Joseph Amaral remembers pulling up the captain's ring like it was just yesterday.

Amaral was a 34-year-old commercial diver when he found the captain's ring of the legendary DeBraak shipwreck. The Parkesburg resident turned 76 last month, but the day is still clear in his mind.

Last year, he decided it was time to write a book to share his experiences from four decades of diving. He started writing the novel in September, and it was done and published by Christmas. Not too shabby of a turnaround, especially for a first-time author.

"Without (my publisher), I couldn't have moved as quickly as I did," Amaral said. "I was able to tell my stories."

Amaral's book, titled "My Hunt for the Lost Ships of History," is a six-chapter, 225-page novel that details his experiences with shipwrecks like the DeBraak, L'Auguste, John Dwight, Alva and SS Brother Jonathan. Visit http://www.captainjosephamaral.com for purchasing options.

Amaral grew up in Massachusetts, just west of Cape Cod. Like many from his generation, he served in Vietnam right out of high school, earning two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for Valor.

He is also a graduate of a scuba school in Key West, Fla., which was operated by Navy SEALs.

"Being a Vietnam veteran, the war wasn't too popular," Amaral said. "My dad was giving me a lot of heat, telling me to straighten out my life. I picked up a Skin Diver magazine and saw an (advertisement) for a commercial dive school in Texas."

Amaral sold everything he had and drove across the country to attend the school. He paid for his own tuition and graduated seventh out of 44 students in his class.

He was working for Sub-Sal, a corporation based out of Reno, Nev., when he found the ring.

"It was the best day of my life," he said. "I found the ring and didn't think much of it ... but it turned out the ring is what proved it was the captain. It was a memorial to his brother."

Amaral's experiences with the DeBraak, a Dutch ship that was eventually captured by the British, and other famed shipwrecks were featured in TIME Magazine and a documentary on Discovery Channel. Now, he can say that he chronicled his experiences for himself.

Two copies of Amaral's work are available to be checked out of the Parkesburg Free Library, 105 West St., Parkesburg. He hopes to hold a book signing at the library in the future, but details have not been finalized.

Amaral has been married to his wife, Christine, for more than 30 years. She attended Harvard Medical School and was also a diver. The pair met on board.

"I wouldn't let her off the boat until she gave me her phone number," Amaral said. "Every fortunate moment in life is meaningless unless it is shared with those you love."

The pair moved to Chester County after Christine got her first job out of school. Amaral finds it funny that a couple of divers wound up in a landlocked state.

"I was like a fish out of water for the first year," he said.

Amaral is already working on a second book, one he is co-writing with colleague Rob Morris, another former diver. His second book, like the one published in December, will be published by Arnica Press.