Gary Gentile
Encyclopedia
Gary Gentile is an American
author
and pioneering technical diver
.
. It has been suggested that Gary Gentile may be the most experienced wreck diver in the world. He has dived on the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria (sometimes referred to as the "Mount Everest
" of SCUBA diving
) over 190 times, and was the first diver to penetrate the first class dining room of the vessel. He was also part of the team of divers, along with Bill Nagle
, who recovered the ship's bell in 1985.
During the early 1990s, Gentile pioneered the use of mixed gases
in wreck diving. He has also participated in expeditions to the SMS Ostfriesland
(at a depth of 380 feet), which would serve as the impetus for greater exploration of deep-water shipwrecks, and the RMS Lusitania
(at a depth of 300 feet).
He achieved fame within the diving community with his publication of The Advanced Wreck Diving Guide in 1988. He also published the first book on technical diving
, The Technical Diving Handbook, and the field began to gain recognition as a separate stratum of the sport from conventional recreational diving
. In many of his books Gentile notes that before technical diving was recognised as a sub-stratum of the sport, divers who consciously engaged in planned decompression diving were shunned by major diver training agencies as "gorilla divers".
s of North America
. He has also published a number of futuristic fantasy
fictional works, although none of these have been a notable commercial success to date.
, a New York Times bestseller
, brought a huge amount of publicity to the North East American wreck diving community, and turned the two divers featured in the book, John Chatterton
and Richie Kohler
into media stars. Although the book only referred to Gary Gentile once (referring to him, at page 313 as "legendary wreck diver, Gary Gentile"), he published a stinging rebuttal to the book entitled Shadow Divers Exposed in which he challenges the version of events in the original book and level of credit given to Kohler and Chatterton, and puts forward an alternative hypothesis for the sinking of U-869.
Gentile's book divided the diving community between those who regarded it as a cheap shot, motivated by jealousy of the fame which Chatteron and Kohler had enjoyed as a result of the book, and those who believed it was a fair attempt to set the record straight and ensure that credit was given to others who had played a key role in identifying the submarine.
where he was severely wounded. A number of his non-fiction works refer to his experiences in Vietnam.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and pioneering technical diver
Technical diving
Technical diving is a form of scuba diving that exceeds the scope of recreational diving...
.
Diving
Gary Gentile is a wreck diverWreck diving
Wreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites...
. It has been suggested that Gary Gentile may be the most experienced wreck diver in the world. He has dived on the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria (sometimes referred to as the "Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
" of SCUBA diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
) over 190 times, and was the first diver to penetrate the first class dining room of the vessel. He was also part of the team of divers, along with Bill Nagle
Bill Nagle
William "Bill" Nagle was a pioneering American wreck diver.-Diving:Bill Nagle was one of the earliest divers to dive regularly beyond diver training agency specified depth limits for safe deep diving...
, who recovered the ship's bell in 1985.
During the early 1990s, Gentile pioneered the use of mixed gases
Breathing gas
Breathing gas is a mixture of gaseous chemical elements and compounds used for respiration.Air is the most common and only natural breathing gas...
in wreck diving. He has also participated in expeditions to the SMS Ostfriesland
SMS Ostfriesland
SMS Ostfriesland "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff" was the second vessel of the of battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Named for the region of East Frisia, Ostfrieslands keel was laid in October 1908 at the Kaiserliche Werft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven...
(at a depth of 380 feet), which would serve as the impetus for greater exploration of deep-water shipwrecks, and the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
(at a depth of 300 feet).
He achieved fame within the diving community with his publication of The Advanced Wreck Diving Guide in 1988. He also published the first book on technical diving
Technical diving
Technical diving is a form of scuba diving that exceeds the scope of recreational diving...
, The Technical Diving Handbook, and the field began to gain recognition as a separate stratum of the sport from conventional recreational diving
Recreational diving
Recreational diving or sport diving is a type of diving that uses SCUBA equipment for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment. In some diving circles, the term "recreational diving" is used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of the sport which requires greater levels...
. In many of his books Gentile notes that before technical diving was recognised as a sub-stratum of the sport, divers who consciously engaged in planned decompression diving were shunned by major diver training agencies as "gorilla divers".
