Deep wreck divers John Chatterton and Bill Nagle discover something off the coast of New Jersey that shouldn't be there--a World War II German U-Boat. Follow them as they spend years diving the wreck looking for artifacts, travel to Chicago, Washington D.C., and Germany to do research, and lose several of their diving buddies to the depths of the sea, all in a quest to identify the sub. Solving the mystery takes years, and along the way you get intriguing accounts of the divers' histories, how U-boats worked, and the lure and dangers of deep wreck diving. ( )

I totally loved this book! ( )

9.5

Some books are meant to be read in one go, and this book is one of them. I read it in two days, loathing the times when I had to put it down for work or much needed sleep. Shadow Divers tells the true story of some adventurous men, deep wreck divers, who found a mysterious U-boat wreck off New Jersey. To discover the identity of the boat the divers did extensive research in US and German war archives and history and made many dives to the treacherous wreck located at 230ft of water depth in the strong current and the roaring waves of the cold Atlantic Sea. The dives were peppered with near misses and accidents, and claimed divers' lives, such was the danger.

To me the book is very captivating because as a diver I love to hear dive stories, and this book tells the stories of the elite group of divers, the SAS of the diving world. Not only these are great divers, they are also legends because they were pioneers, they did their daring dives when the diving technology is not yet like now. They are also adventurers and explorers and it is our nature to admire this kind of breed.

The book is also very absorbing because it tells the moving story of another group of brave people - the crew of the German U-boat, young people whose brief lives were caught in a war. Another engrossing aspect of the book is the mystery. Not until almost the end of the book that we get the true identity of the U boat, so the journey became a thrill to us the readers.

Robert Kurson worked very closely with the main actors in the story, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, and in the end note he ensures people of the closeness of his story to the true story by citing the sources. Kurson's writing style can sometimes be a bit annoying from trying too hard to make the story telling too gripping with the short sentences and the overused of superlatives for his heroes. They seem like people who can do no wrong. Duh. Also, there is one thing this book makes me uncomfortable - the glorifying of divers taking prizes from wrecks. My main diving principle includes taking nothing from the sea and many of these divers seem to be gloating in stripping a wreck bare. Sad.

However, it is a good and inspiring book to read. Divers and non divers alike, history buffs and the non historical kind will find it enjoyable and entertaining. ( )

Excellent ( )