Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction and Non-fiction

You are here: Home / Archives for Diving

Free book and a Presale Price

By

08 Life under water coverThrough the end of the day Friday, the eighth Withrow Key novella “Life Under the Sea” is FREE for download on Kindle.

“An adventurer comes to Withrow Key, planning to live on the bottom of the ocean for six months in a habitat, but he needs Jackson’s help to make it happen. They have their inevitable problems, but things seem to be working fine. Until a late-season hurricane pops up in the gulf and Withrow Key is expecting a direct hit. Jackson and his nephew Zach have to decide whether to let the aquanauts ride the storm out under the water or to rescue them and let them try it again later. As usual, nothing is ever simple on Withrow Key.”

lyin fish cover finalBut that’s not even the best news. The ninth story from Withrow Key, “Lyin’ Fish” goes on sale Saturday, August 15. Right now, the story is available at the special presale price of $1.99. On Saturday, the price will go up to $2.99. Lyin’ Fish is doubly special, because it features an appearance from long-time fans of the series Greg Holt and the mermaids of ScubaRadio.

“The crew from the nationally-syndicated talk radio show ScubaRadio comes to sleepy Withrow Key for a lionfish rodeo, but immediately Jackson Pauley feels something isn’t right. “Greg the Divemaster” Holt can barely dive. When Jackson spears a lionfish, Greg grabs it and gets stung. The radio show is a disaster. When Duffy, the local bar owner, goes missing Jackson, Littlebear and Zach jump into action to unravel the mystery and save their friend.”

Withrow Key coverIf you’ve missed the earlier Withrow Key stories and want to read the entire series before the release of Lyin’ Fish, check out Tales from Withrow Key..

Adventure all around us

By

dive buddyIn the last week, I’ve been involved in a couple different conversations about the opportunities that surround us. The consistent theme in those conversations, though, has been TAKING those opportunities.

I had a birthday a week or so ago. I like to get out and be active in general, but for my birthday I usually try to make a special effort to do something. I’m not talking wild parties or things like that. Those days are (mostly) behind me. But I like to do something for my birthday to help me remember why I’m alive. Of course, it’s probably me trying to convince myself that I’m not getting older, too.

IMG_3113In one conversation, a good friend made the comment that he had always wanted to take a ride on a riverboat and go through the locks on the river. A few texts to my friend JD Pauley later and we had set up a river trip on the sternwheeler Hobby III. We cruised through the locks at Marmet and had a great day on the water. It was a day full of talking about the history of the river and the industry and what the Great Kanawha River means to West Virginia.

As a diver, when I can, I like to make a dive on my birthday. Of course, I like to make a dive in some exotic location, but honestly that’s not as important to me as getting in the water and blowing bubbles. I learned to dive in Summersville Lake and spent a lot of time there before heading to other dive sites. So, for this birthday, I called up Todd Harrell and he said “Let’s go!” We made a great dive in the lake, floating around, taking photos and chasing fish. It was a great feeling.

Neither of these experiences might be anyone else’s cup of tea, and that’s fine. They are the things I’m interested in. But the important thing is to take advantage of opportunities when they come up. I’ve been told many times “You are so lucky!” when I share photos of some adventure (great or small). My response is always that I agree, but it really has nothing to do with luck. It’s about the willingness to take risks. It’s about getting off the couch and seeing the world around you. Neither of these adventures I talked about took a long car ride or a trip to the airport. They were adventures right here at home..

Help pick the cover for “Lyin’ Fish”

By

Next month, I’m releasing a new novella, featuring the gang from ScubaRadio, called “Lyin’ Fish.” But I want your feedback on the book cover. Select your favorite, or tell me which parts of which ones you like in the comments below.

“The crew from the nationally-syndicated talk radio show ScubaRadio comes to sleepy Withrow Key for a lionfish rodeo, but immediately Jackson Pauley feels something isn’t right. “Greg the Divemaster” Holt can barely dive. When Jackson spears a lionfish, Greg grabs it and gets stung. The radio show is a disaster. When Duffy, the local bar owner, goes missing Jackson, Littlebear and Zach jump into action to unravel the mystery and save their friend.”

Lyin’ Fish is the ninth story from Withrow Key. Set on a bypassed key in the Florida Keys, life moves a little slower and a little weirder. Each Withrow Key thriller features scuba diving, adventure, boats, the ocean and mystery along with beautiful locations and scenery.

If you’ve missed the earlier Withrow Key stories, you can read them all in Tales from Withrow Key.

[poll id=”3″]

lfc 1
Option 1
lfc 2
Option 2
lfc 3
Option 3
lfc 4
Option 4

 .

Dive in! The Cayman Islands are all about the ocean

By

This is an excerpt from a newspaper travel story in the Charleston (WV) Sunday Gazette-Mail, published 6/21/15. The link is at the bottom to read the complete story.

By Eric Douglas
For the Sunday Gazette-Mail
The author’s wife, Beverly, poses with the 9-foot-tall bronze statue of the mermaid Amphitrite, located at one of the many dive sites around the Cayman Islands.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rising from the sea floor thousands of feet below, Grand Cayman, along with the sister islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, makes an improbable Caribbean paradise.

The islands are small, without much soil or freshwater, and at the most only rise about 60 feet above the sea level. What they do have is incredible warm blue water with a gentle breeze and year-round warm air temperatures.

And scuba diving. The Cayman Islands have lots of scuba diving.

I’ve been there four times over the last 10 years. The first three times were while conducting safety training for local dive instructors and to do research for my latest novel, “Return to Cayman,” which is based on the island.

On my last trip, my “reason” for visiting was to hold a release party and book signing, with all proceeds from book sales benefiting a volunteer effort to restore a coral reef damaged when a cruise ship dropped anchor on a reef.

My real reason for traveling to Grand Cayman, of course, was the legendary diving.

For the avid diver, one of the best places to stay on the island is Sunset House. Sunset House and My Bar are featured prominently in “Return to Cayman” as well. The resort bills itself as “a hotel for divers, by divers” and it does not disappoint. The entire resort is oriented toward making it convenient to scuba dive, either off one of their boats or in unlimited shore diving for guests.

It’s easy to get there from Charleston. I generally leave out of Yeager Airport on the 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta and get to Grand Cayman in time for lunch at My Bar. It’s a small island, so the commute from the airport literally just takes a few minutes after you clear customs.

Situated about 200 miles south of Cuba, the Cayman Islands are located in the Western Caribbean just south of the Tropic of Cancer. Air and water temperatures hover around 80 degrees with very little variation. The rainy season runs from May through October, roughly corresponding with hurricane season.

The last major storm to hit the island was Ivan in 2004. It tore the island up, tearing roofs off of houses, but since then the island has only suffered on glancing blow from a storm.

– See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150621/GZ05/150629971#sthash.thbuPppB.dpuf.

Privacy Policy