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  • Deep

  • Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves
  • Written by: James Nestor
  • Narrated by: James Nestor
  • Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (242 ratings)

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Deep cover art

Deep

Written by: James Nestor
Narrated by: James Nestor
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Publisher's Summary

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice.
An Amazon Best Science Book of 2014. A Scientific American Recommended Read.

Deep is a voyage from the ocean's surface to its darkest trenches, the most mysterious places on Earth. Fascinated by the sport of freediving - in which competitors descend to 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 bodily changes humans undergo when underwater. Along the way 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.

©2014 James Nestor (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

What the critics say

"Fascinating, informative, exhilarating." ( Wall Street Journal)
"A journey well worth taking." ( 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)

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What listeners say about Deep

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best audiobook I’ve ever listened to.

This book is wonderful and very informative both for an aspiring freediver, and for a laymen who’s interested in the wonders the ocean holds. Highly recommend.

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4 people found this helpful

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exceptional gonzo free diving journalism

We loved this story. equal parts personal memoir about exploring one's limits, the new science of sperm whales, and the wonders of the ocean. we were riveted by the book and blown away to learn about the intersection between human life and our oceanic past.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent

EXCELLENT, captivating, informative but visualizing the 2 competitions he witnessed (which he correctly criticizes afterwards) was stressful !!

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Great Book

I previously read Nestor's book "Breath" so I decided to purchase "Deep." It too is very good. I would have liked a more detailed description of the training techniques free divers use.

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  • Overall
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I never write reviews

This eye opening look into the deep answers questions that we feel more than ask. A must listen for anyone who hears the call of the ocean.

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Great listen!

So informative! Story is incredible, makes me wish I was in the ocean right now!

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Excellent Interesting Riveting

Amazing read especially as I am a novice freediver and I learned alot of valuable information .. A beautiful combo of Science Oceanography the out right out there unusual ...performed in perfect Adventure Story telling fashion! will be reading this again!!!

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Really love this author and narrator

I so enjoyed this book, just as I enjoyed Breath. I love Nestor’s content, his writing style, and - although I had to double-check if it was him - his delivery or narration. I love what he brings to my attention - that he does the research and then delivers it in a way that’s profoundly accessible and open, filled with wonder and curiosity, not didactic or prescriptive and not about pompously telling readers what to think about any of it: just what he saw and heard and experienced and what it meant to him, how it shaped his understanding of breath, the body, health, the oceans, whales, the planet and everything. Love love love.

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Makes me want to go diving

Excellent story and interesting layout of the book.
Going from sea level to deepest parts of the Ocean.
There was some well researched material that had me waiting for more throughout the story.
I think I will look for more stories from this author.

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Fascinating!

I learned so much from this book! I’d get so excited, I’d often stop the recording then run into the next room to share with my partner the new known realities and distinct possibilities of the the Deep and its little understood inhabitants. Loved it!

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