At it's heart, Diving the Seamount is about an ancient desire for escaping the mundane and meaningless lives which most of us lead, and throwing the dice for paradise. This book offers many stories, many of which represent salvation and redemption, all within the context of a geographical locale capable of causing many to question the very value of their existence, and the quality of their happiness. Though scuba diving offers the common link between many of its characters, Diving the Seamount explores the universal nature of mankind's desire for peace, quiet, love, and the ever prescient attraction of the sea, regulator or no. Tom Rapko writes in the spirit of Steinbeck, and the similarities between this book and the Monterey Series are not lost on me. I will be looking forward to future offerings from this promising new author, and share the sentiment of another reviewer that employing an editor would do much to bring out the talent made obvious by this nascent effort.