What does a new diver do when he's left in a cloud of sand and doesn't know where to find his guide? What reaction should he have when he swims over a sand dune only to come face to face with a four-foot barracuda?

When I first started scuba diving, everything I saw and did was a new experience, whether underwater or above. The people I met in my diving classes all seemed to have a sense of adventure about them. My instructors were always quick to share their dive stories (or lies, as we've all come to accept). All of this served to heighten my desire to scuba dive, not only for what I might see and learn, but also for the adventure of dive travel itself.

I have been very blessed to have had the opportunities to travel to many foreign lands to film and document their oceans, lands, lifestyles, and cultures. Some of my fondest memories are the ones I formed while sitting in the airports exchanging stories of adventures with others to pass the time. After sharing so many of my stories and having so many people tell me I should write a book about my travels, I finally started it. This book is a collection of short stories about my dive travel adventures in the beginning of my 34-year diving and underwater-film career.