Breathe
A Master Diver's Survival Tales
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Daniel Grimes
About this listen
Rick Bettua should be dead. Many times over. The retired US Navy master diver suffered a devastating attack by a 12-foot bull shark that shredded his thigh from his knee to his hip. By the time he reached the shore 90 minutes later, he’d bled out, he had no pulse, and wasn’t breathing. Yet, emergency medical workers didn’t give up. His miraculous recovery in late 2020 was just the most recent of his numerous underwater life-and-death experiences.
Breathe is Rick Bettua’s survival/adventure story. It’s also a story about perseverance against great odds, and his impressive skills to solve problems—and even save lives—under extreme conditions. It begins and ends with the shark attack and his recovery that defied the odds.
In between are 15 other stories in which Bettua narrowly escaped death during his remarkable 32-year Navy career. In one instance, in a search for a lost piece of a ship’s propeller, he was buried alive 70 feet below the surface and under 20 feet of mud when a tunnel collapsed. When he finally worked his way free after two hours, he then completed the task, so no other divers would be endangered.
The first-person narration takes the listener through Rick Bettua’s evolution as a diver from a kid spear-fishing to one of the elite Navy master divers. He never wasted time to achieve a goal. He started spearfishing when he was just 10 years old, then entered the Navy when he was 17.
Because he loved diving and it was also his hobby, he moved ahead rapidly in his career. He became a master diver only one year after becoming a chief petty officer. He achieved the highest rank possible for an enlisted sailor, master chief, at age 33, one of the youngest ever to attain that rank.
But Bettua’s promotions never kept him out of the water—or out of perilous circumstances. His skills, his fearlessness, and his perseverance helped him survive time and time again throughout his career and beyond it.
©2022 Rick Bettua (P)2023 David N. WilsonListeners also enjoyed...
-
Scuba Confidential
- An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Better Diver
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Craig Beck
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scuba Confidential is a unique audiobook packed full of valuable tips and expert advice, giving you unprecedented access to the secrets of dive professionals and technical divers. With Scuba Confidential, you will learn how to master skills and techniques that will make you a more confident, capable, and safe diver.
-
-
A must read for all divers
- By Michael H Gabrielson on 02-25-15
By: Simon Pridmore
-
Pirate Hunters
- Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men—John Chatterton and John Mattera—are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. At large during the Golden Age of Piracy in the seventeenth century, Bannister should have been immortalized in the lore of the sea—his exploits more notorious than Blackbeard’s, more daring than Kidd’s. But his story, and his ship, have been lost to time.
-
-
Pure Gold
- By Mel on 06-24-15
By: Robert Kurson
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Aquanaut
- The Inside Story of the Thai Cave Rescue
- By: Rick Stanton
- Narrated by: Rick Stanton, Don Gilet
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In July 2018, 12 boys and their soccer coach disappeared into the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. Trapped miles beneath the surface, not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety. With the floodwater rising rapidly, time was running out. Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton, a retired British firefighter with a living room full of homemade cave-diving equipment. As unlikely as it seemed, Rick and his partner, John Volanthen, were regarded as the A-team for exactly this kind of mission.
-
-
Great audio book keeps you listening
- By Jason on 01-10-22
By: Rick Stanton
-
Descent into Darkness
- Pearl Harbor, 1941, A Navy Diver's Memoir
- By: Edward C. Raymer
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. Their two-part orders are direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet. Descent Into Darkness tells their story.
-
-
A Massive Disappointment
- By Matthew on 10-14-15
By: Edward C. Raymer
-
Deep Descent
- Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
- By: Kevin F. McMurray
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.
-
-
A must read for every deep diver
- By DocYinYang on 10-20-19
-
Scuba Confidential
- An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Better Diver
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Craig Beck
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scuba Confidential is a unique audiobook packed full of valuable tips and expert advice, giving you unprecedented access to the secrets of dive professionals and technical divers. With Scuba Confidential, you will learn how to master skills and techniques that will make you a more confident, capable, and safe diver.
