Diving deep beneath the surface of the water was like no other feeling in the world to Peter M. Hunt, Oak Harbor author of, “Setting the Hook: A Diver’s Return to the Andrea Doria.”
As he descended the anchor line into the cold, hazy water of the Atlantic Ocean, it was the first sight of the wreck that stayed with him. It was a different reality every dive as he saw different parts of the wreck and some parts were lost due to storms.
“You’re always treated to a different image. It’s never the same,” Hunt said.
He’s found that it’s similar with life. Diving more than 200 feet to touch the hull of a shipwreck like the Andrea Doria yielded adventures and friendships Hunt will never forget, despite the life changes time threw his way.
Hunt, an Oak Harbor School Board director and retired United Airlines pilot, recounts his memories of crewing on five diving expeditions to the Andrea Doria in the 1980s in “Setting the Hook,” which was published Dec. 14.
Hunt will hold a book signing Saturday, Jan. 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Dive Center off Highway 20 near Taco Bell in Oak Harbor. On display will be china and other artifacts found on the Andrea Doria.
The Andrea Doria, a passenger ship transporting more than 1,700 people, collided with the Stockholm off the coast of Massachusetts in 1956. The next day, divers began exploring the wreck, which settled on the sea floor 240 feet below the surface.
Hunt was in his early 20s when he began exploring this “Mount Everest of wreck diving.” It was a unique time for diving, before mixed gas was used and when experience was everything. Regardless, more than 15 divers have died exploring the perilous wreck.
For Hunt, those days were filled with adventure, treasure hunting and friendship as he crewed Steve Bielenda’s legendary vessel, Wahoo.
“They were some of the most adventurous times in my life, certainly the most dangerous,” Hunt said, adding that he formed friendships that he still enjoys today.
From a near-death experience lost in the dark, silt-filled water of the Andrea Doria’s dining room to recovering a Promenade Deck window from the wreck that no one had looked through since the Andrea Doria’s sinking, Hunt relives the excitement of his memories in “Setting the Hook.”
“It’s fundamentally changed who I am. I took it in stride like an everyday event that would last forever and I’ve only realized in the last couple of years that it’s never going to happen again and that that’s meant to be, it’s meant for youth,” Hunt said, adding that he misses those days.
Even with the many artifacts he recovered and the diving challenges he faced, his most treasured memories are of the friendships he formed.
“It’s one of the rare moments when a person looks back at their life and says, by God, those were the days,” Hunt said.
But nearly 20 years after first exploring the wreck, Hunt decided to return. Following a year of demanding dive training, he hugged his wife and children goodbye and returned to dive the Andrea Doria again, an experience that transformed him forever, Hunt said.
“More pertinent to the lay person who might not know anything about diving is the parallel theme: life experience defines us in ways we might not realize,” Hunt said. To understand that fully helped Hunt deal with life challenges.
“If we understand fundamentally who we were at one point in our lives and look back and realize we’re not that person anymore and we’re changing all the time, we realize it’s not as big a deal as we thought,” Hunt said.
Hunt started writing the book in 2001. In 2005, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He didn’t work on his book again until two years ago.
“I was able to absorb that for awhile and realized how it all fit together,” Hunt said. While the core story remained unchanged, new themes came to light as Hunt’s insights about himself and aging became important to the story.
What Hunt learned from writing the book changed him, adding themes to the book that people who know nothing about diving can appreciate and learn from.
“The other aspect people might enjoy about the book is just the plain history,” Hunt said. Hunt writes about the history of the Andrea Doria and gives a thorough history of technical diving and technical wreck diving and how they have evolved since he began diving.
Hunt still dives with his son, but in safe, shallow water. He advises prospective divers not to be put off by the danger level expressed in his book. There’s very safe diving available, Hunt said.
“Setting the Hook” is available at Amazon.com in print and Kindle formats, as well as through most bookstores. For information about the book and purchasing a copy, visit settingthehook.org.
The second edition of Hunt’s first book, “Angles of Attack, an A-6 Intruder Pilot’s War,” will be released in February. Information on purchasing this book can also be found at settingthehook.org.
