Free diving champion Ferreras sums up this dangerous sport: "it all boils down to one simple, overriding question: How deep can a man dive on a single breath of air?
" In the 1950s, such dives without tanks became fiercely competitive in Italy. The rivalry of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca inspired The Big Blue
, the 1988 movie that spawned mainstream interest in the sport. Amid this history, Cuban native Ferreras tells his story: "I grew up with the sea as my backyard." He defected to the U.S. in 1993, after breaking numerous diving records. On a trip to Mexico in the mid-'90s, he met marine biologist Audrey Mestre, who began dive training while their romance blossomed. Together, they produced a documentary TV series, expressed their love in tandem dives and married in 1999. "Audrey and I were happiest in that silent, mystical underworld, bathed in blue." That happiness ended with Audrey's tragic underwater death, and last year, Ferreras matched her 170-meter world record during a tribute dive on the first anniversary of her death. With fluid writing and vivid descriptions, this compelling autobiography explores emotional depths while detailing the sport's beauty, technologies, drama and dangers. 32 pages of color photos. (Aug.)
Forecast:
A 25-city radio campaign and author appearances could make this a popular late-summer beach read. Director James Cameron plans to adapt the book for film (Judith Regan will serve as executive producer).
