The Next Descent

Release Information

Status: Pre-launch
Formats: Paperback and eBook
Release Date: Coming soon

For divers with 5 to 100 dives, this book bridges the gap between being certified and becoming truly capable. It offers practical, experience-based advice to help you refine your skills, make smarter gear decisions, and grow into a confident, safety-minded diver.

Chapter 1 – Certified Is Not the Same as Skilled

Challenges the idea that a certification card equals mastery. Introduces the growth mindset and normalizes the reality that diving skill develops slowly, through experience and reflection.

Chapter 2 – The First 100 Dives: A Roadmap to Growth

Breaks the early journey into practical milestones: dives 5–25, 25–50, and 50–100. Suggests specific types of dives to seek out, skills to revisit, and how to make experience count.

Chapter 3 – Buoyancy, Trim, and Control: Getting Precise

Shows how to refine the most important underwater skillset—body position, stillness, and subtle adjustments. Includes simple drills and coaching cues to improve control.

Chapter 4 – Streamlining, Breathing, and Movement Efficiency

Helps reduce drag, improve air consumption, and move with less effort. Encourages divers to become more aware of their energy use and develop smoother, more efficient motion underwater.

Chapter 5 – Situational Awareness and Good Buddy Behavior

Builds the habits that make you a dependable and enjoyable dive partner. Teaches calm observation, communication, and mutual support in varied diving conditions.

Chapter 6 – Getting Beyond “Just Dive More”

Teaches divers to replace vague advice with intentional learning. Covers setting goals, reflecting after dives, and tracking progress in a way that accelerates growth.

Chapter 7 – When to Take Another Class (and When Not To)

Helps evaluate whether a course will truly improve skills or simply add another card. Encourages a value-based approach to continuing education.

Chapter 8 – How to Evaluate a Good Instructor or Course

Goes beyond ratings and credentials. Provides the right questions to ask, what to observe, and how to recognize an instructor or program that will actually meet your needs.

Chapter 9 – The Agency Question: What Actually Matters

Explains practical differences between training agencies without bias or tribalism. Emphasizes that the quality of instruction outweighs agency branding.

Chapter 10 – Understanding the Core Gear Categories

Gives a clear overview of major gear types—regulators, BCDs, tanks, exposure protection, and computers. Explains what each does and why design differences matter.

Chapter 11 – Common Gear Mistakes and Regrets

Outlines avoidable errors such as poor fit, buying on bad advice, overspending, or chasing unnecessary upgrades. Shows how to make purchases you will not regret later.

Chapter 12 – Building a Gear Setup That Works for You

Guides the creation of a complete, adaptable gear system that suits your dive style and local conditions. Focuses on function over fashion or trends.

Chapter 13 – Tools, Spares, and the Essentials No One Tells You About

Introduces lesser-known accessories that make diving smoother and safer, from cutting tools and clips to lights, bags, and spares.

Chapter 14 – Should You Rent or Own? Travel or Local?

Helps decide whether to rent or buy gear based on your diving habits. Encourages a lifestyle approach that balances skill-building, enjoyment, and practicality.

Chapter 15 – How to Evaluate Dive Boats, Shops, and Destinations

Provides tools to identify safe, professional, and enjoyable dive operations. Includes questions to ask and signs that a destination or provider may not be a good fit.

Chapter 16 – Planning Dives with Confidence (and What to Do When Things Go Sideways)

Builds core dive planning skills and introduces simple contingency thinking. Prepares divers to adapt when conditions change or unexpected problems occur.

Chapter 17 – Writing Your Own Dive Code of Conduct

Encourages defining personal standards for safety, teamwork, and decision-making. Clarifies how you want to behave and when you will choose not to dive.

Chapter 18 – The Mental Side of Diving: Confidence, Fear, and Growth

Helps recognize and address anxiety, self-doubt, and external pressure. Validates the emotional aspects of becoming skilled and staying engaged in diving.

Chapter 19 – How to Keep Getting Better Without Getting Bored

Offers ways to keep diving fresh and challenging over time, from exploring new environments to mentoring others or joining volunteer projects.

Chapter 20 – Bad Divers, Bad Culture, and What to Do About It

Shows how to identify toxic behavior, ego-driven attitudes, and unsafe practices. Encourages setting boundaries and finding healthy dive communities.

Chapter 21 – Your Dive Journey: What Comes Next

Encourages reflection on your progress and choices for the future. Reinforces that you are now an active diver with the ability to shape your own path.

Chapter 22 – Should I Go Tech? An Honest Look at What’s Next

Offers a realistic overview of technical diving and advanced paths. Explains what it involves, who thrives in it, and the costs in time, money, and commitment.

Appendix – Practical Gas Planning (Without the Math Degree)

Introduces the core concepts of gas planning in a clear, non-technical way. Focuses on safety margins, situational thinking, and practical application for recreational dives.