AN underwater explorer has put pen to paper and written a scuba-diving book using his knowledge and experiences. The book, Scuba Diving: Malta, Gozo and Comino, is the second one that Peter Lemon, 65, of Earls Hill Gardens, Royston, has written with the h

AN underwater explorer has put pen to paper and written a scuba-diving book using his knowledge and experiences.

The book, Scuba Diving: Malta, Gozo and Comino, is the second one that Peter Lemon, 65, of Earls Hill Gardens, Royston, has written with the help of wife Sue, 62.

The former fire-fighter, who was based at Royston fire station for 25 years, and was also officer in charge, said: "I have been diving for more than 20 years, and when I retired from the fire service, rather than buy a 4x4, we bought 4,000 books.

"Publishers thought the book was a nice idea but said it was too expensive to publish in full colour so we did it alone, wrote and published the book.

"That was in 2002, but we decided that it needed updating and a more modern look."

The latest book shows 97 dive sites around the Maltese islands which Peter and Sue have been visiting since 1983.

"We loved Malta so much we just kept going back and we have been more than 50 times now.

"I have completed 1,500 dives in Malta and wanted to offer that experience to other divers."

The guide to Mediterranean diving around the islands includes shipwrecks, reefs, caves and dramatic drop offs.

The pages of the scuba-diving book are easier to use, says Peter.

"We totally re-designed the book using aerial photos that were taken from a military helicopter."

The dive maps that accompany the information and pictures were drawn by Peter, who sketched and measured the length of the area while diving.

And as a budding underwater photographer, a large number of the pictures used in the book were taken by Peter.

Peter, a qualified BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) advanced instructor, joined the Buntingford Horizon Divers in 1982 and is now president of the club.

"I always wanted to scuba-dive, but it was too expensive. I started at 40 and absolutely loved it."

Now Peter's personal experiences and local Maltese knowledge are available for other experienced or accompanied divers.

"The book is a definite improvement on the first one. We are both very excited about it."

* For details of the book visit www.scubadivingmaltagonzocomino.com