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Average Customer Rating:

DIVER - By Tony Groom.

Customer Rating:

Diver What an absolute first class read from start to finish.. All the cliches about not being able to put it down apply here.. I stayed up all night! These guys really are the unsung heroes of the British Military machine in general and the Falklands Conflict in particular.. Until now that is. Tony Groom tells it like it is, with a nicely balanced combination of black humour and a sprinkling of the technical side of things but keeping it entertaining and easy to follow.. I would urge anyone to buy this book and to tell all their friends to as well.

Thrilling roller coaster of recollections as a pro diver for the last thirty years

Customer Rating:

This is a thoroughly readable account of time as a clearance diver in the navy from the late 1970s through the Falklands war and out the other side. The tales of Saturation and deep air diving in the North sea and West Africa are well drawn and thoroughly gripping. This is an action based account and like many roughty toughty types Tony Groom does not delve too deeply into the emotional side of his career. There are moments when clearly certain items hit the fan and this is reflected in the pace and reflections. But as a reader I was left wanting more. This is often a critique of autobiographies - the threat of bearing the writer's soul to an unknown audience can sometimes be too much during the writing process, especially for writers who have worked in a practical field for their lives. Having said that, it will not leave a reader disappointed and rates highly amongst books of this type. The Falklands recollections would be well balanced and indeed enhanced by reading Sandy Woodward's book on the conflict. Tony Groom clearly has a wider audience in mind when he writes and does his best to make the technical areas accessible. This book would serve a reader well if they were thinking of joining the navy with the intention of perhaps becoming a diver or qualifying as a commercial diver. His insights are consistent with the experiences of other divers and make for a good read. If you've read this far, you're clearly of the type that would enjoy this tale of action and adventure IN the high seas.

Diver - Tony Groom

Customer Rating:

A friend of mine recommended Tony's book as a good no nonsense biography of a career spent in military and commercial diving. What i didn't realize was that it was also a first hand account of a young sailor at sea during the Falklands war. In 1982 I was only 13 years old and I didn't really take it all in.... but reading Tony's book brought it all back from the perspective of a lad not much older than myself and although written in hindsight the Falklands account uses as a platform a diary Tony kept at the time. The account is an extraordinary mature piece of writing for such a young man who was having both the time and the fright of his life. The later part of the book deals with the relatively early days of Deep Sea International Diving and is almost a careers guide to diving which has got to be a must for anyone thinking of entering the extreme field of Deep Diving. Written with humor and compassion for a first time author who has written about 'what he knows' the lack of self indulgence is a light touch and Tony should be commended for producing a great read first time. I fail to see this book not being enjoyed by anyone who appreciates the free spirit of travel and the allure of the Sea... Good Work. Regards Alistair Gibbons (not a commercial Diver).

A Spot-On Read

Customer Rating:

This leapt up to the top of my 'to-read' pile entirely unexpectedly, but after a couple of paragraphs I was hooked. Less than twelve hours later (which included a dinner of pizza in one hand and this book in the other) I was left with that curious mix of sadness and delight that comes after a really good read - it was great, it was as long as it needed to be, it was structured, written and delivered well, yet why does it have to be over? Given that I've only had that feeling a couple of times this year (and not from a first-timer in too long) that has to say something for the writing as well as the subject matter.

A Brilliant Read

Customer Rating:

To anyone involved in diving this is a must read. So often we hear about sports diving but very rarely do we get an insight of those who do this for a living, whether forces or commercial. Tony's insight into the world many of us no little about is a fantastic account of the work, the dangers and the colourful characters within the industry. Yes, it takes a special person and an insight of those unique people are well documented. Some you will like but in most cases you will love. My sides ached with laughter of some of the characters in Tonys book. I should know I think I was one of these at one time. And if your not into diving, read it anyway. Its differant, its real and gets you thinking about the world of working underwater. All in a time of peace and conflict.