In Oceans Deep

May 27, 2019
Diver and biologist Streever (Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places) fascinatingly recounts humanity’s expeditions beneath the sea in this informative and personal chronicle. With a real knack for storytelling, Streever evocatively puts the reader in the helmets, flippers, and submersibles of sea explorers throughout history. He grippingly recounts the daring, seven-mile journey of Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard aboard their “ungainly submersible” Trieste to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, in 1960; only filmmaker James Cameron has returned to that point, meaning nine more people have gone to the moon than have visited the darkest depths of the ocean. Streever then examines the free diving of 19th-century Greek sponge collectors; the air pressure experiments of 17th-century chemist Robert Boyle; the advent of diving helmets, decompression chambers, and scuba gear; and the evolution of submarines, from the Revolutionary War–era Turtle, to the diesel-powered submarines of both World Wars, to today’s nuclear-powered behemoths. Streever also shares accounts of his time as an oil field diver and his current dabbling with free diving and operating undersea robots. Writing at the behest of his late father, “my first diving partner,” and concluding with a look at how diving contributes to ocean conservation, Streever crafts a book to be enjoyed by divers and general readers alike.

Actor Jay Snyder voices Bill Streever's blend of personal experience, history, and updates on ocean exploration with both awe and clarity. The author urges listeners toward a new appreciation of oceans. Some listeners might be wary, though, when Snyder is calmly recounting the hazards of free diving, which include spitting up blood and loss of consciousness. The author's enthusiasm when trying free diving himself also comes through. Snyder's voice expresses genuine emotion as he shares the last messages of sailors caught in a submarine explosion. Most listeners won't be able to keep up with Streever--and won't want to. But they'll likely be fascinated as he recounts his tales. J.A.S. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine