This guide offers spectacular and diverse diving in South Africa and Mozambique.

Dive with sharks, squid and sardines, exploring cold-water kelp forests, pristine tropical reefs and poignant shipwrecks. This guide features 180 of the best dives, with first-hand descriptions and site maps. Key dive information and contact details and a comprehensive marine species identification guide.

Book chapters include

• Cape Peninsula and False Bay
• Southern Cape Coast – Gansbaai & the Garden Route
• Port Elizabeth, Port Alfred & East London
• South Coast – Aliwal Shoal, Landers & Protea Banks
• Durban & North Coast
• Sodwana Bay
• Northern Maputaland – Mabibi & Kosi Bay
• Southern Mozambique
• The Manta Coast
• Vilanculos & the Bazaruto Archipelago
• Nampula – Nacala Bay, Baixo do Pinda, Memba Bay and Ilha de Mozambique
• Northern Mozambique – Pemba & the Quirmbas Archipelago
• Inland dive sites
• Marine species Identification Guide
• Contacts

This guide will give you the information you need to be a responsible diver. Learn to care for the marine environment as well diving culture and gear you would need. This book is a must-have for any diving enthusiast.

"My name is Samantha and I’m an alcoholic. At the time of writing, I’ve been sober for 13 years, 11 months and 16 days. And yes I still count. I promised I would never speak about it publicly until my children understood what that meant, that mommy was an alcoholic. I think they may have understood long before I did."

From Whiskey To Water is the no-holds-barred memoir by one of South Africa’s most loved radio talk show hosts, Sam Cowen. Having kept her alcohol addiction well away from the public eye for over 14 years, in this tell-all tale, Sam finds the courage to talk about her struggle with her addiction to whiskey, food and finally to a passion that saved her life – marathon swimming. Told in her characteristically hilarious dead-pan style, this is one of the bravest books you’ll read this year.

"So this is a book on how I stopped drinking? No, it’s not. It’s how I stopped drinking, started eating, became clinically severely obese, stopped eating (everything that wasn’t nailed down) and swam my way to freedom. No, it’s not. It’s actually about addiction and learning and sadness and anxiety and love and drive. It’s about channelling the unchangeable into the miraculous. It’s about dragons and learning how to put them to sleep when you can’t slay them. It’s about being my own Daenarys."

‘It’s simply not human!’ a passenger proclaims loudly, aghast as to what she is witnessing.

Ryan Stramrood stands at the top of the gangway stairs that are lowered down the side of an ocean liner in one of the coldest, most hostile places on Earth – Antarctica. He wears only a small Speedo costume, goggles and a swim cap. Over a hundred passengers, wearing thick layers of insulation to protect from the bitter cold, are leaning over the ship’s railing on the upper decks, cheering and desperate to get a glimpse, in morbid fascination, of what is about to happen. What Ryan is about to attempt could potentially push boundaries beyond what humans can survive.

The water temperature a deadly -1° Celsius; the distance to swim an impossible one mile.

Only a few years earlier, Ryan was a self-proclaimed couch potato. A 30-year-old salesman and father, navigating life quite successfully, albeit neatly confined in his comfort zone. Today he is a multiple Guinness World Record holder, rated globally as one of the top 50 extreme swimming athletes in the world, and a sought-after international inspirational speaker.

This fascinating story tells the incredible tales of Ryan’s journey and spirit. The inspiration and learnings each and every one of us will take from this highly relatable book are simply invaluable. We can all learn to Push Past Impossible™.

Dave's autobiography tells how, from simple beginnings, he manages to serve an apprenticeship in engineering, before deciding it wasn't for him and embarking on an adventure underwater. Firstly, with a bunch of friends salvaging scrap metal from shipwrecks, before blagging his way into the world of offshore oilfield deep diving. It was intended to be a short-term thing to make the deposit on a house and turned into 40 years in the industry, culminating in becoming the offshore manager of some major oilfield construction projects around the world. Dave takes us through his life's journey, near-death experience and involvement with several major incidents. He explains how it feels to live part of your life in the claustrophobic environment of a saturation diver, and reflects on some of the politics and events that occurred in this unique industry. He reflects on life's lessons as they presented themselves. The book is interspersed with anecdotes and amusing tales of and from the people he met along the way, characters, who come alive with their witty asides and darkly comic humour. Away from work, Dave and his wife, Marion, travel the world together, and their travels are heady and packed with adventure, as they ski, kayak and dive in idyllic locations. Whether bungee jumping in New Zealand or cycling across Central America, Dave and Marion are never afraid to take on a challenge.