-
-
A must read for all divers
- By Michael H Gabrielson on 02-25-15
By: Simon Pridmore
-
Pirate Hunters
- Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men—John Chatterton and John Mattera—are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. At large during the Golden Age of Piracy in the seventeenth century, Bannister should have been immortalized in the lore of the sea—his exploits more notorious than Blackbeard’s, more daring than Kidd’s. But his story, and his ship, have been lost to time.
-
-
Pure Gold
- By Mel on 06-24-15
By: Robert Kurson
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Aquanaut
- The Inside Story of the Thai Cave Rescue
- By: Rick Stanton
- Narrated by: Rick Stanton, Don Gilet
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In July 2018, 12 boys and their soccer coach disappeared into the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. Trapped miles beneath the surface, not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety. With the floodwater rising rapidly, time was running out. Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton, a retired British firefighter with a living room full of homemade cave-diving equipment. As unlikely as it seemed, Rick and his partner, John Volanthen, were regarded as the A-team for exactly this kind of mission.
-
-
Great audio book keeps you listening
- By Jason on 01-10-22
By: Rick Stanton
-
Descent into Darkness
- Pearl Harbor, 1941, A Navy Diver's Memoir
- By: Edward C. Raymer
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. Their two-part orders are direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet. Descent Into Darkness tells their story.
-
-
A Massive Disappointment
- By Matthew on 10-14-15
By: Edward C. Raymer
-
Deep Descent
- Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
- By: Kevin F. McMurray
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.
-
-
A must read for every deep diver
- By DocYinYang on 10-20-19
-
Under Pressure
- Diving Deeper with Human Factors
- By: Gareth Lock
- Narrated by: Graham Jack
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most incidents and accidents are down to "human error". Unfortunately, human error is normal and common, and we can't get rid of it. However, we can reduce the likelihood of one of those - "oh shit moments" - if we have an understanding of human factors and develop our non-technical skills. This is a globally unique book containing decades of research and practice from high-risk domains translated into the world of recreational and technical diving.
-
-
Great book on why we do what we do
- By Raider on 05-23-20
By: Gareth Lock
-
The Underworld
- Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean
- By: Susan Casey
- Narrated by: Susan Casey
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Susan Casey is our premiere chronicler of the aquatic world. For The Underworld she traversed the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet, interviewing the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers who are searching for knowledge in this vast unseen realm. She takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the myths and legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom.
-
-
narrator ruined it
- By Amazon Customer on 05-12-24
By: Susan Casey
-
In Oceans Deep
- Courage, Innovation, and Adventure Beneath the Waves
- By: Bill Streever
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an age of unprecedented exploration and innovation, our oceans remain largely unknown, and endlessly fascinating: full of mystery, danger, beauty, and inspiration. Bill Streever - a longtime deep-sea diver himself - has masterfully woven together the science and history of Earth's last remaining frontier: the sea.
-
-
Boring
- By P Dell on 01-09-20
By: Bill Streever
-
Where Divers Dare
- The Hunt for the Last U-Boat
- By: Randall Peffer
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Shadow Divers, the story of the courageous men who dived on the last sunken U-Boat off the Eastern Seaboard. On April 16, 1944, the tanker SS Pan Pennsylvania was torpedoed and sunk by the U-550. In return the sub was sent to the bottom by three destroyer escorts that were guarding the convoy. For more than 60 years the location of the U-boat's wreck eluded divers. In 2012 a team found it.
-
-
great story but at times a little too much...
- By Anthony Karis on 02-28-18
By: Randall Peffer
-
The Last Dive
- A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths
- By: Bernie Chowdhury
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris and Chrissy Rouse, an experienced father-and-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve widespread recognition for their outstanding but controversial diving skills. Obsessed and ambitious, they sought to solve the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented World War II German U-boat that lay under 230 feet of water, only a half day's mission from New York Harbor. In doing so they paid the ultimate price in their quest for fame.
