darkness and chaos of a newly sunken vessel . That ’ s before you even get to the decompression considerations of someone who has been
at 30 metres under for three days .
This book has so many highlights , but the recorded excerpts from the conversations between the commercial divers is pure drama of the highest order . In a way , what happens to Harrison after the rescue is just as remarkable , but to find out more you ’ ll have to read the book . SR
Scuba Diving Malta Gozo Comino
Fully updated Fifth Edition By Peter G Lemon COST : £ 25
PURCHASE FROM : scubadivingmaltagozocomino . com
ISBN : 978-09541-78949
We have two guidebooks covering Maltese islands up for review this month . First up is the fifth edition of Peter Lemon ’ s detailed guide to all three of Maltese islands . Peter has a strong BSAC pedigree and understands the level of information clubs like to have at their disposal when planning dive trips . So what you get here is a painstaking approach to describing dive sites , Maltese heritage and culture . This isn ’ t to say the text is interminable ; Peter gets to the point quickly and gives you the facts you need to get the most out of diving these islands , with their famous cobalt-blue water and array of historic and purpose-sunk shipwrecks .
I happened to visit Malta for the first time recently , and took the opportunity to compare Peter ’ s guidance to my own experience of the sites . From
this I established two important things : First , the site descriptions are up-todate , factually accurate and insightful . Second , my five days of diving Malta and Gozo didn ’ t so much as scratch the surface of what is available . There are so many sites to cover , and Peter is an enthusiastic guide , showing the way with a reader-friendly blend of underwater and ariel photography , alongside some clear graphic illustrations of the sites and routes . I found these illustrations particularly helpful when visualising upcoming dives at Cirkewwwa Marine Park , then pinpointing the locations of my photographs after the event . The standard of photography is generally good , supporting the book ’ s magazine-like approach . To the author , I say bravo . Peter ’ s Malta guides are clearly a labour of love , and it ’ s evident on every page . If you ’ re only going to buy one book on Malta and her islands , this is the one to go for . SR
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