Under the Waves

Edgar Berrington wants an engineer's education to include firsthand knowledge of diving. At twenty-one, he turns to Baldwin, an experienced diver who taught him to swim as a child. Their lessons begin among heavy boots, metal helmets, air pumps and weighted diving suits, with Edgar's impatience meeting Baldwin's insistence on understanding the equipment. R. M. Ballantyne builds this adventure for younger readers around the practical skills needed to work beneath the sea.

The story also takes those skills into the waters of the China Sea, where the divers face danger from pirates. In one tense episode, Chok-foo brings a warning, and Edgar and Joe Baldwin confront a pilot while trying to steer their boat clear of an approaching fleet. Technical curiosity and urgent decisions share the page. Readers interested in early diving equipment can find detailed descriptions woven into a sea story, supported by the author's account of consulting equipment makers and trying a diving suit himself.