The Six Skills and Other Discussions: Creative Solutions for Technical Divers

Very good book for a new technical diver or someone considering tech. The author conveys his ideas and thoughts in a clear, easy to read manner. Unlike some other books that discuss voodoo and glorify the author, Steve stays focused on the reader.Chapters are:1. Technical Diving and how to get there from here2. Buoyancy, the force that opposes gravity3. Trim, the streamlined approach to diving4. The skill of movement and position5. Breathing, beyond the standard advice not to hold your breath6. Situational awareness, the chess master's skill7. Emotional control8. Dive execution, equipment configuration, doing what works9. The deco curve10. Accident analysis, and chalking the four lines11. Parting shotsIt is possible to get all the information from the book in conversations with experienced divers. However, you can't take those diver's to work and pick their brains on your lunch schedule. Further, many of them don't like you sticking a recorder in their face so you can do a playback when you forget something.Get it, read it, dive it!

I recently purchased a copy of this. The book is easy to read and the content should be of value to most divers. The choice of topics for each chapter is good. For people who are either open-water divers or tech divers who haven't read much, if anything, beyond the manuals that accompanied their courses, they will likely find much of what is discussed here to be new and of value. The style and perspective make the book very accessible. For a more experienced or well-read diver, I think it's unlikely that they will come across much that is new. However, having a straightforward presentation of the material all in one place is nice in itself. Two small quibbles. First, as with most diving texts, the editing could be a little better. Second, the actual printed text is not black but rather a dotty grey scale that makes reading a bit hard on the eyes.

Buy for deco on the fly if for nothing else. I put the chart on my wet notes. This is a really easy and informative. My instructor recommended this while I was taking AN/DP.

I found this book informative yet a great read. It was over and above the standard TEXT BOOK method of teaching about technical diving, yet it did not cover the Tooth and Nails of charts, diagrams and equations found in other books on the same subject. Hence, this book is best identified as a strong STRATEGY play for those wanting to get into technical diving, rather than labeled as a teaching book for students who need to take an exam on the subject. As for me, I wanted to read about the GUTS, the SMELLS, the inside TRIPPING HAZZARDS of technical diving. And, this book presented the material well. Oh, yeah. Those who gave this book a four star should not compare it to NOAA Diver Manual. No, no, and again, no. Instead discover this book completes the picture. Get both these books, please. God Bless my NAUI scuba shop in East Hanover, New Jersey for making me think outside the box.

I highly recommend this book to the serious diver and novice! It is well written and gets to the point. It is much better than any Dive Agency drivel they give you. Enjoy!

I found a lot of good information to help enhance and support my diving activities. There are excellent discussions on dive planning, gas planning, and getting the weighting correct. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in developing and enhancing their diving skills.

This book really makes you think about the decisions you make while diving, and more importantly, the decisions you make BEFORE a dive! Steve uses his years of experience and real-world scenarios to explain why things are done, and why they shouldn't. A must-read for any diver.

1 of 3 must read scuba books. The other 2 being Steve Lewis's "Staying Alive", and Mark Powell's "Deco for Divers". Doesn't matter what level you are, from beginner to expert, these books should be in your library.

Contains useful advice to an inexperienced diver like myself working to get into tech diving and aquire the basic skills. However the style of the book is loose chit-chat interspersed with jokes irrelevant comments and frequent disclaimers with the result that you have to sift through the junk to find useful information. This defeats the purpose of the book I think. Beginners require concise, solid facts and when information is inconclusive, a discussion of pros and cons. This book needed more editing...

Thank You

A really interesting read, makes you think a little deeper about your diving.

Consigliato a tutti i livelli. Per i subacquei più esperti ed istruttori per nuovi spunti didattici. I sub ricreativi possono trovare nuovi spunti di crescita per i futuri corsi.

I found the book interesting to read, with sound practice guidance. It will only interest those would are seeking to improve their skills to be become safer divers. The subject of fitness is especially interesting. The physical form of many divers still depict the charuturers ters of cartoon