Re: [Texascavers] book review: Underwater Potholer

2015-09-28 Thread Stefan Creaser via Texascavers
I just bought this on Amazon (Smile) for $22.07. I would suggest you do the 
same if interested coz there is now only 11 left :-)

Cheers,
Stefan


-Original Message-
From: Texascavers [mailto:texascavers-boun...@texascavers.com] On Behalf Of 
Mixon Bill via Texascavers

Underwater Potholer: A Cave Diver's Memoirs, by Duncan Price. Whittles 
Publishing, Scotland, 2015. ISBN 978-184995-158-6. 6.5 by 9.5 inches, 185 
pages, softbound. £18.99, $24.95.

"Cave diving is dangerous--do _not_ do it. Remember I told you so. Everything 
else I say is bollocks!"

This book is a welcome addition to the small number of well-written cavers' 
memoirs in English, most which have come from British cavers. Duncan Price has 
had a long and active career in cave diving, and he has worked with pretty much 
all of the other British cave divers I've ever heard of. Most of his diving has 
been sump diving in the UK, especially in the part of it where w is a vowel. 
But he has also laid new line in France and the US. Sometimes the blow-by-blows 
of some of his more complicated sump dives get a bit tedious, but there are 
flashes of understated humor or drama. Some cave maps can help with the 
geography, but they are all grouped together as pages XI–XIX, apparently as an 
afterthought. The sixteen unnumbered pages of color photos could have used a 
lot of adjustment. But these production problems do not detract seriously from 
enjoyment of the book.

Besides sump diving, which often includes difficult dry caving to reach the 
sump, Price has done tri-mix diving, rebreather diving, and scooter diving, 
despite the fact that his only formal training certification is from the 
British Sub-Aqua Club--for snorkeling. A lot of cave divers will be amused, or 
not, by a certain cavalier attitude about equipment. "One of my regulators 
started free-flowing on account of the cold water even before I'd set off; I 
hit it against a rock at the entrance until it stopped leaking and then headed 
into the cave." He did a dive using a home-made rebreather borrowed from Rick 
Stanton after receiving instruction in its use: breathe in, breathe out, add 
gas as required.

Do _not_ do it, but do read it.—Bill Mixon

A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies.



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[Texascavers] book review: Underwater Potholer

2015-09-28 Thread Mixon Bill via Texascavers
Underwater Potholer: A Cave Diver's Memoirs, by Duncan Price. Whittles 
Publishing, Scotland, 2015. ISBN 978-184995-158-6. 6.5 by 9.5 inches, 185 
pages, softbound. £18.99, $24.95.

"Cave diving is dangerous--do _not_ do it. Remember I told you so. Everything 
else I say is bollocks!"

This book is a welcome addition to the small number of well-written cavers' 
memoirs in English, most which have come from British cavers. Duncan Price has 
had a long and active career in cave diving, and he has worked with pretty much 
all of the other British cave divers I've ever heard of. Most of his diving has 
been sump diving in the UK, especially in the part of it where w is a vowel. 
But he has also laid new line in France and the US. Sometimes the blow-by-blows 
of some of his more complicated sump dives get a bit tedious, but there are 
flashes of understated humor or drama. Some cave maps can help with the 
geography, but they are all grouped together as pages XI–XIX, apparently as an 
afterthought. The sixteen unnumbered pages of color photos could have used a 
lot of adjustment. But these production problems do not detract seriously from 
enjoyment of the book.

Besides sump diving, which often includes difficult dry caving to reach the 
sump, Price has done tri-mix diving, rebreather diving, and scooter diving, 
despite the fact that his only formal training certification is from the 
British Sub-Aqua Club--for snorkeling. A lot of cave divers will be amused, or 
not, by a certain cavalier attitude about equipment. "One of my regulators 
started free-flowing on account of the cold water even before I'd set off; I 
hit it against a rock at the entrance until it stopped leaking and then headed 
into the cave." He did a dive using a home-made rebreather borrowed from Rick 
Stanton after receiving instruction in its use: breathe in, breathe out, add 
gas as required.

Do _not_ do it, but do read it.—Bill Mixon

A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies.

You may "reply" to the address this message
(unless it's a TexasCavers list post)
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: a...@mexicancaves.org or sa...@mexicancaves.org

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Re: [Texascavers] book review: Underwater Potholer

2015-09-28 Thread Mixon Bill via Texascavers
Considering that the official release date of the book is October 7, 2015, I 
imagine Amazon will be able to get more if it needs to. I got mine on Amazon, 
too, but I quoted the publisher's list price. Presumably just about everybody 
knows he can get it at least a little bit cheaper on Amazon. -- Mixon

A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies.

You may "reply" to the address this message
(unless it's a TexasCavers list post)
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: a...@mexicancaves.org or sa...@mexicancaves.org

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