-
-
This book is terrible
- By Will O. on 08-21-18
By: Bernie Chowdhury
-
The Wager
- A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Dion Graham, David Grann
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia.
-
-
Gasping for Air
- By Jean Engle on 04-19-23
By: David Grann
-
Scuba Exceptional
- Become the Best Diver You Can Be
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Simon Pridmore
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scuba Exceptional may be the fifth in Simon Pridmore’s Scuba series, but it is the true follow up to the first book in the series, Scuba Confidential. It reflects the same philosophy of safe diving through the acquisition of knowledge and skills. The themes are new, there are some wonderful and extremely useful new cautionary tales, and the focus this time is more on issues that face experienced divers. For example, there is more technical diving content, but, as usual, Simon covers complex issues in his usual clear and easy-to-listen-to style.
-
-
open water diver.
- By michael pearson on 06-23-22
By: Simon Pridmore
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
In Deep
- Fin Fleming Scuba Diving Mystery Series, Book 1
- By: Sharon Ward
- Narrated by: Sarah Beth Goer
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fin Fleming is always in control when she's scuba diving in her home base of the Cayman Islands. But when she’s on land, not so much. She has problems in every part of her life, from her scheming past lover to her new stepsiblings and her career as chief underwater photographer at an oceanographic institute. She's got very few friends and no love life to speak of. But her troubles really escalate the day of the first accident….
-
-
Great scuba details, stupid plot
- By Kindle Customer on 11-11-24
By: Sharon Ward
-
The Shipwreck Hunter
- A Lifetime of Extraordinary Discoveries on the Ocean Floor
- By: David L. Mearns
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David L. Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. The Shipwreck Hunter chronicles his most intriguing finds. It describes the extraordinary techniques used, the detailed research, and mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck thousands of feet beneath the sea, plus the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the adventuring derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a scientist, The Shipwreck Hunter opens an illuminating porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.
-
-
Delivered More Than I Expected!
- By Jason V. Kilmer on 08-07-18
By: David L. Mearns
-
Scuba Fundamental
- Start Diving the Right Way
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Simon Pridmore
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is not your standard how-to manual. It is very different. The purpose of Scuba Fundamental is not to teach you how to dive. A dive instructor will do that. But this book will make the learning process much easier. It will help you make the right choices and avoid the pitfalls that await new and uninformed divers coming into the sport. It will also set you well on the road to becoming a capable and competent lifelong diver.
-
-
A Message From The Author
- By Ryan on 08-07-18
By: Simon Pridmore
-
Into the Planet
- My Life as a Cave Diver
- By: Jill Heinerth
- Narrated by: Jill Heinerth
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today - and one of the very few women in her field - Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring listeners face-to-face with the terror and beauty of Earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.
-
-
The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver
- By Peakbagger on 02-24-20
By: Jill Heinerth
Related to this topic
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
The Silent Service in World War II
- The Story of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in the Words of the Men Who Lived It
- By: Edward Monroe-Jones, Michael Green
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy had a total of 111 submarines. It was mostly a collection of aging boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction. The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of America's intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Chris on 09-17-18
By: Edward Monroe-Jones, and others
-
Gallant Lady
- A Biography of the USS Archerfish
- By: Don Keith, Ken Henry
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Archerfish, a diesel powered Balao-class submarine crafted in the 1940s, won a unique, heroic place in military history and the memories of her crew members. Here is her story: from her assembly in New England and her dedication by Eleanor Roosevelt's personal secretary, to her service in World War II, where she broke the back of the Japanese Navy, and her critical role in the Cold War.
-
-
Bilgewater
- By Richard on 04-01-06
By: Don Keith, and others
-
Until the Sea Shall Free Them
- By: Robert Frump
- Narrated by: Luke Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The men on the SS Marine Electric sailed into a storm in February 1983 not knowing that they would make history - at a great cost in lives. Just three men survived the wreck of the Marine Electric off the shores of Virginia and they found that their struggle had just begun once they got back to shore. Blamed for the wreck, they fought back and broke a code of silence that had covered up sloppy ship inspections for decades and revealed the flaws in old World War II rust buckets that were still at sea long past their functional lifetime.
