Collection from some of the best writers on diving.

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Product Description

More than 35 passages from novelists, journalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, and scientists detail an intertwined passion for diving and the written word in this collection. From Robert Stone's portrayal of a diver who faces the terrorizing prospect of his air running out to Clare Booth Luce's search for the treasures of the underwater realm, every passage reveals a perspective of the world that only divers have known. Humor columnist Dave Barry battles a lobster and explains why staying on the ocean's surface is like "going to the circus and staring at the outside of a tent." From Rangiroa to the Red Sea, from deep within caverns to the eerie light under ice, from the lethal silliness of nitrogen narcosis to the elation of soaring over unfathomable depths, every selection, like every dive, is a unique experience.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #240543 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780965834445
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"By far the best literary collection about scuba diving." -- Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine

From the Back Cover
"With Down Time, the Kittrells have achieved something big and wonderful. Divers often struggle to put their experiences into words, but here are the voices of well-known writers who have ventured into the underwater world. They turn diving into a journey of the mind and spirit. This is a diverse, colorful, and ultimately transformative selection of writings on our complex relationship with the sea." --Jean-Michel Cousteau

Dave Barry does battle with a lobster...James Jones is awestruck in a coral cathedral...Robert Stone faces down fear with his air running out...Clare Boothe Luce discovers the reef's true treasure...Tim Cahill tracks the zombie of the deep...

Dive with some of the best-selling authors of all time.

Winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Novelists and journalists. Scientists and adventurers. Playwrights, poets and moviemakers. In thirty-five passages spanning seven decades, they share the frights and fantasies, the mystery and the magic beneath the waves. From the lagoon on Rangiroa to the reefs of the Red Sea...from deep within caves to under the ice...from the lethal silliness of nitrogen narcosis to the elation of soaring over unfathomable depths...every selection, like every dive, is a unique experience. Together, they offer an avid exploration and a thoughtful celebration of a world that only divers know.

About the Author
Ed Kittrell is a writer and editor and an avid diver. He lives in Glenview, Illinois. Casey Kittrell and Jim Kittrell are writers and licensed scuba instructors. Jim lives in Glenview, Illinois. Casey lives in Austin, Texas.

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Customer Reviews

Decent collection, not all stories fantastic
I recently read this collection of stories while on a nice tropical vacation where I did a couple of dives - so was in the mood. Below, I have broken down some of the positives and negatives that I took away from this collection:

The positives: This is without a doubt a comprehensive collection of writings - in terms of the time period covered and styles of writing (humor, poetry, etc). I thought that some of the stories were really great - couldn't help but laugh at Dave Barry's description of diving. I found a few of the older pieces very interesting due to the historic perspective / context.

The negatives: Any time you take on a project to complile a collection this large across different writing styles, it should be a given that all pieces are not going to appeal to all readers. About 25% of the stories simply did not appeal to me.

Secondly, there also seemed to be a recurring "What my first dive was like" or "What it feels like when you are down there" theme. I also found this a bit tiresome after awhile. As a diver, unending explanations of how clear and blue water is, the sense of weightlessness, etc got to be a bit much. Almost drove me to the best example I could think of - a bottle of Bombay Gin.

Closing: A large enough body of work that I think that every reader will find some of the stories very worthy reading. Light enough for a good vacation or bedtime read. Worthy enough purchase - I think a good gift type of purchase for that diver's christmas fin.

Outstanding book for when you can't be diving
This is my new favorite book of the past five years. The stories are varied, interesting, and real! It will put your mind in an underwater state. Often times, I imagined myself diving along side each storyteller. A must read for all divers.

a great book for divers and non-divers alike
I remember the first time I dove. I came home and tried to tell all my friends and co-workers how great it was. The problem was that I couldn't explain it... No one got it. When I read Down Time I knew that I had finally found someone or something that could illustrate the joys and highs of diving to anyone, divers and non-divers alike. There is something for everyone in here. Shark encounters, cave diving, scary stories, funny stories and delightful poems are just a sample of what lay in store for the readers of Down Time.