Dave's autobiography tells how, from simple beginnings, he manages to serve an apprenticeship in engineering, before deciding it wasn't for him and embarking on an adventure underwater. Firstly, with a bunch of friends salvaging scrap metal from shipwrecks, before blagging his way into the world of offshore oilfield deep diving. It was intended to be a short-term thing to make the deposit on a house and turned into 40 years in the industry, culminating in becoming the offshore manager of some major oilfield construction projects around the world. Dave takes us through his life's journey, near-death experience and involvement with several major incidents. He explains how it feels to live part of your life in the claustrophobic environment of a saturation diver, and reflects on some of the politics and events that occurred in this unique industry. He reflects on life's lessons as they presented themselves. The book is interspersed with anecdotes and amusing tales of and from the people he met along the way, characters, who come alive with their witty asides and darkly comic humour. Away from work, Dave and his wife, Marion, travel the world together, and their travels are heady and packed with adventure, as they ski, kayak and dive in idyllic locations. Whether bungee jumping in New Zealand or cycling across Central America, Dave and Marion are never afraid to take on a challenge.

Do you dream of plunging into the big blue to discover the most exceptional underwater experiences on the planet? Ultimate Diving Adventures is the best dive buddy imaginable as it guides you through the depths in search of 100 amazing underwater encounters.

There are classic dives and secret spots, dramatic wrecks and sites where the marine life has to be seen to be believed. Authors Len Deeley and Karen Gargani are experienced divers who have spent many years exploring and taking photographs of the world's ultimate dive sites. With their expert guidance and stunning images you will learn where to swim with frog fish and pygmy sea horses as well the best shark and whale dives.

Stunning images bring each dive site to life and lively writing helps transport the reader to a world beneath the waves. There is a wealth of enjoyment and inspiration for armchair divers as well as plenty of practical advice for those who want to take the plunge and experience these Ultimate Diving Adventures for themselves.Wreck dives Shark inhabited reefsTemperate watersTropical reefsWhales and other mammalsExotic species

This collection of true diving stories makes for compelling reading for all divers. Enjoy classic tales of this extreme watersport, from thrilling wreck discoveries to encounters with the bizarre and the beautiful. There are stories of death and disaster, as well as bravery and triumph. Tales of the exciting and the extreme rub shoulders with more poetic pieces about the people and places that make up the folklore of this fascinating sport. The author's global tour takes you everywhere, from Indonesia to the Caribbean and from the chill waters of Northern Europe to the reefs of the Pacific. Every ocean of the world is explored, making this essential reading - or a wonderful gift - for divers everywhere.

Sad people who sit in front of a television set wishing they could get some adventure in their lives should take note of the contents of this small tome as it proves beyond doubt that even in the prime of life the rush of adrenaline can still be achieved. This is the second volume of factual events undertaken by a group of people who should have the wisdom of age but choose to ignore it.

The mutilated body of a diver is found in the Yucatan peninsula, far from the coast. In Europe a deadly illness is sweeping through the continent. When cave diving expert Mike Summers returns to Mexico and crosses paths with maverick government agent Raphael Rodriguez, he soon finds himself plunged into a world of intrigue and terror. Rodriguez has been sent to monitor drug movements along the Yucatan coastline, Mike is trying to unravel the mystery of his friend's death, but both find their investigations linked to the area's ancient subterranean cave systems and to events which shook the local Maya civilisation some 500 years previously. "Steve Turley's second adventure thriller is another polished page-turner, written by an expert in the undersea world of sub-aqua, and an adventurer in his own right. A classy and enjoyable read."

An exciting and thoroughly well-written adventure from Steve Turley.. When a U-boat is sunk off the coast of Corsica in 1943, it takes with it a mysterious cargo which was being secretly transported under SS guard. Mike Summers, a technical diving expert, has his life thrown into chaos when he accidentally discovers wreckage from the U-boat and crosses swords with a notorious Corsican nationalist leader, resulting in the death of his friend. The race to discover the motive for the killing takes a deadly turn when Monica, a beautiful Swiss marine archaeologist, is kidnapped by the gang. Mike knows they are both likely to die unless he can use his superior knowledge of deep wreck diving to save them both and bring the perpetrators to justice. Another quality read from CheckPoint Press..