-
-
Interesting, but not a great listen
- By Eric on 02-22-13
By: Robert Frump
-
Ten Hours Until Dawn
- The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
- By: Michael J. Tougias
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.
-
-
A riveting story
- By Christopher on 11-30-07
-
Pacific Glory
- World War II Navy, Book 1
- By: P. T. Deutermann
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marsh Vincent, Mick McCarty, and Tommy Lewis were inseparable friends during their naval academy years, each man in love with the beautiful, unattainable Glory Hawthorne. Only Tommy wins her heart and marries Glory after graduation. Different skills set the three men on separate paths in the Navy, but they are all forever changed by the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.
Glory, now Tommy’s widow, is a tough Navy nurse still grieving her loss while trying to save lives at the Pearl Harbor naval hospital.
-
-
Best of PT Deutermann
- By MM on 11-27-11
By: P. T. Deutermann
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
The Silent Service in World War II
- The Story of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force in the Words of the Men Who Lived It
- By: Edward Monroe-Jones, Michael Green
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy had a total of 111 submarines. It was mostly a collection of aging boats. Fortunately, with the war in Europe was already two years old and friction with Japan ever increasing, help from what would become known as the Silent Service in the Pacific was on the way: there were 73 of the new fleet submarines under construction. The Silent Service in World War II tells the story of America's intrepid underwater warriors in the words of the men who lived the war in the Pacific against Japan.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Chris on 09-17-18
By: Edward Monroe-Jones, and others
-
Gallant Lady
- A Biography of the USS Archerfish
- By: Don Keith, Ken Henry
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Archerfish, a diesel powered Balao-class submarine crafted in the 1940s, won a unique, heroic place in military history and the memories of her crew members. Here is her story: from her assembly in New England and her dedication by Eleanor Roosevelt's personal secretary, to her service in World War II, where she broke the back of the Japanese Navy, and her critical role in the Cold War.
-
-
Bilgewater
- By Richard on 04-01-06
By: Don Keith, and others
-
Until the Sea Shall Free Them
- By: Robert Frump
- Narrated by: Luke Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The men on the SS Marine Electric sailed into a storm in February 1983 not knowing that they would make history - at a great cost in lives. Just three men survived the wreck of the Marine Electric off the shores of Virginia and they found that their struggle had just begun once they got back to shore. Blamed for the wreck, they fought back and broke a code of silence that had covered up sloppy ship inspections for decades and revealed the flaws in old World War II rust buckets that were still at sea long past their functional lifetime.
-
-
Interesting, but not a great listen
- By Eric on 02-22-13
By: Robert Frump
-
Ten Hours Until Dawn
- The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do
- By: Michael J. Tougias
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.
-
-
A riveting story
- By Christopher on 11-30-07
-
Pacific Glory
- World War II Navy, Book 1
- By: P. T. Deutermann
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marsh Vincent, Mick McCarty, and Tommy Lewis were inseparable friends during their naval academy years, each man in love with the beautiful, unattainable Glory Hawthorne. Only Tommy wins her heart and marries Glory after graduation. Different skills set the three men on separate paths in the Navy, but they are all forever changed by the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.
Glory, now Tommy’s widow, is a tough Navy nurse still grieving her loss while trying to save lives at the Pearl Harbor naval hospital.
-
-
Best of PT Deutermann
- By MM on 11-27-11
By: P. T. Deutermann
-
Where Divers Dare
- The Hunt for the Last U-Boat
- By: Randall Peffer
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Shadow Divers, the story of the courageous men who dived on the last sunken U-Boat off the Eastern Seaboard. On April 16, 1944, the tanker SS Pan Pennsylvania was torpedoed and sunk by the U-550. In return the sub was sent to the bottom by three destroyer escorts that were guarding the convoy. For more than 60 years the location of the U-boat's wreck eluded divers. In 2012 a team found it.
