Unfortunately, we aren’t able to dive 24/7. So what do us divers do when we are not getting our fins wet? Well… Lots of things. We think about diving, we book diving holidays and we buy more diving gear even after our other halves may have said we definitely don’t need it.
Apart from all of the above, we love to read about, diving experiences, the big blue and the best dive destinations around the world. To help expand your scuba horizons, we’ve put together a collection of the most the best scuba diving books by divers, for divers!
Don’t have time to read the full review? Don’t worry, here are the 3 best selling scuba dive books our customers pick:
- Comprehensive Manual
- For Advanced Divers
- Used by Scientists
- Revised by Professionals
- Hot-Spot Destinations
- Written by Diving Experts
- Great for all Divers
- Inc. NOAA Nitrox Tables
- Comprehensive Guidebook
- 1000+ Color Photographs
- 800 Species of Ocean Life
- Great for Ocean Lovers
If you’re looking for something a little different to scuba diving magazines, whether you are looking for some dive inspiration or want to learn a new skill, one of these books about diving will be perfect for you.
Here are our favorite books about scuba diving, most are factual, giving instruction, telling scuba diving stories or highlighting the best dive sites. Happy reading, and most importantly – Happy Diving!
15 of the Best Scuba Dive Books
1. Diving the World
Our Review Score
With over 200 prime locations, the first dive book on our list of the best scuba dive books is; Diving the World. Diving the World is essential reading for anyone interested in Scuba diving.
The color images will help provide you with the inspiration and information you’ll need to plan that next perfect dive. This book was written by the expert photo-journalist team, Beth & Shaun Tierney. Both have been diving for around 25 years and this book, a third edition has been revised and updated to reflect the changes in the dynamic dive travel industry and also to incorporate new destinations.
2. Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die
Our Review Score
We all know the earth’s oceans hold so many mysteries just waiting to be discovered. With the help of experts, Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die has gathered their favorite destinations to dive, just so that divers like us can experience these underwater wonders for ourselves.
We love the images in this Scuba Diving Book as it lets us experience these wondrous surprises – either on location in our scuba gear or at home on the sofa.
3. The Complete Diver
Our Review Score
Next on our list of scuba dive books is The Complete Diver. This scuba dive book is a comprehensive guide of recreational scuba diving. This book covers everything from the history, science, and practice of scuba diving and is, therefore, a great diving book for all levels of diver.
The author Alex Brylske, Ph.D., is the most published author in the field of recreational scuba diving, and one of the diving industry’s most influential voices. In the 1980s, Alex designed and wrote many of the programs and materials used today around the world to train divers of all levels. The scuba diving book includes chapters devoted to diving history, physics and physiology, diving medicine, health and safety practices for scuba divers.
4. Scuba Confidential
Our Review Score
This scuba dive books guide will help you learn how to master the skills and techniques to become a better diver. Scuba Confidential dive book will reveal to you the secrets of dive professionals and technical divers, to help you become a safer, more confident and more capable diver.
This scuba dive book also gives you valuable insights on a range of topics such as how to make sure you buy the right equipment, what to consider when choosing an instructor, things even the pros get wrong! One of the best scuba dive books with no-nonsense practical advice.
5. NOAA Diving Manual
Our Review Score
All serious divers should have the NOAA Diving Manual in their library with their other scuba dive books. Many diving scientists, educators, and other professionals were brought together to review this important volume.
This scuba diving book is a reference text not just useful to divers and diving scientists within NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) but also for all involved in exploring the oceans and freshwater bodies on Earth.
New Chapters within the 6th edition include an advanced platform support diving with ROVs/AUVs, submersibles as well as underwater Photography and videography. This edition also includes the new NOAA nitrox tables.
6. Silent World
Our Review Score
National Geographic presents the 50th-anniversary edition of this remarkable scuba dive book, an international bestseller by the father of underwater exploration.
Silent World is a scuba dive book based on Jacques Cousteau’s memoir that chronicles the early days of his underwater adventure. This diving book includes the development of his invention, scuba, his first dives with scuba, and his travels under the sea during World War II.
7. The Fireside Diver
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This scuba diving book is a collection of true, short stories all related to the world of scuba diving. The Fireside Diver stories told within this book make divers want to put on their scuba gear and go diving.
The stories within this scuba dive book vary from some filled with adventure and danger, some happy to humorous. This is an all-around great scuba diving book to add to your shelf. Some of the stories are from some of the most famous diving authors and will inspire non-divers to learn the sport.
8. Diver Down
Our Review Score
Diver Down is one of the best scuba dive books about real-world scuba accidents and the things you should do to avoid them.
Each of the stories within this scuba diving book is accompanied by an in-depth analysis of what went wrong and how you can recognize, avoid, and respond to similar underwater calamities. One of the scuba books that you’ll read and learn from.
9. Deco for Divers
Our Review Score
An award-winning scuba dive book, Deco for Divers provides a comprehensive overview of the principles underlying decompression theory.
This dive book allows the average diver to fully understand the principles behind this fascinating aspect of diving. This guide helps bridge the gap between introductory books and source scientific information.
10. Scuba Diving Safety
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With self-rescues, buddy rescues, open-water resuscitation, and towing techniques, Scuba Diving Safety will become your most valuable diving companion and scuba dive book.
This is one of the scuba books that covers a full range of underwater environments, as well as dangerous marine life, entanglements, and equipment failures. It’s a vital resource and an essential reference for every underwater enthusiast.
11. Reef Life
Our Review Score
Reef Life is a comprehensive guide to tropical marine life. This practical, up-to-date, guidebook for divers, naturalists, and students, features more than 1000 color photographs of 800 species of ocean life.
This scuba dive book identifies the most-likely encountered underwater life in the tropical marine environment, helping to provide the keys to this magnificent world and teaching you about our oceans and the life living within it.
12. The Shark Handbook
Our Review Score
The Shark handbook has been put together as a guide for understanding and identifying the sharks of the world and is one of the best books about scuba diving for any shark lover.
This scuba dive book will help teach you about sharks from when they are born to when they die, how to distinguish one shark from the next, their anatomy, how they hunt and attack, how their teeth are developed, and their importance and purpose within our ecosystem. A great book for any shark lover!
13. Reef Fish Identification Tropical Pacific
Our Review Score
The Reef Fish ID Tropical Pacific scuba diving book features more than 200 additional species, hundreds of improved photos, scientific name changes and range extensions.
The user-friendly guide groups’ species in 20 color-coded identification groups based on similar physical or behavioral characteristics. This great guide contains over 2500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species from four of the best marine life authors/photographers in the business.
14. The Underwater Photographer
Our Review Score
This award-winning photography scuba dive book provides practical examples with step by step technique on underwater photography.
The Underwater Photographer dive book is packed with breathtaking images and an easy to read style. This diving book is sure to both educate and inspire underwater photographers of all skill levels.
15. Advanced Underwater Photography
Our Review Score
Full of techniques for digital photographers, Advanced Underwater Photography is a reference for divers who have already strong diving and underwater photography skills.
This scuba dive book is aimed for divers who want to learn the skills necessary to create professional quality images. Opening with a quick overview of the basics, the author then expands on each of these topics, showing the techniques pros use to achieve truly stunning images.
There you have it, the best scuba diving books for any scuba enthusiast and ocean lover. Scuba books about diving brought to you by divers.
3 comments
Great scuba diving books!! I haven’t heard of all of them but they are already on my must-read list!
Although it’s really expensive, I have no regrets in buying the NOAA Diving Manual. It has everything and more any scuba book could contain!
I recommend Scuba Confidential, its a brilliant read and a great book for scuba divers to get stuck into!