Into the Blue and Beneath The Waves

The book attempts to portray the working life of a diver, from a builder's labourer to the early days of hard-hat diving in the black waters of the "Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey", to seas and oceans around the world, ranging from some of the more mundane jobs to the downright dangerous. It spans the early days of diving, when health and safety standards were vastly different/non-existent and living conditions were "far from optimal" at best. It also shows how, even in adverse conditions, hilarious situations can often arise and how you can meet some truly remarkable characters, making memories that will last a lifetime.

It illustrates how quickly one can transition from earning a good income to having to sell their blood to survive. It explores how working away from home for extended periods can have a detrimental effect on one's personal life, as exemplified by the breakdown of my marriage, which eventually led to a second chance at happiness and the discovery of the adventure of travel.

This is a true story of my life from rags to riches and back again, and the determination not to live a boring life working in a factory in front of the same machine for forty years.

(Some surnames have been omitted.)