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...

In the introduction, Simond stresses that Dive in Style is not a book about dedicated "dive hotels." Rather, it's a book about "wonderful resorts" for families...that cater to divers as well as tennis players, hikers, beach-lovers, etc. That said, however, each of the resorts Simond visits has a dedicated dive shop either on the premises or adjacent to the property. Moreover, four of the destinations he details are liveaboards. Ultimately, despite his protests, it's a book about destinations that may not cater exclusively to divers, but who consider divers among their top priorities.

Each of the destinations Simond profiles is divided into four sections. First, he briefly describes the Destination in a general sense ("...the Great Barrier Reef is home to an incredible diversity of marine life"). Second, he describes the Hotel in a fair level of detail, spotlighting its architectural design; discussing the layout of the property; mentioning the kinds of food and activities a visitor might expect; and providing several large, high-quality images of the resort. Third, Simond talks about the Dive Center that caters to the resort and mentions the highs ("They are highly conscious of safety") and the lows ("it's a shame that no courses are offered at such a flawless dive operation"). Fourth, he lovingly details the Diving; carefully describes several of the local must-dives; painstakingly outlines the kind of marine life you're likely to see; and clearly indicates the level of experience you should have to truly enjoy the destination. Then, it's on to the next destination...even before you're ready to leave.

There are a couple of things I really like about this book.

1. Of course, it discusses diving from the perspective of a seasoned diver who really knows what appeals to divers. Simond provides plenty of dive-oriented information: How does the dive center run its dives? What kinds of fish are you going to encounter? What are the boats like? When is the best time to visit?
2. The photos in the book are absolutely, unequivocally top-notch. I found myself staring at the pictures and muttering, "Ooh, that's pretty...". Moreover, there are none of those models-posing-as-they-stroll-along-the-beach shots. Although there are plenty of gorgeous pictures in the book, I think they look as though anybody could see that very same image in real life.
3. Simond has really done his research. He writes that he whittled the finalists down from a list of 125 candidates, and that the final choices were "based on merit only, and none of them paid to be included." Moreover, he includes tips about which rooms are the best; when is the best time of day to hit particular dive spots; and mentions some of the local marine life by name.
4. The resorts are from all over the world -- from Mozambique to Florida to Sardinia to Thailand. If you can't find something here to appeal to you...then you're not able to be satisfied.

There are a two little, bitty things I wasn't crazy about:

1. It'll be a long time until I'll be able to afford any of these trips. If you're a budget-diver, this book is a wish-list for you. (Admittedly, that's not really a flaw with the book, itself.)
2. Several of the resorts he spotlights are owned and operated by large, multi-national companies, like the Four Seasons. When I was looking through it, I couldn't help but think it was an ad for a handful of deep-pocketed hotels. Personally, I wanted to see more independently-owned establishments. (For example, if you were looking at a book of fun coffee shops to visit, and 1/4 were owned by Starbucks, and 1/4 were owned by Seattle's Best Coffee, I think you'd be similarly annoyed.) On the other hand, it isn't Simond's fault that many of the best hotels in the world are, in fact, operated by large, multi-national corporations. And the reason that they're the best is because they are well-run.

All in all, this is an awesome book that I think will motivate existing divers to consider some different dive destinations in the future. More importantly, I think it might encourage some non-divers to take up the sport.

In closing, I think the best thing that can be said about this book is this: My wife and brother-in-law got their hands on the book while I was out of town. Both of them told me independently that they spent several hours leafing through the book, looking at its pictures, reading the descriptions, and longing to slip away on vacation. My wife said we'd leave it out to peruse in the future. My brother-in-law said he wanted to get his own copy so he could look at it by himself. Remember: the book is called Dive in Style...and neither of them are divers. This book is for everyone.

The book retails for $40, but Amazon is offering it now for $25. For a few short excerpts, check out the Times Online's review of the book.