Shipwrecks of the Caribbean is written by recent Women Divers Hall of Fame inductee and President, Martha Watkins Gilke and is a good primer for reviewing wreck sites in Aruba and the U.S.V.I. as well as throughout the Caribbean. David Lauterborn has been diving the U.S.V.I. for nearly two-decades. His Lonely Planet guide to Diving and Snorkeling U.S. Virgin Islands is a handy companion. Watch for the two most up-to-date guides on the U.S.V.I.: Frommer's Virgin Islands comes out in August and Frommer's Portable Virgin Islands (the slimmer, "best of" version) will be released in September. Aruba's most current guides are both pocket sized: Fodor's Pocket Aruba, 3rd Editon and Frommer's Portable Aruba, to be realeased in September. Maui Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Paddle, Surf, Drive says it all when it comes to the endless adventures of exploring wild Kauai. Maui Revealed is a recent guide packed with insider's tips and Maui, Hawaii Map published by the University of Hawaii Press is an essential tool for in-depth topside exploration.

Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Turks & Caicos hasn't been recently updated, but remains the definitive guidebook to Turks and Caicos' eight islands.

Anyone intrigued by Papua New Guinea should add Kira Salak's Four Corners : A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea to their book stack. Salak is a curious risk-taking adventurer and thankfully, a gifted writer and storyteller too. Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling: Papua New Guinea by Bob Halstead and Sport Diver contributor Tim Rock hasn't been recently updated but it will certainly orient you when planning a PNG dive trip. Big or small, mainstream or obscure, every worthwhile sight and activity in Honduras is covered in Moon Handbooks Honduras. Published in 2003, it's the most recent of the guidebooks covering Honduras and the Bay Islands (Roatan). Cozumel is truly a diver's town and it seems that nearly every diver has been there at least once. Fodor's Gold Guide Series offers the most-up-to-date guidebook: Cancun, Cozumel, Yucatan Peninsula 2005. Diving Cozumel, though a little dated, is a comprehensive introduction (or refresher) to Cozumel's much-loved dive sites. Two Dominica guidebooks that work well in tandem are Lonely Planet: Diving and Snorkeling Dominica by Sport Diver contributor Michael Lawrence, and the more recent Adventure Guide Dominica & St. Lucia Underwater digital photography hobbyists will want to watch for Sport Diver contributors Jack and Sue Drafahl's The Master Guide to Underwater Digital Cameras available in August at www.jackandsuedrafal.com.