Product Description

An extraordinary account of the author's apprenticeship with free-diving pioneers who stalk powerful game fish.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #638798 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Review
One of the great books on diving. -- Book testimonial

About the Author
Carlos Eyles became deeply connected to the ocean world as a child growing up in Hawaii. His life, first as a free diving big game spearfisherman and now as an underwater photographer, has covered much of the planet's oceans and seas - a lifetime journey, which has paralleled the decline of the ocean's great wealth. He has written eight books and countless articles about his experiences. He recently returned to Hawaii to live and teach free diving.

Customer Reviews

A Book For the Ages
In a lifetime of reading I can honestly say that only three books have had a profound impact on the way I look at the world. They are 'The True Believer' by Eric Hoffer, '1984' by George Orwell, and 'The Last Of The Blue Water Hunters' by Carlos Eyles. My view of the natrul world and man's place in it has been enriched by Mr Eyles' work. Though this may sound like hyperboly, it is not. While I could not say that he is a great writer in the sense of a Joe Conrad or Charles Dickens, he is a more than competent journalist who is able to tell the stories of the early days of spearfishing in an engaging and informative way. The strength of this book lies not in it's style, but in its content. On one level, it is a series of entertaining fishing stories. On another level, it is a view of nature through the eyes of a hunter.

Dont be put off by this. The very word 'hunter' has acquired a negitive connotation over the past half centuary and I must confess that in some sense I too had begun to internalize this bias. Mr. Eyles is not an apologist for what some may view as a bloodsport, he is a writer and natrualist who communicates the beauty of the natrual world and preindustrial man's place in it.

I keep a copy of this book on my nightstand and read from it at least three times a month. I can open it up to any page and escape the worries of the day. It is especially nice to read when work keeps me from the ocean for long weeks at a time. I would (and have) recomend this book to everyone, diver and non-diver alike. No one has been disappointed.

More than a sport
I'm a water enthusiast and addicted to scuba and apnoe diving. The first time I saw speargun-fisher in Thailand back in 1995 I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them 60feet down and not struggeling but stalking and waiting for the right moment to ...
I was captured right away by the deep feelings of the author and the philosophie he describes which is truly part of speargunfishing. It is not a sport but more like a way of life.
I was wondering thought why I didn't read anything about the huge variety of equipment. But when I finished the book after 4 days I realized, to get lost in such details would have missed the point. But maybe Mr. Eyles should have gone more into the physics and the danger that comes with apnoe and speargunfishing as well. Expecially since he repeatedly discribes how he hyperventilated to stay down. This gave me 3 days in coma and I merely survived, even though I knew theoretically about the danger of passing out. So I think you can't strecht this point far enough and to my consideration there should be no book about this activity which doesn't highlight this inherent lifethreatening risk. It still enjoy the ocean and surely I dived with the same pleasant feeling into this book.

You'll want to live it
I am an avid diver and my underwater hunting has been limited to using the Hawaiian sling spear in S. California and the waters off Okinawa. This wonderful book has opened a world of possiblities to me. In the '70s the author anchored his boat in the Channel Islands to see if it was possible to sustain himself by spearfishing alone. There was a belief that the nurishment gained by eating fish could not make up for the energy lost in the effort of spearfishing. The author takes us into the kelp beds of the Channel Islands and then flashbacks to the early historty of spearfishing. Carlos tells of the exploits of the first spearfishermen and how they developed their gear. This book will make you long for the early days of exploring Baja in the 1960's and you'll wish you were there. This book will help you realize, I think, what's really important in life. keep this book because you'll want to reread it.