Scuba diving books

For qualified divers, this book provides great insight into how you can improve your diving, and over time how you can branch out to get involved in different types of diving such as technical diving.

If you’re thinking of learning to scuba dive, this book lays out everything you need to know.

For those thinking of becoming a dive professional, read this book. It provides realistic account of what the diving industry is like and dispels a few myths.

Current dive professionals should also read it.

This scuba diving book leans heavily on what’s wrong with general scuba training, and tips on how you can do it better. It’s hard to know who this book is aimed at because it’s doubtful that a non-scuba diver would read it.

Scuba divers have already undertaken their open water and maybe their advanced or rescue course, so it’s arguably a little late for them. So it seems to be aimed at scuba instructors, as a call to action to do better, which is no bad thing.

Again, very critical of the overall dive industry and it’s approach to training beyond open water. Gives tips and advice on how to seek better training.

Written for the layperson, but very comprehensive. One of the most detailed scuba diving books available on marine life.

It’s ordered in a very intuitive way to help you identify the things you see when diving.

Accessible book describing the most common marine life that you’re likely to encounter as a diver. Covers everything from the open ocean, to coral reefs, to rock pools. Great accompaniment for a diver.

Over 300 photographs and detailed descriptions of all the creatures that live in and around coral reefs all over the world. Written by an expert on seahorses. Also has perhaps the best looking cover of all the scuba diving books.

A very comprehensive guide to over 1180 species of Nudibranch around the world, including detailed descriptions and photos.

Comprehensive book covering over 300 species that reside in the waters of the UK and Ireland.

If you’ve ever wondered how the lives of marine animals pan out at your favourite coral reefs, look no further than this book. Numerous examples of symbiotic relationships are noted, such as why and how groupers join forces with morey eels to hunt.

As scuba diving books go, this is a fascinating read.

From the Reefsmart series of scuba diving books. This book focuses on marine life and marine conservation.

With over 30 years experience in underwater photography, Alex shares his knowledge on photography techniques. He gives his insight on camera equipment, lighting, lenses, and information on the marine life that he photographs.

Covers all aspects of underwater photography. The author uses case studies of his own work to outline how to frame a shot, and what settings to use.

Highly detailed inventory of 1,300 wrecks and artificial reef sites in Florida’s Atlantic coast. Includes 1,000 GPS coordinates.

Locations and descriptions of over 800 wrecks. Includes a history of each wreck and the details of their sinking.

Complete maps and conditions for over 60 dive sites accessible from the shores of Long Island.

Includes 137 dive sites, both from the shore and by boat. Each site has a dive map, and information on the local marine life. Reefsmart have probably the most scuba diving books available.

Same style and format as the Northwest Florida guide. This series of scuba diving books seem to be very detailed and well thought through.

Continuing the Reefsmart series of scuba diving books. This one about diving the Florida Keys.

Thorough guide to diving on the Jurassic coast of England.

Exhaustitive descriptions of every dive, including entry and exit points, photos, dive site maps, nearby filling stations and local coastguard information.

Practical guide to diving the famous Orkney wrecks of Scapa Flow. As you would expect from scuba diving books by Rod MacDonald, it’s very comprehensive.

An old but very comprehensive guide to diving in South Cornwall.

The Southwest of the UK has a lot of good diving and this book covers many of the best sites. Over 140 are included, along with information about entry and exit points, local filling options and marine life for each site.

Describes 100 dives that can be done from the shore or by boat within the British Isles. Includes maps of the dive sites, photos, and information on the marine life.

Yet another guide in the Reefsmart series. A comprehensive outline of the best diving in Barbados. One of the most detailed scuba diving books covering Barbados.

Written in 2019, this guide gives you all the information you need to plan a trip to Raja Ampat and Northeast Indonesia.

Guide to the best dive sites in Bonaire, part of the Reefsmart series. Lots of dive site maps and local information.

It’s quite a challenge to take on the 7,000 Islands of the Philippines. This book lists the most popular places to dive, along with some of the more remote places. It gives you all the information you need to plan a dive trip to the Philippines.

One of the more comprehensive scuba diving books about the Philippines.

Handbook to the best dive sites in Curaçao, part of the Reefsmart series of scuba diving books. Lots of dive site maps, local information and info on local dive operators.

Outlines the best dive sites in Grand Cayman, part of the Reefsmart series of scuba diving books. Lots of dive site maps, local information and info on local dive operators.

It’s quite a daunting task to try and find the best diving in such a huge country renowned for having great diving, but the authors have given it a go. They pick out the 50 best diving locations, based on having visited and dived them themselves.

Beautifully illustrated, this book will give you a lifetime of diving holiday destination ideas. Well written and pretty detailed on the top dive sites in the world.

Information on lots of dive sites that are popular across Indonesia. Includes area maps, dive site maps, level of difficulty, info on local dive operators, and what marine life you are likely to find.

Top diving destinations such as Raja Ampat are included in this book. There won’t be as much detail as with scuba diving books that focus on a particular place, but sometimes a good overview is a good place to start.

Information on the top 50 dive sites in Hawaii, as dived by the authors. Lots of info on marine life and dive site conditions.

This book provides a great introduction to the field of maritime and underwater archaeology. So for anyone interested in learning more, this is a great place to start.

Jacques Cousteau was essentially the inventor of scuba diving as we know it. Before he became known for his adventures on board the Calypso, he was in the French Navy and was an accomplished engineer. He developed the first scuba regulator with Emile Gagnan, which made scuba diving accessible to the average, albeit adventurous person.

This book was first published in 1954. This version has been released by National Geographic to mark the 50th anniversary since it was first published. It outlines Cousteau’s time in World War II and post-war, leading up to the early 50s.

Unsurprisingly, Cousteau was also a pioneer in writing scuba diving books. He published quite a few during his life.

Dottie Frazier had a remarkable life that was closely entwined with the ocean. Amongst other things, she was a skin diving instructor in the 1930s. During the Second World War, she was a commercial fisherwoman, and in 1955 she became the world’s first certified female scuba instructor.

It doesn’t end there, she was also a commercial diver and the world’s first female scuba shop owner and wetsuit manufacturer. In 2019 at the age of 97, she received the Historical Diving Society Diving Pioneer Award.