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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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  • Kim
  • 2020-04-05

Educational

I listened to the sample and was upset when it ended. I HAD to buy/listen to this book. I learned things I did not know, and now have a deeper appreciation for our oceans, the animals inside it and the power it holds to take our lives. If the only thing you take away from this book is that coral is dying and we need to preserve it, then so be it, but there is so much information in this book you won’t be disappointed or bored. I have a non-sensical fear of water and I wanted to learn more, I am very glad I bought this book.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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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    4 out of 5 stars
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Really interesting, well written and researched

It’s a great story of the authors journey and discovery of not only the sport of free diving but also the current research and science of going deep. I loved the storyline, the transformational and continually more and more immersive (deeper and deeper) interest he took. Another great author from Outside Mag. Narration is good but I’m not sure why he chose to change the voice when speaking the other’s parts - for half the book I thought he was making fun of the people (this is obviously very minor and kind of funny). Great overall.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

An Unexpected Thrilling Experience

I was brought here by a YouTube video, but the amount of knowledge I obtained from only the first hour of listening to this book left my jaw on the floor.

This is not just a book to the depth of the ocean, but a deeper understanding to life itself. As the listeners are drawn into the main story, they can’t help but imagine themselves going through the same journey as the deep divers, not only physically but also spiritually. Deep diving is an exploration of our body and soul, I wish more resources were poured into this thrilling sports and hopefully one day we will learn more truth of the “master switch of life” and the meaning of its existence.

The performance of Nestor was extraordinary and much needed for painting the full picture. The read was perfectly paced, with meaningful emphasis and rushes.

I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who is looking for a realistic thrill, or simply a path to understand the secret of life but possessed by each and everyone of us.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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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Great listen!

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

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Easily my favourite book.

An absolute gem, and the reason I am learning to free dive. Thank you James, sincerely, for all you did while writing this book. It was one of the highlights of my year so far.

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Fascinating

The journey is incredible & I love the authenticity of the writers voice. Although clearly not a voice actor, some points sound dull even though the material is wild interesting! A very good read actually.

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Bringing journalism and ocean science together

So intriguing and entertaining the way it is structured to go deeper and deeper into both the ocean world and human origins.

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Amazing story of our Oceans, a masterpiece

A very interesting story that takes you from the surface of our oceans to the deepest parts of the Challenger Deep at -35,550 ft. I learned so much about our oceans and the life in it. This so much more than freediving. I am so glad I bought this audiobook. People just don't understand our oceans, whales, sharks, etc. Maybe if they did, people would stop treating the ocean and sharks and corals etc with the lack of respect they do. This book should be taught in schools I hope he comes up with a sequel to tell us about the results from the research that he mentioned but was not completed at the time the book was released.

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