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 Synopsis Reviews  Daniel Lenihan |
Synopsis
Adventure writing at its best, Submerged is the first book on the remarkable story of America's elite underwater archeology team. Daniel Lenihan recounts experiences from his 25 years as founder and head of the award-winning Submerged Cultural Resources Unit (SCRU) team of the U.S. National Park Service, world-class divers—talented archeologists, historians, and photographers&$151;charged with the mission of surveying, mapping, investigating, and protecting shipwrecks and sites that constitute America's sunken heritage. In Submerged, Lenihan takes the reader on a kaleidoscope of the team's underwater experiences from 1975 to the present—from Florida caves to ancient ruins covered by reservoirs in the desert southwest; to a WWII Japanese submarine off the Alaskan coast; to the lower rings of hell to retrieve the bodies of drowned divers; to gripping accounts of personal survival in underwater caves, ships, and submerged buildings. Displaying a passion for extreme diving combined with disciplined professionalism as park ranger-archeologists, the SCRU team tackles astonishing, often harrowing assignments, including:
With an aggressive preservation ethic, the team discovers and documents shipwrecks from Florida to Alaska, and even studies the haunts of pirates and prehistoric cultures in Micronesia. This engaging book, written with a mixture of wonder, intensity, pathos and humor, records for the first time the historic and social significance of the underwater research programs conducted by this fascinating unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Sure to delight anyone interested in diving, archeology, American history, adventure, and rescure missions, this fast-paced volume brings an entirely new perspective to the marvels of America's underwater treasures. Reviews "Daniel Lenihan is an underwater explorer who has been there, done that. A gripping saga of archeological exploration of famous shipwrecks. An engaging read of true adventure in the depths."
"Fast paced, full of amiable characters...Will appeal to divers and anyone fond of nautical hijinks and swaggering seafarers."
"Submerged combines archaeology, history, and diving in a fascinating tale spinning half the globe."
"Submerged serves as an informative and graphic treatment to the thrills and perils of diving."
"Every water-oriented reader will be enthralled by Lenihan's underwater world, the significance of the team's investigations, and derring-do of divers."
"Packed full of swagger and purple prose...A great beach novel in the waning days of summer."
"This edge-of-your-seat story succinctly illustrates the danger of wreck exploration. Lenihan's enthusiasm and love for uncovering the past is infectious."
"Lenihan brings the depth of his moments underwater to the surface of the page."
"Divers will want to quit their day jobs to work for the U.S. Park Service after reading this book."
"Plenty of argument is advanced here for the value and necessity of preserving the underwater heritage."
"An adventure-filled memoir...The SCRU team tackled astonishing, often harrowing assignments, which Lenihan chronicles."
"Told in an entertaining first-person style...Takes readers on an exciting tour of some of the world's most interesting dive sites."
"Submerged is one of the best books I've read on diving and diving culture...An authentic voice, accurate, engaging, and funny."
"As you get into it you don't want to stop reading. It is written with a wonderful mixture of humor and knowledge of the subject. "
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