Girl on the ocean floor

[eskimo3883]

I just read Girl On the Ocean Floor. This was written by Lotte Hass, the wife of Hans Hass. It covers their first meeting to the end of their dive trip to the Red Sea and the marriage proposal by Hans. The book was the English version and was very easy to read. I liked Lotte's writing style even better than Hans, although part of that may be due to translators. I was raised on J. Cousteu and after reading about Hass I am surprised it took me so long to even hear about Hass. I have never seen any mention of him on US television. These folks were way out in front of the pack especially considering the time in history. Fun to read Hass's book about the red sea trip followed by his future wife's version. You can read between the lines and imagine Hass showing off spearing a shark (and being bitten).

I also bought the movie on German Amazon.com. I bought two sets:

Two disk "Klassik Edition":
1)"Pirsch unter Wasser" 1942
2) "Menschen unter Hain" 1947
3) Abenteuer im Roten Meer 1951
4) Unternehmen Xarifa 1954
5) Biographie Hans Hass 2006

There is also a 5 disk set "Hans Hass Dem Paradies auf der Spur" which has 12 films spanning 1974 to 2006.

German Amazon is cheap and looks just like Amazon.com in the USA. Google Amazon and German. I used Google Language bar to translate what legman I did not understand. They take the same credit card.

[shackle]

Eskimo, Wow ! Your avatar! I had one of those when I was a kid and had forgot all about it. Thanks for the memories.

[21]

Made by Marx brothers toy company in Chicago.

Produced in several neon colors.

Cost new in 1965 $.010 --ten cents!

Value today? Priceless!

(Yes I have several)

[YankDownUnder]

Hans Hass had a television show at about the same time as Sea Hunt. I doubt if it appeared in the USA. It was produced in Germany and dubbed into English by the BBC. I saw it on Australian television as a teenager. It was called Diving to Adventure with Hans Hass, the same name as one of his books. It was a nice break from the Mike Nelson adventures as Hass' work was real. It was marine biology with a touch of adventure. He came to Australia and dived here. He mentioned in a text that he was worried about the weight allowance, so he wore his weight belt under his clothes. I think we would be thrown in jail for that today.

A few years ago Hass turned up at Drager in Lubeck, with his original oxygen rebreather. The rebreather needed work and there was no one there who dated back that far and there were no parts for his model in existence. Drager LAR V parts were used to replace the hoses and the DSV. I was sent two 10 x 14 color pictures of him in a pool teaching or just chatting with people from Drager. (I have a friend who worked there.)

Hans Hass was my inspiration to buy a Cressi Sub ARO-57B oxygen rebreather when I was a teenager. Drager rebreathers were not available here in Australia at that time. I still have my Cressi, but I haven't dived it in years. He was my hero and I was in love with Lotte..... when I was 15 years old. I think I still feel the same.

[capn_tucker]

Probably the main reason Hans Hass is virtually unknown in the US is because he is German. In the 1950s (and probably '60s too) Germans still had a bit of a PR problem thanks to Uncle Adolf and his merry band..

[YankDownUnder]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Hass

Hans Hass was actually Austrian, born in Vienna on January 23rd, 1919 and became a professor at the University of Vienna. Austria was invaded and annexed and Hass was drafted, as were many French, Poles and other Europeans whose countries were taken over, as Hitler exercised his need for 'breathing space'. Hass was later was allowed the freedom to conduct underwater research as the Nazis thought his work had potential to improve food resources. Wikipedia lists many of his books.

When I was stationed in Germany, I noticed the Germans and other Europeans had a different way of looking at things. This is reflected in the films available from his early years. He portrays his divers as being able to speak underwater and dubs the voices over gestures associated with speaking. It is a little comical. He also capitalizes on people's fear of sharks, to make his films exciting and more saleable.