Book Review -- Sea Salt, Stan Waterman

Stan Waterman is one of the pre-eminent underwater photographers in the world, and has been for decades. With that in mind, there's no way not to get excited about anything that he writes.

As the subtitle of the book says, though, Sea Salt is a collection of memoirs and essays -- not a strict autobiography -- so it doesn't cover every aspect and time period of his life. And it's not all about diving. In fact, while the book follows a linear path through Waterman's life, there's no predicting who or what he'll write about on the next page. If something caught his fancy, he includes it. If it didn't, he doesn't.

As a diver, though, everything you could want is here. Waterman discusses his introduction to the underwater world, his first days diving, his early years on the dive lecture circuit, and the countless adventures, from the story behind the classic Blue Water, White Death to diving ancient wrecks in the Aegean. Naturally, there are a lot of shark stories.

Waterman also doesn't shy away from things he and his companions did in the past that would definitely be frowned upon today. And he does it all in the easy tones of his Old World charm -- so much so that it often feels as if he's sitting there beside you, telling the stories himself.

As much as I enjoyed this book, though, I often found myself skimming past those sections that were not dive-related. That being said, I never had far to go to get to a part I couldn't wait to read.

Sea Salt was published in 2005 by New World Publications.