World War II spy, inventor, conservationist, and award winning documentarian. Getty
The French underwater pioneer, inventor, and conservationist Jacques Cousteau remains the closest version of a real-life Aquaman as we’ve ever seen. Similar to Buzz Aldrin, Cousteau introduced millions of people to a world that they barely knew existed: the ocean. He also helped develop the first version of scuba tanks, created Oscar-winning documentaries, and wrote best-selling books all about the watery depths of his passion.
Predictably, for a man of his era, his greatness also came with a few strange foibles, like keeping a secret family for decades and envisioning a real-life Atlantis. Nevertheless, his dedication to the world’s oceans influenced countless people and conservation that continues to this day.
Few have lived a life with so many accomplishments.
Invention Of The Aqualung
Prior to Cousteau’s and Emile Gagnan’s work on a clever new valve, divers strapped on what amounted to a burlap sack with weights and a goldfish bowl on their heads. One can only imagine the trepidation of relying on a fancy garden hose to keep you alive. If that hose malfunctioned for any reason, divers could suffocate with no chance of leaving the seafloor under their own power.
"If we are not willing, we will disappear from the face of the globe to be replaced by the insect," he said.(Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
A Whole New World
The duo’s aqualung opened a whole new world to recreational diving and set the foundation for the equipment people use today. Ironically, if not for a car accident he planned on becoming a Navy pilot, like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. It’s wild to think how the faulty lights of a Salmson sports car changed the world.
Cousteau's words ring even more true today.
Fated To Be A Waterman
After the accident, in which doctors recommended amputating his arm, the ocean became Cousteau’s happy place. Through daily swims, he fully recovered from his brush with death and became so enthralled, he set a then-world record in 1947 by freediving 300 feet into the ocean. As he once wrote, ''I loved touching water. Physically. Sensually. Water fascinated me.'
In another happenstance of serendipity, the merman became good friends with Thomas Loel Guinness of Guinness Beer. The beer heir, who weirdly also loved the ocean despite coming from England, eventually funded Cousteau’s infamous research vessel, the Calypso.
Simone Melchior Cousteau,"La Bergère", the Shepherdess, of the Calypso helped Cousteau in countless ways. polarjournal
Introducing The Ocean To The World
Perhaps even more important than providing the world with the tools for underwater exploration, Cousteau inspired countless people with his books and films. He’s won as many Academy Awards as Meryl Streep, starting with the 1957 documentary, “The Silent World”, based on his book of the same title that sold over 5 million copies.
It's very unlikely Cousteau would have accomplished as many things without Simone Melchior
Conservation Work
To protect the place he so dearly loved, Cousteau became the ocean’s version of Dr. Suess’s Lorax. In the 1960’s when the French government decided that dumping nuclear waste into the Mediterranean Sea sounded reasonable, he used his clout to stop it. He was also one of the first to curb commercial whaling in the ‘80s.
Similar to David Attenborough, Cousteau felt it was necessary to show the effects of humans on animals. In one gut-wrenching scene in “The Silent World,” his research vessel collided with a baby sperm whale. The crew, believing they were committing an act of mercy, shot the young sperm whale before proceeding to shoot the sharks who were feeding on its carcass.
When the film was remastered, many wanted to edit that scene out. However, the man at the top declined saying, “It was true, and it shows how far we've come and how dreadful humans can be if we don't curtail ourselves.'"
In this Sept. 10, 1983 file photo, Jacques Cousteau's research vessel, the Calypso, makes its way past downtown St. Paul to a berth at Harriet Island, Minnesota. (AP Photo/IS, file)
Legacy
Cousteau also founded the Cousteau Society in 1973, committed to conserving and protecting the ocean for future generations. The group boasts over 50,000 members and even looks to renovate and restore the legendary Calypso again. His mistress, Francine Cousteau who also became his second wife, has made it her mission to see the vessel sail again.
"I have been fighting for over 20 years to protect the legacy that the Captain has passed on to the Cousteau Society. It is a passionate and complex mission, which I won’t abandon, no matter the obstacles along the way. This situation has reinforced my determination to carry out Captain Cousteau's wish for Calypso to sail again.”
