Date: 16/09/2013
Clive Cussler, 82, not only writes best-selling fiction about underwater adventures but participates in them.
He is a member of the International Scuba Hall of Fame. He is passionate about preserving maritime history. Cusslers nonprofit organization has found 75 underwater wrecks. Cussler was an Air Force mechanic during the Korean War when he discovered a passion for scuba diving. He started writing fiction after 15 years in advertising. To be different, Cussler says, I placed my hero in and around water. Dirk Pitt was named after Cusslers then-3-year-old son.