Deep : Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves

From the bestselling author of Breath, a “fascinating, informative, exhilarating” voyage from the ocean’s surface to its darkest trenches (Wall Street Journal)

New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • An Amazon Best Science Book of 2014 • Scientific American Recommended Read

Fascinated by the sport of freediving—in which competitors descend great depths on a single breath—James Nestor embeds with a gang of oceangoing extreme athletes and renegade researchers. He finds whales that communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away, sharks that swim in unerringly straight lines through pitch-black waters, and other strange phenomena. Most illuminating of all, he learns that these abilities are reflected in our own remarkable, and often hidden, potential—including echolocation, directional sense, and the profound lessons in underwater physiology humans experience when submerged. Along the way, in this gripping work of adventure nonfiction, Nestor unlocks his own freediving skills as he communes with the pioneers who are expanding our definition of what is possible in the natural world, and in ourselves.

“A journey well worth taking.” —David Epstein, New York Times Book Review

“Nestor pulls us below the surface into a world far beyond imagining and opens our eyes to these unseen places.” —Dallas Morning News

 “This is popular science writing at its best.” —Christian Science Monitor

This thrilling blend of popular science and immersive journalism reveals our surprising connection to the ocean.

• Marine Biology & Renegade Science: Join Nestor as he embeds with extreme athletes and maverick researchers who are pushing the boundaries of what we know about the deep sea.
• Ocean Exploration: Journey from the surface to the darkest trenches and discover a hidden world of communicating whales, navigating sharks, and other strange phenomena.
• The Mammalian Dive Reflex: Learn about the Master Switch of Life, the profound and often hidden bodily changes that turn us into efficient deep-sea diving animals the moment we’re submerged.
• Human Echolocation: Explore the startling evidence that humans share extrasensory abilities with marine mammals, including the ability to “see” without opening our eyes.

JAMES NESTOR has written for Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, Dwell Magazine, the New York Times, San Francisco Magazine, Interior Design, the San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous other publications. His longform piece "Half-Safe," about the only around-the-world journey by land and sea in the same vehicle ever attempted (and completed), was published by The Atavist. Nestor lives in San Francisco and is a member of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto.