Dive Zero is a brand new "youth-oriented scuba diving/extreme sports video magazine." Filmed in high-def, this video magazine has the same components as a traditional, print magazine -- gear reviews, trip reports, destination profiles, etc. -- except the content sits on a DVD, and you "read" the magazine by watching your TV.

Recently, I viewed the premier issue. At just under an hour long, the Dive Zero team has assembled a very engaging product that was both entertaining and informative -- which is more than I can say for most of the stuff I see on TV. If you like looking through your dive magazines during lunch breaks, while traveling, or at the beach, a DVD video magazine probably isn't going to interest you. However, if you believe the static nature of a magazine doesn't lend itself to the beauty of the dynamic, underwater world, getting your dive news via a high-def DVD will really appeal to you.

Recently, we told you about Cool Waters, Emerald Seas: Diving in Temperate Waters, the new book by Irish photographer John Collins. This breath-taking, 173-page hardcover is a tribute to the marine environment in the world's "cool waters" -- the temperate seas (between 4° and 20° C) sandwiched between the tropics and the polar regions. Recently, I got to see this magnificent book up close, and I was blown away by the beauty of Collins' rich images and the passion in his accompanying narrative. If you believe diving in temperate seas is a dull, lifeless experience, think again: the cool seas are the ocean's most productive, creating a rich, colorful, kaleidoscopic ecosystem brimming with life. The mesmerizing images in Cool Waters prove it.

A few weeks ago, we told you about Below Freezing: The Antarctic Dive Guide. Recently, I got my hands on a copy of this colorful little book, and I'm very impressed with it. This excellent Guide -- really, the only Guide of its kind -- is written by Lisa Eareckson Trotter, the first person to learn to dive in the Antarctic and a long-time crew member aboard Lindblad Expeditions' Endeavour. Having logged over 400 hours diving in area waters, Trotter's experience in and love for the region shines through on each and every page.

Featuring plenty of easy-to-read maps, and ultra-clear descriptions of 25 dive sites off the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Islands, the Guide also sports hundreds of sparkling, eyebrow-raising photos -- most of which are vastly different from marine life images in other dive guides. Published by WILDGuides, a non-profit organization focused on wildlife conservation, the book carefully and lovingly describes the joys of diving in Antarctica's waters, while it simultaneously details the hazards of this bitter, harsh environment. In short, the 116-page soft cover book is one of the most unusual -- and one of the best -- dive guides around.

A few weeks ago, we told you about Beth and Shaun Tierney's book called Diving The World. According to the book's publisher, Footprint Travel Guides, Diving The World "takes the underwater adventurer on a magical tour of many of the world's top dives. Over 200 prime sites have been carefully selected, reviewed and photographed..." Come on, I thought; how could one book accurately and adequately describe so many dive sites? Surely, I felt, the Tierneys must've dashed off a quick paragraph describing the country; slapped down a sentence or two about each dive site; tossed in a few photos; and then moved on to the next destination. I wanted to see for myself. Consequently, I recently got my hands on a copy, and all I can say is:

Wow.

What an amazing book.

Last week, we mentioned exercise physiologists (and husband-and-wife-team) Jessica and Jaime Adams. The couple -- avid divers, former DAN interns, and scuba and fitness instructors -- recognize that scuba diving isn't just about floating; in fact, it can be quite a workout, and if your body isn't prepared for the strain of that workout, there can be consequences -- discomfort, fatigue, or worse. To that end, the Adamses developed Fit for Scuba, a manual that explains how to become a safer, more fit diver, better prepared to handle tricky boat entries, choppy seas, and heavy gear.

This week, I got a copy of the book. Although slim (only 138 pages), the book is packed with dozens of exercises that just about anyone can perform. Overall, it's well-written, well-organized, and well-presented (with photos that clearly demonstrate each of the exercises described). Moreover, at under $15, the book is a real bargain.

Upon returning from my recent trip scuba diving in Grand Cayman, one of the first things I did was insert into my computer the CD that contained the 350 underwater pictures I had taken. Although I was pleased with many of the shots I captured with the Sea & Sea DX750G camera I rented, I was disappointed with others. One of the reasons I had rented the camera, after all, was to snap photos suitable for framing. However, I found many of the images needed color correction. Recognizing I'm not a professional underwater photographer, I understand I shouldn't expect endless, perfect images, though.

Neverthelss, I eagerly loaded the images into Picasa. While Picasa has some editing features built into it, it's really more of an electronic photo album; it's not ideal editing software. Nevertheless, I lightened, cropped, and copied some of the images onto a disc and took the disc to the Picture Maker so I could print them. I was pleased with the photos, but I was not amazed, so later that day, I went to Best Buy and bought Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4.0. Not Adobe's top-of-the-line photo-editing program, Elements is sort of a "Photoshop Lite." However, for my purposes it seemed adequate. Happily, the software I purchased was bundled with Premiere Elements 2.0 -- their video editing software -- and although it was priced at $149, after the sale price and the rebate, I brought home both applications for $69.

Is Elements 4.0 worth $69? In a word: absolutely. Although it's a bit tricky to use, it yields eye-popping results!

The easiest way to explain what this book is about is to read it's complete title: The Helldiver's Rodeo: A Deadly, Extreme, Scuba-Diving, Spear Fishing Adventure Amid the Offshore Oil-Platforms in the Murky Waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Whew, that's a mouthful. Written by Cuban-born Humberto Fontova, who emigrated to the US when he was a young boy, the book is an in-depth look at Helldivers -- highly-competitive men who helped shape rig-diving and spear fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. With its over-the-top stories and limitless machismo, think of Hunter S. Thompson crossed with that really annoying guy on the dive boat.

Filled with adventure, danger, and huge fish, the story is quick, easy, and entertaining. However, in my opinion, Fontova's lumbering writing style and endless braggadocio watered down what could have been a great book.

Tim Simond has been traveling the world for the past 30 years. An avid scuba diver and photographer, Simond recently landed the job of a lifetime: he was paid to write a book about diving in some of the most luxurious resorts in the world. The result is a big, beautiful coffee-table book called Dive in Style.

Covering 26 destinations around the world, the book features 743 eye-popping photos (all taken by Simond, himself) shot both above and below the water. According to the press release, "This is the first book to combine lifestyle inspiration with a practical guide to the fast-expanding universe of scuba diving." In other words, Simond visited a number of high-end hotels and liveaboards around the world and compiled his experiences into this book.

Thames and Hudson recently sent me a copy of the book for review. If you don't have time for the full review, let me sum it up in one word: Wow! For a more complete review, however, click the jump...