-
-
great story but at times a little too much...
- By Anthony Karis on 02-28-18
By: Randall Peffer
-
Into the Raging Sea
- Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of the El Faro
- By: Rachel Slade
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in 35 years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications and a sophisticated navigation system could suddenly vanish - until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves - whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder - journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery.
-
-
This Book is Tragic for More Than Just its Story
- By John A. Tucker on 10-23-19
By: Rachel Slade
-
Destroyer Captain
- Lessons of a First Command
- By: James Stavridis
- Narrated by: Chaz Allen
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This memoir of James Stavridis' two years in command of the destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) reveals the human side of what it is like to be in charge of a warship for the first time and in the midst of international crisis. From Haiti to the Balkans to the Arabian Gulf, the Barry was involved in operations throughout the world during his 1993-1995 tour. Drawing on daily journals he kept for the entire period, the author reveals the complex nature of those deployments in a 'real time' context and describes life on board the Barry and liberty ashore for sailors and officers alike.
-
-
Great Navy book
- By Richard Giddeon on 03-04-15
By: James Stavridis
-
Deep Descent
- Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
- By: Kevin F. McMurray
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.
-
-
A must read for every deep diver
- By DocYinYang on 10-20-19
-
The Warrior Elite
- The Forging of SEAL Class 228
- By: Dick Couch
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a postscript describing SEAL efforts in Afghanistan, The Warrior Elite takes you into the toughest, longest, and most relentless military training in the world. What does it take to become a Navy SEAL? What makes talented, intelligent young men volunteer for physical punishment, cold water, and days without sleep?
-
-
Riveting and Relevant
- By Steven on 03-01-12
By: Dick Couch
-
Into the Deep
- A Memoir from the Man Who Found Titanic
- By: Robert D. Ballard, Christopher Drew
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The legendary explorer of the Titanic shares inside stories of danger, suspense, and discovery - plus previously untold stories about his own dyslexia and how it has shaped his life.
-
-
A Study of the Ego
- By Thomas on 06-08-21
By: Robert D. Ballard, and others
-
Rescue Pilot
- Cheating the Sea
- By: Jerry Grayson
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jerry Grayson is an ordinary man who chose an extraordinary career. At age 17 he became the youngest helicopter pilot ever to serve in the Royal Navy. By age 25 he was the most decorated peacetime naval pilot in history.
-
-
Great tales of adventure with fascinating facts about helicopters
- By david y muramatsu on 07-17-23
By: Jerry Grayson
-
Swift Boats at War in Vietnam
- By: Guy Gugliotta, John Yeoman, Neva Sullaway
- Narrated by: David Colacci, Susan Ericksen
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Developed specifically for the Vietnam War, Swift Boats were versatile craft "big enough to outrun anything they couldn't outfight" but too small to handle even a moderate ocean chop, too loud to sneak up on anyone, and too flimsy to withstand the mildest of rocket attacks. This made more difficult an already tough mission: navigating coastal waters for ships and sampans smuggling contraband to the Viet Cong, disrupting enemy supply lines on the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta, and inserting SEALs behind enemy lines.
-
-
Ride with the Swift Boats
- By Robert Lion on 05-01-18
By: Guy Gugliotta, and others
-
Descent into Darkness
- Pearl Harbor, 1941, A Navy Diver's Memoir
- By: Edward C. Raymer
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. Their two-part orders are direct and straightforward: (1) rescue as many trapped sailors and Marines as possible, and (2) resurrect what remains of America's once mighty pacific fleet. Descent Into Darkness tells their story.
-
-
A Massive Disappointment
- By Matthew on 10-14-15
By: Edward C. Raymer
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Red November
- Inside the Secret U.S.-Soviet Submarine War
- By: W. Craig Reed
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Red November is filled with hair-raising, behind-the-scenes stories that take you deep beneath the surface and into the action of the Cold War. Few know how close the world has come to annihilation better than the warriors who served America during the tense, 45-year struggle known as the Cold War. Yet for decades, their work has remained shrouded in secrecy.