Author
Gary Gentile has self-published 45 books. He has written several technical books relating to diving, as well as extensive documentation of the shipwreckShipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He has also published a number of futuristic fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
fictional works, although none of these have been a notable commercial success to date.
Shadow Divers controversy
The publication of the 2004 book Shadow DiversShadow Divers
Shadow Divers is a non-fictional recounting of the discovery of a World War II German U-Boat sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey, USA in 1991.-Overview:...
, a New York Times bestseller
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
, brought a huge amount of publicity to the North East American wreck diving community, and turned the two divers featured in the book, John Chatterton
John Chatterton
John Chatterton is one of the world’s most accomplished and well known wreck divers. Together with Richie Kohler, he was one of the co-hosts for the History Channel’s Deep Sea Detectives where they have completed work on 57 episodes of this successful series...
and Richie Kohler
Richie kohler
Richie Kohler is an experienced technical wreck diver and shipwreck historian who has been diving and exploring shipwrecks since 1980. Together with John Chatterton, Kohler was one of the co-hosts of the television series Deep Sea Detectives on the History Channel and is also a consultant for the...
into media stars. Although the book only referred to Gary Gentile once (referring to him, at page 313 as "legendary wreck diver, Gary Gentile"), he published a stinging rebuttal to the book entitled Shadow Divers Exposed in which he challenges the version of events in the original book and level of credit given to Kohler and Chatterton, and puts forward an alternative hypothesis for the sinking of U-869.
Gentile's book divided the diving community between those who regarded it as a cheap shot, motivated by jealousy of the fame which Chatteron and Kohler had enjoyed as a result of the book, and those who believed it was a fair attempt to set the record straight and ensure that credit was given to others who had played a key role in identifying the submarine.
Other
Gary Gentile served in the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
where he was severely wounded. A number of his non-fiction works refer to his experiences in Vietnam.
Non-fiction
- Shipwrecks of New Jersey (1988)
- Track of the Gray Wolf: U-Boat Warfare on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, 1942-1945 (1989)
- Andrea Doria: Dive to an Era (1989)
- USS San Diego: The Last Armoured Cruiser (1989)
- Shipwrecks of Delaware and Maryland (1990)
- Shipwrecks of North Carolina from Hatteras Inlet south (1992)
- Shipwrecks of Virginia (1992)
- Ultimate Wreck-Diving Guide (1992)
- Advanced Wreck Diving Guide (1992)
- Shipwrecks of North Carolina from the Diamond Shoals North (1993)
- Ironclad Legacy: Battles of the USS Monitor (1993)
- Primary Wreck Diving Guide (1994)
- Wreck Diving Adventures (1994)
- The Nautical Cyclopedia (1995)
- Lonely Planet Shipwrecks of New York (1996)
- The Lusitania Controversies: Atrocity of War and a Wreck-Diving History (1998)
- The Technical Diving Handbook (1998)
- The Lusitania Controversies: Dangerous Descents into Shipwrecks and Law (1999)
- Great Lakes Shipwrecks: A Photographic Odyssey (2003)
- Shipwrecks of South Carolina and Georgia (2003)
- Shipwrecks of Rhode Island and Connecticut (2004)
- Deep, Dark, and Dangerous: Adventures and Reflections on the Andrea Doria (2005)
- Shadow Divers Exposed: The Real Saga of the U-869 (2006)
- The Führer's U-boats in American Waters (2006)
Fiction
- Time for Dragons (series)
- 1. A Time for Dragons (1989)
- 2. Dragons Past (1990)
- 3. No Future for Dragons (1990)
- The Lurking (1989)
- The Peking Papers (1992)
- Return to Mars (2005)
- Entropy (2006)
- Silent Autumn (2006)
- Lonely Conflict: A Novel of the Vietnam War (2006)
- Mind Set (2006)
- Memory Lane (2007)
- A Different Universe: Tales of Imagination (2005)
- A Different Dimension: More Tales of Imagination (2005)
External links
- Gary Gentile productions
- Fantastic fiction - Gary Gentile
- Starfish Enterprises - 1994 Lusitania expedition
- Sterling Divers - Gary Gentile