Paul Mila may have retired two years ago after a successful career in corporate life, but he has certainly remained active, dipping his feet into the literary world to produce his first book, Dangerous Waters. Even though Mila, 57, has not been consumed by writing all his life, it's a passion that he's had to shake, and it was never far from his thoughts. He now devotes his time to writing, scuba diving and underwater photography, consequently incorporating the ocean and diving as the core of his writing.

Diving in the same waters as the characters in his book, which was published in March, has enabled Mila to write with realism and to describe, in an interesting fashion for the non-diving reader, what it feels like to explore the undersea world. Dangerous Waters is a fiction work designed for readers to take along on their next vacation, or just to the beach.

The book is about Terry Hunter and her undersea adventure in the deep blue of the Pacific and the Caribbean. Determined to overcome some hardships, Terry runs her own dive operation in Cozumel, Mexico and proves she is more capable in the male-dominated culture. But after she unwittingly uncovers a drug smuggling scheme, she becomes entwined in an international investigation, risking her life to help a New York detective solve a baffling case.

Almost five years ago, Mila vacationed in Cozumel with family and friends and he took advantage of free scuba lessons from an American scuba instructor, Alison, the same woman whom Mila transformed into Terry Hunter.

"I took [Alison's] character and weaved it into a fictional book," he said. "I wanted to entice readers with an enjoyable and entertaining light read, writing it in such a way that people who dive and people who don't dive can relate."

Mila's free scuba lessons went further than the pool, and instead into more than 80 feet of ocean water. "It was the most incredible thing that I had experienced," he said. "It was then that I decided to continue on with the diving and take lessons to become a certified diver."

Mila took a six-week class at Scuba Network, completing a written test and an open water dive. He is now a N.A.U.I. certified advanced diver and has a P.A.D.I. certification as an underwater naturalist.

Mila's underwater pictures, some of which are printed in Dangerous Waters, have been featured on websites related to scuba diving and have been shown at the recent Mind Body Spirit Festival in Australia. He has had the opportunity to photograph and dive with Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas, humpback whales in the Dominican Republic and an amazing variety of sea life in both Cozumel and Bonaire. Mila photographed the cover of Dangerous Waters, which features a shark, during one of his underwater expeditions.

In pursuing a writing career, Mila has followed the advice of writers who said to write about what you know and like. Mila said that it is an amazing feeling to get a book and hold it in your hand. "It gives you a sense of accomplishment and vulnerability at the same time," he said. "As exciting as it is, you have to be open to criticism because your book is in pubic domain. There is a dual dichotomy of emotions," he said.

And those emotions have propelled him to write his second book, Whales' Angels, expected to debut in early 2005. He will continue both Terry's and New York detective Joe Manetta's journey through Cozumel where they travel to the waters of the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic to swim with humpback whales.

Even with his photographs engulfing the walls in his living room, Mila finds the basement as his place of solitude, free of distractions other than the occasional reverie of his days in Cozumel. And even while Mila wishes he began writing years ago, he still continues to open new chapters in his life.

In addition to writing, Mila volunteers as the varsity assistant coach for the Carle Place Girl's Tennis Team, something that he has been doing for the past five years. He also volunteers to speak to young students in local schools about the exciting world under the sea.

Mila graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor of arts in economics and finance and completed his master's degree in economics. He lives in Carle Place with his wife, Carol, and their two daughters, Christine and Laura.

Dangerous Waters can be ordered through Ingram's Books in Print Database, directly from the publisher at www.authorhouse.com or through the book order hotline at (888) 280-7715 or www.pjmilabooks.com. The 224 page paperback book is also available at several local retailers, including Book Review in Huntington, Book Hampton and East End Books - both in East Hampton, Gotham Book Mart in Midtown West in New York and Penn Books in Penn Station. The book is also available in scuba shops, and can be purchased online at Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

To contact Mila, email him at pjmila@hotmail.com.