August 2004

Vol. 19, No. 8     What's this?

Shadow Divers

from the August, 2004 issue of Undercurrent  

I've read them all, and this diving book may be the best treatment ever of the thrills of diving, all wrapped up into a fascinating diving mystery. So good is the book, Hollywood has already paid a cool million for the film rights.

In 1991, divers on air checked out an unmarked wreck in 230 feet of water off New Jersey's coat and discovered it's a WWII German sub. Divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, obsessed with the U-Boat, make harrowing dives into the decomposing hull; visit U.S. government offices for information -- no one knows about the wreck; interview aging Germans who fought in WWII; and travel to Germany to discover the U-Boat's secrets. Other N.J. dive boats compete with them for access to the wreck, marriages dissolve, divers lie, and divers die -- including the father and son who are the subject of Bernie Chowdhury's fine book, Last Dive.

Journalist Robert Kurson brings alive the battles between dive boats and divers, the risk and stress of deep diving in cold water, and the joy of discovery. Shadow Divers is an adrenalin-packed story that will keep you turning the pages. Read what The New York Times has to say on our website at Undercurrent, where you can order this at the lowest prices anywhere by clicking on "Books." You can also find plenty of other diver reading on our website. The profit from any purchase through the Undercurrent website is shared with the Coral Reef Alliance. [Hardcover, 400 pages, current price $18.33.]