Cousteau

"What if the Wright brothers, after inaugurating powered flight, had gone on to fly the Atlantic instead of Lindbergh, written the books and movies that popularized aviation and warned the world of the threats from ozone depletion and global warming? They'd have then done for the sky what Jacques Cousteau did for the sea." --David Helvarg, The Washington Post Jacques-Yves Cousteau was not trained as a scientist, but he inspired millions to become marine biologists and oceanographers.  He and two of his friends invented the Aqualung and created the sport and underwater exploration tool of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing appartus) diving.  His friend Loel Guiness (the Guiness of the famous Guiness pint) gave him the money to buy the Calypso, an uncommissioned minesweeper he then converted into a research and exploration vessel. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's Jacques Cousteau gave voice to the nature and grace of the oceans and later in his life, turned to promoting causes to protect the oceans and the planet against industrial destruction. Both Jacques Cousteau and musician John Denver, who wrote the song 'Calypso' to celebrate Jacques Cousteau's life and work, died on the same day in 1997. The Calypso, after Cousteau's death, had been docked and left to rust, a punctum image and a metaphor of his mission to bring enlightenment of the fragility of the planet and the state of the ocean. Yet, hope remains.  The Cousteau family continues to actively pursue ocean protection, education and conservation and the 'Calypso,' so long neglected, is finally entered dry dock to undergo repairs and restoration.