Dangerous Shallows tells the story of a quest to solve maritime cold-cases. The odyssey takes the reader along for a moment-by-moment look at the events surrounding the loss of more than twenty different ships, and includes the stories of discovering their wrecks and learning about the final hours of each of these ships.
Reviews (11)
Pure enjoyment!
As a diver and a cop, working both simultaneously in Southeastern MA, I am thoroughly impressed with this book. It is at once, both prose and poetry, life and death, great sadness and absolute joy. I laughed out loud at some places and had tears at other parts. Running the police department’s dive team for 30 years I understand the constant theme in the book of worrying about people, feeling what they felt, and taking care of the remaining family, making sure they know what happened. Eric has written a wonderful piece, taking you along with him, and knowing what it is to live in the underwater world that has a purpose beyond just looking at pretty fish with 100 feet of visibility. Thank you Eric for helping to get the word out about the importance of history and caring for your fellow man.
A must-read for anyone interested in shipwrecks
This book is a real page-turner, recounting the amazing discoveries and searching and diving adventures of Captain Eric Takakjian, a legendary figure in wreck diving and research circles in the northeastern US. He and Randy Peffer do a masterful job interleaving the searching and diving adventures with exceptionally well-researched historical accounts of the shipwrecks. Captain Eric's track record as a wreck hunter in the challenging (and very historically significant) waters off Massachusetts is impressive, to say the least. This book is an easy-to-read summary of a lifetime of research, learning, discovery and adventure. Every shipwreck enthusiast - whether for diving, fishing, or research/historical purposes - should add this book to their collection.
This book is awesome, you won't put it down!
For those of you who love books, you must put “Dangerous Shallows” by Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer. The book traces the author's fascinating underwater exploration, research and diving journeys, beginning early on in his diving career to present day. The work starts long before the dives begin. It’s research, and in the book, Mr. Takakjian brings the reader along as he describes in detail everything about the ship, it’s crew and passengers. Each wreck discovered holds its own stories, and the book lays them out in vivid detail. On each dive, the Author describes his thoughts and emotions, the highs, lows and triumphs! You won’t be able to put this one down.
That there are many ships at the bottom of the ocean each with its own story to tell.
I enjoyed reading about how the sunken ships meant there doom and about the stories the divers who helped find the wrecks. For those of you who enjoy reading about thestrories of hships, it is a most enjoyable read.
A must read for divers and history buffs.
Awesome book detailing the adventures and shipwreck exploration of a group of intrepid Northeast divers. This book brings to light some little known or forgotten maritime history thanks to the effort of a dedicated and passionate team of divers. A great read; I couldn’t put it down...
Excellent adventures by a premier tech diver.
Well written interesting adventures. True stories.
Historically Significant
As a historian I found this book to be a great source of information. I've heard of a many of the ships that are highlighted in this wonderful book and I've learned so much more about them thanks to the excellent research of Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer. Kudos on a book well-written.
Great Book
Great book! Really cool to read this, super interesting product of decades of research.
Join The Adventure
AUTHORS Find out more about Eric Takakjian on his linkedin page. He can be found on Boston Sea Rovers. Finally you can find some information on Eric at Doug Grad Literary Agency, Inc. You can find some information on Randall Peffer at Doug Grad Literary Agency, Inc. Randall gives a 90 second video biography on YouTube. WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE This book is for everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a sailor, a diver, a history buff, an adventurer, or you just like a good thriller; this book has it all. SYNOPSIS Dangerous Shallows: In Search of The Ghost Ships of Cape Cod is a superbly written book that grips the reader from the very onset. Eric Takakjian takes the reader from the earliest of times in relation to diving techniques to modern mixed gasses. He intersperses his experiences with spellbinding tales of sunken ships and the events that led up to their tragic fates. Eric explains in terms that are easy to understand all of the intricacies of diving and especially deep diving. He guides us through the uses of mixed gas to get to exceptionally deep wrecks and the troubles associated with each dive. He brings into view the price of miscalculation and bad circumstance and the lethal effects associated with deep diving. Intermixed is his own journey as a USCG crewman through his marriage and operating his own dive company while looking for those “virgin” wrecks. Dangerous Shallows covers a myriad of different vessels and reasons for their current predicaments. The wrecks that Eric explores cover centuries of accidents, war, and depression. He takes the time to relate to the reader exactly what he sees and feels as he dives the wrecks. While swimming over the wrecks, he takes the reader back in time and makes the reader feel as if they are there for each vessel’s demise. The reader can feel the panic, the elation, the fear, or the determination of the people associated with each vessel. Included within the book are the stories of his own trials and tribulations. He talks about the hardships keeping “virgin” wreck locations secret and the betrayal of “friends” who want to use his work for their own gains. He explains the research he, his wife, and friends undertake to locate and find each lost vessel. Eric describes the dangers each particular dive has; from currents, to sharks, to visibility issues, to the “bends.” The author interfuses pictures and illustrations throughout the book. The color and black and white photos enhance the readers perceptions of the boats and the wrecks. Some of the photos are historic as are the schematics. CONCLUSION This book is thrilling, mysterious, and intriguing. Even if you don’t know much about diving and especially deep diving, this book easily explains the terms and conditions. The stories of the individual wrecks are told in vivid detail. The reader can easily feel as if they are right there with him on this journey of discovery. I heartily recommend this book for everyone. AKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer, NetGalley, and Lyons Press for affording me the opportunity to review Dangerous Shallows: In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod.
Good read
4 stars As a child I sat in front of the television entranced by Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson on Sea Hunt. Then Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea came out and I was glued to my set every week. I have always been fascinated with underwater adventures, diving and so on. And then there was Jacques Cousteau...I studied marine biology for it was my dream to join Mr. Cousteau. But life intruded. I still catch every documentary I can. I loved this book and read every word, including the foreword and epilogue. Mr. Takakjian explained many things to me, including the new mixed gas combinations that enables the divers to go deeper and other technical things that I wondered about, but never had someone describe them so well. I like the way he blended his current narrative with flashbacks to the actual wrecks. It was very well done. I admire his and his friends' bravery, but thought them a little foolhardy at times. I was a very good book and I went to Amazon and his website to look for other books written by Mr. Takakjian.
Pure enjoyment!
As a diver and a cop, working both simultaneously in Southeastern MA, I am thoroughly impressed with this book. It is at once, both prose and poetry, life and death, great sadness and absolute joy. I laughed out loud at some places and had tears at other parts. Running the police department’s dive team for 30 years I understand the constant theme in the book of worrying about people, feeling what they felt, and taking care of the remaining family, making sure they know what happened. Eric has written a wonderful piece, taking you along with him, and knowing what it is to live in the underwater world that has a purpose beyond just looking at pretty fish with 100 feet of visibility. Thank you Eric for helping to get the word out about the importance of history and caring for your fellow man.