The first "book" I wrote was the Dry Suit Diving Manual, which was a
slim book. It was poorly marketed (not by me) although it was well
received. It was the first book on dry suit diving. I had already
been writing articles for magazines, so writing a book wasn't really
a big leap. It just took more material. What kept me going was the
creation of my second book, Diving in High-Risk Environments, which
while not a big seller, has been a very important book for commercial
divers and people who work in search and rescue.
My favourite dives have included shark dives in the Coral Sea, the
wreck of the Yongala off Australia, many dives at the Channel
Islands, Stingray City and the walls of Grand Cayman. Also, some of
my deep commercial dives stand out vividly in my memory.
My wife and I have always wanted to dive Truk and Palau. Hopefully,
we'll get there in the next few years.
My worst diving experience was on a working dive in the North Sea. I
was diving surface supplied gear and my hose got wrapped up in the
platform. I couldn't get it free and the weather was building
rapidly. The hot water supply to my suit got disconnected and I
couldn't get it hooked back up. I really thought I was going to die!
I am working on two books right now for Scuba Diving International,
one a radical approach to nitrox diving and another a fresh look at
underwater navigation. These books will be quite unique. I'm also
working on another book for our company, Hammerhead Press, but it's
confidential. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you...
Steve started diving in 1965 and was certified as a diving instructor in 1970. He trained as a commercial diver between 1974 and 1976. He has since worked as a diver in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, before moving to first Diving Systems International then Viking Dry Suits. In 1989 he started his consulting company - Marine Marketing and Consulting. Last year he launched the publishing company Hammerhead Press. Steve's published works include:
