Muncie, IN
April 27, 2010


Xlibris, the world’s leading print-on-demand self-publishing services provider, announced today the release of This Thing Called Scuba, an engaging new book authored by veteran scuba diver and instructor Tom Leaird.


In This Thing Called Scuba, the author takes readers on a fresh look at the recreational activity of scuba diving, including a bit of history, the changes that have taken place in the oceans, dumb things divers commit, and many personal experiences from diving throughout the world. Readers will learn that scuba has long been a central part of Leaird’s life and helped make him a better-rounded individual. Along the way, this book also reveals memorable underwater adventures, the stress that comes with scuba diving, how unique the lifestyle of the scuba diver is from others, and much more. Ultimately, it will give readers and even diving enthusiasts deep insight on scuba diving’s essence.


This Thing Called Scuba will be featured at this year’s Book Expo America, which will be held in New York, NY on May 25 to 27, 2010. Readers who wish to order a copy are encouraged to visit Xlibris.com,
call toll free (888) 795-4274, or send an email to orders(at)xlibris(dot)com today.


About the Author
Tom Leaird became a diver in 1961 and a YMCA Scuba instructor in 1969. He volunteered to either author or co-author nine training manuals. He has a background in photo lab management, which came from the U.S. Army plus thirty-one years with Lifetouch Prestige Portraits. Leaird began Leaird’s Underwater Service as a part-time scuba store in 1971. The author has certified more than two hundred fifty new instructors from Europe to Hawaii with the Yscuba program until it ended in 2008. To replace that program, he started Scuba Educators International and continues as CEO. Leaird and his team of twelve instructors in the area of his home in Muncie, Indiana, have certified over four thousand scuba students.


This Thing called Scuba * by Tom Leaird
Publication Date: January 26, 2010
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 248 pages; 978-1-4500-3042-7
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 248 pages; 978-1-4500-3043-4