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Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves by James Nestor
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't a perfect book. The conventions of pop-science writing tend to enrage me, and James Nestor couldn't steer clear of my wrath, poor dear. Gotcha one-liners and scientific observations that can't quite hurdle clear of my skepticism. Horrible, overwrought ending:
Added to it are the conventions of an even worse genre: sports writing. At least Nestor himself grew suspicious of the machismo of freediving competitions, but I was so much less interested in the gruesome tales of death and blackouts and torn lungs than I was of the beings who live down in the ocean.
Because the ocean IS a perfect subject for a book. Dolphins, coral, sharks, sperm whales (incredible communication abilities! Brilliant and emotionally rich!), and all the various lives that live in the deeper deeper dark of the sea. I loved this invitation into that world. Read this book, and even if you never freedive, you'll walk around with a strange buoyancy, a sense of all that life and meaning in other worlds that are, inexplicably, still this world.
Or at least watch the live-stream from NOAA's current deep sea exploration: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html
Spoiler
dropping an electronic copy of his book down into a deep ocean trench, proving thereby his own authorial depth.Added to it are the conventions of an even worse genre: sports writing. At least Nestor himself grew suspicious of the machismo of freediving competitions, but I was so much less interested in the gruesome tales of death and blackouts and torn lungs than I was of the beings who live down in the ocean.
Because the ocean IS a perfect subject for a book. Dolphins, coral, sharks, sperm whales (incredible communication abilities! Brilliant and emotionally rich!), and all the various lives that live in the deeper deeper dark of the sea. I loved this invitation into that world. Read this book, and even if you never freedive, you'll walk around with a strange buoyancy, a sense of all that life and meaning in other worlds that are, inexplicably, still this world.
Or at least watch the live-stream from NOAA's current deep sea exploration: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html
katlizlove's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a fair book. I liked the research but thought it was a bit disjointed. I didn’t like that he was talking about how toxic humans were to the oceans and then he threw something into the ocean to be remembered.
rsr143's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fascinating book on exploring the depth of the oceans, and the extent of human limits. What I found most interesting was the adaptable ability of humans to maneuver in the ocean, expand their breath-holding capabilities, and moreover, sensing capabilities to move about the world with much greater perception.
If you are into water sports, and in particular ocean sports, you will be especially interested in this book. At times, I found it went into too much detail on things, overall it was a generally easy read and engaging. I also appreciated that the author was a guinea pig and explored his capabilities to free-dive and explore the ocean in submersibles to make the reporting real and novel-like in nature.
If you are into water sports, and in particular ocean sports, you will be especially interested in this book. At times, I found it went into too much detail on things, overall it was a generally easy read and engaging. I also appreciated that the author was a guinea pig and explored his capabilities to free-dive and explore the ocean in submersibles to make the reporting real and novel-like in nature.
caseygaetani's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This book blew my mind. I highlight soooo much interesting text in there. Former dolphin girls will appreciate.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
fogg_asphyx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Very informative and intriguing. You learn a lot about a lot of different topics. It starts with free diving and ends in the deepest unexplored parts of the ocean. With Nestor great story telling, you follow a bunch of different people, all very dedicated to their task, around the world. If you're scared of the sea, some passages might be uncomfortable.
freckleduck's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but I did find it harder to read than his book about Breath. I found the science and history to be pretty gruesome and hard to read and the ego of some of the free divers was hard to contend with. I did find the topic fascinating and I appreciated the variety of angles Nestor tried to cover it from. I also found some sections describing the ocean science felt like a book version of Blue Planet and I appreciated that.
nyx666's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
angelatru's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
taylorinsley's review against another edition
4.0
Incredibly interesting but very long chapters which made it hard to find good stopping points. Overall an amazing book though especially during/right after a dive trip.