Dives That Changed My Life

21 March 2022

When I was originally approached to write Amazing Diving Stories, I knew I would have no problem finding the material. I’d been scuba diving full-time all around the world in my role as Chief Correspondent and Technical Editor of UK’s Diver Magazine and I’d had some interesting encounters with wrecks, with marine life, and the colourful characters who make up the world of diving. 

Over 25 years, I made thousands of dives, in very many different parts of the world. My only problem was that my experiences had mainly been first-hand and the publisher wanted the book written in third-person. 

This meant scratching my head to think of other people who might have witnessed the event or been involved in some way so that I could introduce them into each account. However, you can rest assured that each tale told really happened because I was there or, in a few cases, I got a first-hand account from someone who was. 

There are many descriptions of interaction with animals from the gargantuan whale shark that proves ultimately harmless to the tiniest of jellyfish which are anything but. 

People always ask divers how deep they went, were there any sharks, and did they find any treasure? Among the various sections of the book, all three subjects are covered. There are unexplored shipwrecks and the interesting characters one meets when going diving too. 

The great thing about scuba diving is that, with a few exceptions, anything I was able to do, even as a pioneering experience, others were able to do too. It doesn’t matter if you are among the first to dive a newly discovered wreck or the first to dive where a particular species of animal is found to be aggregating, as soon as the story leaks out, others will be following in your fin strokes. For this reason, many experienced divers, on reading these stories, will find them comfortably familiar. 

There are around sixty different tales told. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed putting them together. 

John Bantin 

To find out more about John Bantin's book, Amazing Diving Stories click here.
If you would like to read an extract please click here.