Though neither of them had ever called their meeting a case of love at first sight, they'd both agreed it had certainly been a case of "pretty damned sure at first hour.

Cussler is the founder and chairman of the real-life National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) which has discovered more than sixty shipwreck sites and numerous other notable sunken underwater wreckages. Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15 1931 in Aurora Illinois) is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. He is the sole author or lead author of more than 50 books.