Between the Devil and the Deep

Battling Bends Beneath the Surface

Martin Robson author Mark Cowan author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Boundless Publishing Group Ltd

Publishing:5th Jun '25

£12.99

This title is due to be published on 5th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Between the Devil and the Deep cover

The first book to tell the terrifying story of what it feels like to get the bends, from the perspective of a veteran cave diver who overcame the unthinkable

Deep underwater lurks a mysterious man-made illness. It has gone by many names over the years – Satan’s disease, diver’s palsy, the chokes – but today, medics call it decompression sickness. You know it as the bends.

In the winter of 2012, British diver Martin Robson joined an expedition to southern Russia which sought to find a submerged cave system never seen by the human eye. On their final day, as Robson attempted to surface after reaching a record depth in the Blue Lake, disaster struck: just seventy-five feet down, he was ambushed by the bends. Forced to gamble on an underwater practice most doctors believe is a suicidal act, he sank back into the water. Soon, his only hope for survival was a dramatic mercy mission organised at the highest levels of the Russian government.

Between the Devil and the Deep is the first book to tell the terrifying true story of what it feels like to get the bends, taking you inside the body and mind of a man who suffered the unthinkable. Writer Mark Cowan also explores the fascinating history of decompression sickness, the science behind what causes the disease, and the stories of the forgotten divers who pushed the limits of physical endurance to help find a solution.

  • 'One of the best accounts ever written of deep-water diving and its staggering, haunting dangers' Robert Kurson, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Divers

ISBN: 9781800183353

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

480 pages