-
-
Blind Man's Bluff meets Cuban Missile Crisis
- By SeaDuck on 08-10-10
By: W. Craig Reed
-
The Finest Hours
- The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue
- By: Michael J. Tougias, Casey Sherman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal nor’easter in years. As the weather wreaked havoc on land, the freezing Atlantic became a wind-whipped zone of peril, setting the stage for one of the most heroic rescue stories ever lived. On February 18, while the storm raged, two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, were in the same horrifying predicament. Built with “dirty steel,” and not prepared to withstand such ferocious seas, both tankers split in two, leaving the dozens of men on board utterly at the Atlantic’s mercy.
-
-
Two Times Terrific!
- By Carole T. on 01-31-16
By: Michael J. Tougias, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Chamber Divers
- The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever
- By: Rachel Lance
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The previously classified story of the eccentric researchers who invented cutting-edge underwater science to lead the Allies to D-Day victory.
-
-
Amazing Dive Into the Foundations of Dive Science and WW2 History
- By Steven K. Manfred on 09-19-24
By: Rachel Lance
-
Into the Planet
- My Life as a Cave Diver
- By: Jill Heinerth
- Narrated by: Jill Heinerth
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today - and one of the very few women in her field - Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring listeners face-to-face with the terror and beauty of Earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.
-
-
The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver
- By Peakbagger on 02-24-20
By: Jill Heinerth
-
The Last Dive
- A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths
- By: Bernie Chowdhury
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris and Chrissy Rouse, an experienced father-and-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve widespread recognition for their outstanding but controversial diving skills. Obsessed and ambitious, they sought to solve the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented World War II German U-boat that lay under 230 feet of water, only a half day's mission from New York Harbor. In doing so they paid the ultimate price in their quest for fame.
-
-
This book is terrible
- By Will O. on 08-21-18
By: Bernie Chowdhury
-
The Underworld
- Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean
- By: Susan Casey
- Narrated by: Susan Casey
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Susan Casey is our premiere chronicler of the aquatic world. For The Underworld she traversed the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet, interviewing the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers who are searching for knowledge in this vast unseen realm. She takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the myths and legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom.
-
-
narrator ruined it
- By Amazon Customer on 05-12-24
By: Susan Casey
-
Technically Speaking
- Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1: Genesis and Exodus
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Simon Pridmore
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Technically Speaking: Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1 is the latest book from best-selling Scuba series author Simon Pridmore. It is a series of themed talks telling the early history of technical diving—where it came from, how it developed, how it expanded across the world, who the important movers were and how, in the decade from 1989 to 1999, the efforts of a few determined people changed scuba diving forever.
By: Simon Pridmore
-
Shadow Divers
- The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat, complete with its crew of 60 men, not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew.
-
-
GRIPPING!
- By Douglas on 07-03-04
By: Robert Kurson
-
Chamber Divers
- The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever
- By: Rachel Lance
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The previously classified story of the eccentric researchers who invented cutting-edge underwater science to lead the Allies to D-Day victory.
-
-
Amazing Dive Into the Foundations of Dive Science and WW2 History
- By Steven K. Manfred on 09-19-24
By: Rachel Lance
-
Into the Planet
- My Life as a Cave Diver
- By: Jill Heinerth
- Narrated by: Jill Heinerth
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today - and one of the very few women in her field - Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring listeners face-to-face with the terror and beauty of Earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.
-
-
The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver
- By Peakbagger on 02-24-20
By: Jill Heinerth
-
The Last Dive
- A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths
- By: Bernie Chowdhury
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris and Chrissy Rouse, an experienced father-and-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve widespread recognition for their outstanding but controversial diving skills. Obsessed and ambitious, they sought to solve the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented World War II German U-boat that lay under 230 feet of water, only a half day's mission from New York Harbor. In doing so they paid the ultimate price in their quest for fame.