After four attempts, sixty-four year-old Diana Nyad finally swam from Cuba to the Florida Keys. She swam for fifty-three hours, across one hundred and ten miles. Find a Way is her account of the epic quest which led to that moment – and a galvanizing call to live life boldly, in the moment and with no regrets. In the 1970s, Diana Nyad was widely regarded as the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world. She record after world record, circling Manhattan Island and crossing the 102.5 miles between the Bahamas and Florida. But one record continually eluded her: becoming the first woman to swim between Cuba and the Florida Keys without a shark cage. Finally, in September 2013, Diana completed the crossing. Millions of people watched, cried and cheered for her tenacity and courage. Find a Way recounts this astonishing and hard-won triumph – and Diana's monumental courage in the face of failure. She failed, failed and failed again, but never gave up. With unwavering belief in the face of overwhelming odds, this is a story of perseverance, tenacity and commitment on an epic scale. Cross Sports International Autobiography of the Year 'When you're facing big challenges in your life, you can think about Diana Nyad . . . and nearly anything else seems doable in comparison' – Hillary Clinton

Bestselling author and award-winning adventurer Ross Edgley has been studying the art of resilience for years, applying all he has learned to become the first person in history to swim around Great Britain, breaking multiple world records. Now Ross focuses on mental strength, stoicism and the training needed to create an unbreakable body.

Ross Edgley famously ran a marathon pulling a 1.4-tonne car and climbed a rope the height of Everest (8,848m), after living with Yamabushi warrior monks in Japan and partaking in Shamanic pain rituals with fire ants in the Amazon jungle. On his epic 1,780-mile journey around Great Britain, which lasted 157 days, Ross swam through giant jellyfish, arctic storms, ‘haunted’ whirlpools and polluted shipping lanes, going so hard, and so fast, his tongue fell apart.

Ross’s previous book, The World’s Fittest Book, was a Sunday Times bestseller and explored the science of physical fitness. Now, in The Art of Resilience, Ross uses his swim experience and other amazing endurance feats, where he managed to overcome seemingly insurmountable pain, hardship and adversity, to study the performance of extreme athletes, military and fitness specialists and psychologists to uncover the secrets of mental fitness and explore the concept of resilience, persistence, valour and a disciplined mindset in overcoming adversity. This ground-breaking book represents a paradigm shift in what we thought the human body and mind were capable of and will give you a blueprint to become a tougher, more resilient and ultimately better human – whatever the challenge you face.

Transform your technique in the water and become a better swimmer with this remarkable new approach to freestyle swimming, suitable for all levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced, as well as swimming coaches.

Aimed at both fitness and competitive swimmers, it explains what makes a successful stroke and how to develop your own swimming style. The Swim Smooth approach, developed by consultants to the gold medal winning British Triathlon team, helps you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your stroke and provides drill and training tips to make the most of your time in the water. It accepts differences in individual swimmers and shows you how to understand the fundamentals of swimming to find a style that works for you. Technique, fitness training, racing skills and open water swimming are all covered, with photographs and 3D graphics helping you to put theory into practice.

Swim efficiently. Swim fast. Swim Smooth.

During the last few years technical diving has become much more popular and has moved into mainstream diving. As a result a significant number of recreational divers are moving towards technical diving. Despite this, there are still many misconceptions about what technical diving actually means and what is involved. Introduction to Technical Diving - An Introduction by Mark Powell gives a straightforward overview of technical diving and dispels many of the myths surrounding this area. It explores what is meant by technical diving, what is involved, the risks that arise and how you can move towards this type of diving. Section one describes technical diving in general and illustrates some of the differences between technical and recreational diving as well as explaining some of the things that recreational divers can learn from technical divers. Section two explains some of the ideas behind this form of diving. It defines exactly what we mean by technical diving as well as why it has become so popular. This section then explains how to make a start in technical diving and the type of divers who tend to get into technical diving. For these divers the second section then goes on to explain what to expect from a technical diving course. Finally this section discusses how accident analysis has been used to shape some of the concepts in technical diving as well as some of the mental aspects of this type of diving. The third section then goes on give an overview of technical diving equipment and explains why this is different to the equipment used in recreational diving. There are many different opinions about technical diving equipment and this section of the book lays out the advantages and disadvantages of the various options so that divers can make an informed decision about their equipment choices. Topics such as twinset configuration, Hogarthian gear configuration and choice of stage cylinders are all covered for the open circuit diver. The fourth section covers the various skills required for technical diving are discussed in detail including buoyancy control, trim, tram diving, problem shutdown and valve shutdowns. Section five covers the issues involved in rebreather diving and the various choices available to divers looking to switch to a rebreather. Section six discusses the various aspects of technical dive planning including decompression planning, dealing with narcosis, avoiding oxygen toxicity and gas planning. Finally this section covers some of the various aspects of planning for specific situations such as wreck, cave penetration and mixed gas expedition diving. The book is aimed at anyone who wants to know more about technical diving. Whether you are looking to take a technical diving course, are looking to improve your skills, or simply want to find out more about what's involved then this book will provide a comprehensive overview. Even those divers who are not tempted to venture into this area of the sport can benefit from this book as it also discusses what lessons can be learnt from technical diving in order to improve normal recreational diving.