Book Review
Pete the Cat: SCUBA Cat
I really wanted to like "Pete the Cat: Scuba Cat". I bought it for my daughter, and as soon as it arrived I sat down to read it with her, both of us excited about the story. And while author James Dean is to be commended for his beautiful artwork (in the primitivist style) and his choice of subject matter, I was very disappointed by a number of poor diving practices condoned by the titular diver.
The book opens with Pete donning a single tank and entering the water without a buddy. As a certified solo diver myself, I have no problem with a self-reliant dive plan, but the lack of a redundant gas supply is a standards violation according to the agencies that provide this certification. By not drawing Pete in backmounted or sidemounted doubles, or even slinging a pony bottle, the author is condoning a a dangerous normalization of deviance.
Next, Pete's main goal for his dive is to see a seahorse. Not only does he dismiss many of the charismatic megafauna that he encounters in single minded pursuit of this one creature, his situational awareness is so poor that he misses the fact that the object of his dive is swimming along with him the entire time, actually tickling him! Such task loading clearly is beyond his capacity to handle as a diver - I am very happy that he didn't run out of gas or blow off deco with such tunnel vision. No child want's to read "Pete the Cat takes a Chamber Ride".
Pete not only breaks a cardinal diving rule by harassing endangered marine life when he causes the puffer fish to mount a defensive stress response, he even RIDES on a turtle! And to make matters worse, he relies on the poor turtle to get him back to the anchor line. With such navigation skills he is lucky that he wasn't lost at sea. What's next? "Pete the Cat and the Coast Guard"..?
Finally - saving the worst for last - Pete does the unthinkable. He enters a cave without even a single light (let alone the recommended primary and two backups), and does NOT use a line to mark a path to open water. Even my 2 year old daughter immediately saw this error (she frequently plays with my reel). So what predictably happens? Pete quickly finds himself in the dark with no idea where the cave exit is. The only thing that prevents the writing of "Recovering Pete the Cat" is - once again - the timely arrival of a helpful sea creature, deus ex machina. A glowing jellyfish provides enough light for Pete to find his way out of the cave.
Mr. Dean is to be commended for bringing the joys of scuba diving to such a young audience. But he must remember that children are impressionable, and early exposure to such poor diving practices may lead to serious safety issues later in life.