-
-
This book is terrible
- By Will O. on 08-21-18
By: Bernie Chowdhury
-
The Underworld
- Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean
- By: Susan Casey
- Narrated by: Susan Casey
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Susan Casey is our premiere chronicler of the aquatic world. For The Underworld she traversed the globe, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet, interviewing the marine geologists, marine biologists, and oceanographers who are searching for knowledge in this vast unseen realm. She takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the myths and legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom.
-
-
narrator ruined it
- By Amazon Customer on 05-12-24
By: Susan Casey
-
Technically Speaking
- Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1: Genesis and Exodus
- By: Simon Pridmore
- Narrated by: Simon Pridmore
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Technically Speaking: Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1 is the latest book from best-selling Scuba series author Simon Pridmore. It is a series of themed talks telling the early history of technical diving—where it came from, how it developed, how it expanded across the world, who the important movers were and how, in the decade from 1989 to 1999, the efforts of a few determined people changed scuba diving forever.
By: Simon Pridmore
-
The Shipwreck Hunter
- A Lifetime of Extraordinary Discoveries on the Ocean Floor
- By: David L. Mearns
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David L. Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. The Shipwreck Hunter chronicles his most intriguing finds. It describes the extraordinary techniques used, the detailed research, and mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck thousands of feet beneath the sea, plus the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the adventuring derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a scientist, The Shipwreck Hunter opens an illuminating porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.
-
-
Delivered More Than I Expected!
- By Jason V. Kilmer on 08-07-18
By: David L. Mearns
-
Under Pressure
- Diving Deeper with Human Factors
- By: Gareth Lock
- Narrated by: Graham Jack
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most incidents and accidents are down to "human error". Unfortunately, human error is normal and common, and we can't get rid of it. However, we can reduce the likelihood of one of those - "oh shit moments" - if we have an understanding of human factors and develop our non-technical skills. This is a globally unique book containing decades of research and practice from high-risk domains translated into the world of recreational and technical diving.
-
-
Great book on why we do what we do
- By Raider on 05-23-20
By: Gareth Lock
-
Deadliest Sea
- The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History
- By: Kalee Thompson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson is the spellbinding true story of the greatest rescue in US Coast Guard history. Recounting the tragic sinking of the fishing trawler, Alaska Ranger, in the Bering Sea and its remarkable aftermath in March 2008, Deadliest Sea is real-life action and adventure at its finest. The full story of an amazing rescue - where extraordinary courage, ingenuity, will, and technology combined in one of the most remarkable maritime feats ever recorded - has never been told before now. It’s The Perfect Storm meets Deadliest Catch.
-
-
Good story line
- By Jayson on 03-31-20
By: Kalee Thompson
-
Into the Deep
- A Memoir from the Man Who Found Titanic
- By: Robert D. Ballard, Christopher Drew
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The legendary explorer of the Titanic shares inside stories of danger, suspense, and discovery - plus previously untold stories about his own dyslexia and how it has shaped his life.
-
-
A Study of the Ego
- By Thomas on 06-08-21
By: Robert D. Ballard, and others
-
Deep Descent
- Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria
- By: Kevin F. McMurray
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.
-
-
A must read for every deep diver
- By DocYinYang on 10-20-19
-
Amazing Diving Stories
- Incredible Tales from Beneath the Deep Sea
- By: John Bantin
- Narrated by: Dean Williamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of thrilling diving stories.There's everything from classic tales of wreck discoveries to encounters with beautiful and bizarre creatures beneath the waves. There are stories of death and disaster as well as bravery and triumph. Each tale has been chosen to stoke the fire of divers everywhere and some are illustrated with colour photographs.Take the plunge and read about the diver who discovered how to put sharks in a trance and the marine biologist who lost a limb trying to prove that sharks were safe to swim with.
-
-
The plural of "foot" is "feet."
