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™.

A joyful dive into the wonderful waters of wild swimming.

Vassos Alexander found solace and distraction swimming in the Thames during a difficult summer, and was bitten by the bug. Now he can't pass a body of water without wanting to jump in.

Told through the story of training for a solo Channel swim, Swimmingly takes you on a journey across the world from Bournemouth beach to San Francisco Bay. Vassos discovers that outdoor swimming is not about being the fastest or the best, it's about finding that little bit of magic in every stroke.

Working with elite coaches and interviewing the great and the good of swimming, he uncovers the massive sense of community at the heart of this time-honoured pastime. He meets Olympic champions and Channel legends – including Diana Nyad, who in her 60s became the first person to swim between Cuba and Florida; Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron of the Oceans and Lynne Cox, a woman who went for a swim and saved the world.

It's about the everyday swims, too – the tips shared and friendships forged over coffee and cake after a morning dip with the Teddington Bluetits or the sea swimmers of Whitstable. With the sport exploding in popularity over recent years, we all know someone (or are that someone!) who swims outside throughout the year.

Swimmingly will leave you with a renewed sense of connection to the world, and perhaps even inspire you to dive into your nearest lake, river or sea with gleeful abandon.

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.

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..

What makes the perfect swim? It's all about the most magical locations (and how to protect them), finessing your kitbag, keeping yourself and others safe . . . and maybe discovering a nice place for a warm-up cuppa and cake. Whether you're a seasoned dipper or a fledgling, The Art of Wild Swimming is the ultimate guide to becoming an awesome, joyful and responsible swimmer. From the otherworldly fens of the east to the vast dramatic waters of the Lake District, the thundering icy waterfalls of Snowdonia to the secluded sandy coves of Cornwall. Locals who know the secrets of their patch share over 100 spectacular swim spots across England and Wales. Now they are yours to explore too.

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.

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