Jacques Yves Cousteau: The man who showed us the oceans.
Many a budding oceanographer has been lured into the subject by the books and films of Jacques Cousteau. Millions more scuba divers owe their hobby to his co-invention of the aqualung, arguably the single greatest contribution to our understanding of the shallow seas. Underwater archaeology would not exist without his pioneering dives and excavations on shipwrecks.
He was also one of the strongest voices arguing for the preservation of the world's oceans, producing films and books sourced in his explorations in order to to show the population of the globe the beauty and fragility of its home. With his research team he spent over four decades criss-crossing the world's oceans aboard his converted British world war 2 minesweeper: The Calypso, a name that to this day evokes the colour blue and the endless open ocean in my mind. He was also one of the inspirations of my own fascination with Earth systems science.
JYC was born in rural France and was fascinated by water from an early age. He joined the French navy after finishing school, and developed an interest in shooting films during his patrols at sea. After the fall of Paris in 1940, he went to live in the Alps and joined the French resistance (being awarded the Legion of Honour for his service). During this time he started experimenting, using newly developed compressed air cylinders and snorkeling equipment, diving in Alpine lakes with his engineer friend Emile Gagnan. After a period of development, the aqualung was invented. He also developed underwater film cameras, setting the stage for his lifetime's work. By 1960 over 1 million Americans were scuba diving using his aqualung, and manufacturers couldn't keep up with the demand for equipment.
In 1945, he set up the French navy's underwater research team, leaving the forces four years later to follow his dream of exploring the oceans. In his last year of service, he pioneered underwater archaeology, leading the first dive by a scientific team on a Roman shipwreck: The Mahdia. He later dived and excavated many more wrecks, and is famed for pronouncing a 2000 year old wine from the sea bottom drinkable. He leased the Calypso and set off on his first expedition in 1951.
Needing funds to continue his work, he wrote his first book 60 years ago this year, called The Silent World. It was the first time the public was introduced visually to the wonders of the least explored part of the globe: the undersea realm. It became a bestseller, with 5 million copies sold worldwide, and the 1956 film won the Palme D'or at Cannes film festival. This started a long career of financing his expeditions by publicising the wonders of the oceans, with over 50 books and 115 films to his credit. The fame also brought extra funding from bodies like the National Geographic Society and the French government.
He produced his first TV series in the late 60's, which ran for 9 seasons. His concern from witnessing the increasing damage to the oceans caused by humanity led him into environmental activism. He founded the Cousteau Society in 1973, in order to alert the world to the increasing perils threatening underwater ecosystems. He continued campaigning for marine conservation and ecology until his death, and helped secure the moratorium on whale hunting by personally lobbying heads of state to get their International Whaling Commission votes. He was also instrumental in the banning of dumping nuclear waste at sea, and from the early 1980's his films and books became an increasingly desperate plea for us to show the respect we owe to the world's oceans.
He didn't start out as an environmentalist, but an explorer. When they remastered the film of Silent World, people wanted to cut some ugly scenes in which the Calypso accidentally rams a baby whale. The crew put it out of its misery by shooting it, along with the sharks who came to feast. Cousteau refused, saying 'No. It was true, and it shows how far we've come and how dreadful humans can be if we don't curtail ourselves'. His change of perspective reflects our own, as we realise the increasing mess we are making of the natural world we depend on. If he were still alive he would be grieved at the lack of action on the problems he highlighted.
In 1996 the Calypso was rammed by a barge and sunk in Singapore harbour. Cousteau was working to raise funds for a replacement, but died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 87. His honours include the National Geographic Society's gold medal (awarded in person by JFK), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (awarded by Ronald Reagan), the UN International Environmental Prize and election to the Academie Francaise in 1989. His environmental work is continued by his sons.
He never went to university, but understood the sea, and shared it with ordinary folk more effectively than any academic study. He affected the lives of millions, nurturing their love of the sea by sharing his own, in a simple and honest manner. For a self made man, he had an immense positive impact, enriching people's lives with a new sense of wonder. Via scuba diving he encouraged millions more to develop a personal respect for marine ecosystems by having both an individual experience of the beauties of the sea, and a personal investment in their survival.
In these days of HDTV and channels like Discovery and National Geographic, it is easy to forget the recent and humble beginnings of our knowledge of the oceans, and how much they owe to one man. So next time you view an underwater nature doco, or go skindiving, pay him a silent thank you, and share his respect for our beautiful blue marble.
I remember thinking when he passed: There goes one of the greats. Every now and then a special life crosses the interweaved firmament of human existence that has a major impact upon the world's view of itself. JYC's was one of them, a life well lived, following his passion and widening our awareness of our planet into previously unknown realms.
Ave et Vale (1910-1997)...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100611-jacques-cousteau-100th-anniversary-birthday-legacy-google/
http://www.biography.com/people/jacques-cousteau-9259496
http://www.cousteau.org/about-us/jaques
http://www.oceanfutures.org/
