Dive!: My Adventures in the Deep Frontier

Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books

Arrangements of full-page and smaller photographs are a technicolor invitation to browsing, and the lively combination of subjects is immediately intriguing. This is an insightful look at a scientist who obviously has enormous passion for her work--an unusual biography that will appeal to sea-lovers and landlubbers alike.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Marine biologist Earle (Sea Change) makes a compelling argument that the ocean, rather than space, is the next frontier waiting to be explored in this personable photoessay. In the opening chapter, Earle tells how her curiosity about what lives in the sea was first sparked and describes her delight at early underwater excursions using a snorkel and, later, scuba gear. Four subsequent chapters recount seminal events in Earle's career: studying whales in their natural habitats from Hawaii to Glacier Bay, Alaska; spending two weeks working as an "aquanaut" in the Tektite underwater laboratory, 50 feet below the surface of the ocean; sporting a special underwater diving suit called "Jim" (originally designed for salvage operations) to conduct research at 1250 feet; and helping to create Deep Rover, a mini-submarine able to descend to depths of 3000 feet. The book's final chapter, a plea for protecting the earth's oceans from becoming a dumping ground, is eloquent but does not flow naturally from the rest of the book. Earle writes with immediacy and specificity; readers will feel as if they are swimming along beside her as she forays into the ocean's darkest depths. Close-ups of a humpback whale's tail or a jellyfish illustrate points in the text; photographs like the one of Earle walking the sea floor off of the Bahama Islands in her "Jim" diving suit next to an American flag drive home her point that sea and space are equally worth exploring. Ages 8-up. (Feb.)

From The Critics

The deep ocean is both fascinating and filled with mystery. In this book Sylvia Earle describes her profession as a deep sea diver. Lots of interesting maritime information told in comprehensible terms is complemented by photographs of outstanding National Geographic quality. This book will entertain and inform! 1999, National Geographic Society, $18.95. Ages 10 to 12. Reviewer: A. Braga SOURCE: Parent Council, September 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 1)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Earle uses a winning combination of factual information and genuine enthusiasm to encourage a new generation of aquanauts. After describing her early interest in the sea and her first scuba dive ("...in my mind I had been transformed irreversibly into a sea creature who henceforth would spend part of the time above water"), the marine biologist shares some of her experiences. She traveled from Hawaii to Alaska to study humpback whales; lived and worked for two weeks in an underwater laboratory; descended 1250 feet in an astronautlike deep-diving suit to do research; and helped design, build, and man a submersible called Deep Rover. Whether she is describing an intimate moment of communication with a giant whale or relating her startling discovery of a "strange creature" at 3000 feet (it turned out to be a soda can), Earle interests, entertains, and informs readers. The final chapter makes a gentle plea for protecting marine habitats. Large, full-color, carefully captioned photographs provide a porthole into the wonders of the sea, showing the variety of life on a coral reef or a jellyfish moving through open water. A respectful, sincere, and inviting look at the final frontier.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

In an underwater adventure not to be missed, Earle recounts her lifelong love of the ocean and the world beneath the sea. She snorkeled as a child, progressed to scuba diving, went deeper as an aquanaut on the first team of women to live in an underwater laboratory called Tektite, and deeper still in an laboratory called Aquarius, riding the submersible Star II to the sea floor using a Jim suit. Every adventure is accompanied by striking full-color photos of Earle, the submersibles, and incredible sea life found around the world. A working scientist, the author conveys her enthusiasm and reverence for the natural world, and makes clear that there are more challenges ahead. (chronology, diagrams, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14) .