- By NO on 03-25-15
By: John Bantin
What listeners say about Breathe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Otter
- 06-13-23
Go Navy
I served in the U.S. Navy, so I am familiar with shipboard life. The stories rendered here are excellent. The narration was very good, with a few mispronunciations - bosun, Commandant.
Really enjoyed this audio version. Well done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christine Hicks
- 10-01-24
Awesome first person narrative
Great story, great storytelling. My only criticism is that someone should have caught the mispronunciation of Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michelle
- 03-18-24
Fantastic adventures and very well written!
Excellent read or listen and highly recommended for any avid non-fiction adventure reader. Full of knowledge and information as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christopher McCarty
- 08-25-24
Awesome stories!
This is better than any fictional work about diving. You will laugh, cringe and cry. Probably one of the bios I have ever read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cocotron
- 09-07-23
Wish I could give BREATHE a 10-star review
I read (and/or) listen to 5 books a month and BREATHE, Master Chief Bettua’s memoir is now in my all-time top 10 books ever. I would put it up there with titles such as: A Perfect Storm, Into Thin Air and Shadow Divers.
USN Master Diver Rick Bettua’s story is one of courage, determination, perseverance and the Navy’s Can-Do spirit. He epitomizes the concept of servant leadership, leading his Sailors and Marines from the front and (while never compromising the mission) looking out for their welfare.
Any Naval career spanning 30 years will have a plethora of “Sea Stories” However, Master Chief/Master Diver Bettua’s adventures have spanned the gamut of military diving and seafaring: From the job of ship’s husbandry, towing nuclear subs to combat diving with Force Marine Recon. And when the Master Chief goes on liberty or leave, he takes his speargun, mask and fins and free dives in search of huge pelagics. Rick Bettua’s love of the sea is inspiring.
Master Chief/ Master Diver Rick Bettua is an example of a “Life Well Lived”
Now for the reason why I gave the performance a one-star rating……
The audio mix/recording quality was good and narrator Daniel Grimes voice was OK. However the multitude of mispronounced words and military terms clearly shows that the producer of this audio book did NOT do his/her job. The mispronunciations were so bad and numerous that while listening in my car, that every time the narrator said; BOSS-SON I would scream BOW-SUN
I work in television and audio production. When approaching a project like this, in the pre-production, and pre-reading of the script, you go over any words, phrase or concepts that are not common knowledge and clarify them before you go into the studio. During the actual audio recording, the producer should have gone over correct pronunciation and in post-production have an SME (subject matter expert) take a listen for both production and content
While I counted over dozen mispronunciations, the most glaring where for: Bosun (Boatswain), Coxwain, Commandant and Forecastle. The narrator even mispronounced archipelago and Muay Thai.
This clearly shows an audio producer who was lazy and just pushing this project out the door. If I was the publisher, I would send this back to whomever produced the audio version of this book for a re-edit.
ALL THIS SAID. In spite of the audio production errors (which really bother me because that is my field). I highly recommend this book. In fact, I just ordered the print version for my Library.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bodhi
- 07-24-24
Incredible experiences!!
This was a very enjoyable listen. What an incredible life and amazing person. I learned a lot from this book. Thank you for your amazing service to the United States and the world.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alan M
- 08-23-23
Great career adventure
Great Navy career full of adventure.
The only problem I had was that the narrator could not pronounce "Commandant" and it jars you out of the narrative every time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ryan
- 06-22-24
A great story
Great story....the narrator is good, he just need to learn how to pronounce military ranks and positions properly.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Notfullysatisfied
- 01-18-24
The story was amazing! Narration needed work
I loved this story start to finish. From the perspective as a new diver it was informative. From a former service member perspective it was extremely relatable and I loved that. I only wish the narrator had done his homework with pronunciation. It was like nails on a chalkboard to hear him mispronounce Commandant (cah- men- dant) numerous times. Regardless, if you love adventure and military stories you'll love this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 08-10-23
Great book!
Fascinating to hear about the training and missions of a Master Diver as well as the sidebar fun of Freediving and enjoying the water.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!