Medical Diver

For those unfamiliar with the term medical diver, author and diver Len Starbeck has the answer. In his memoir, Medical Diver, Len Starbeck shares his exhilarating and harrowing experiences spanning the globe while employed as a medical diver, which is practicing medicine under extreme pressure conditions, shipping medical supplies for pre-hospital fieldwork, and loading military aircrafts with medical supplies and equipment. “As a contracted medical diver, I became a soldier, sailor, diver, parachuter, chauffeur, marine mammal tech, and instructor,” Starbeck says. “Ultimately, I prepped and facilitated each medical dive and offered specialized clinical support for the military divers.”

In addition, Starbeck explains the procedural and technical aspects of being a medical diver on a naval vessel and on an airplane. “I was required to do a lot of teaching in an effort to prevent diving related injuries,” he says. “We were always prepared for illnesses associated with the pressure conditions anywhere in the world from deep seas to mountain tops.” Starbeck aims to give other recreational divers, military divers, and the general public a firsthand account of the many facets and challenges to medical diving within the military, including a record-breaking dive. “Once I had an extraordinary altitude dive looking for MK-82 bombs,” Starbeck says.