Dave’s narrates his autobiography, which tells how, from simple beginnings, he manages to serve an apprenticeship in engineering, before deciding it wasn’t for him and embarking on an adventure underwater. Firstly, with a bunch of friends salvaging scrap metal from shipwrecks, before blagging his way into the world of offshore oilfield deep diving. It was intended to be a short-term thing to make the deposit on a house and turned into 40 years in the industry, culminating in becoming the offshore manager of some major oilfield construction projects around the world.

Dave takes us through his life’s journey, near-death experience, and involvement with several major incidents. He explains how it feels to live part of your life in the claustrophobic environment of a saturation diver and reflects on some of the politics and events that occurred in this unique industry. He reflects on life’s lessons as they presented themselves. The book is interspersed with anecdotes and amusing tales of and from the people he met along the way, characters, who come alive with their witty asides, and darkly comic humor. Away from work, Dave and his wife, Marion, travel the world together, and their travels are heady and packed with adventure, as they ski, kayak, and dive in idyllic locations. Whether bungee jumping in New Zealand or cycling across Central America, Dave and Marion are never afraid to take on a challenge.