Cousteau's Cool Dive Gear

[SurfLung]

- I've been finding quite a bit of controversial information on the unpublicized aspects of Jacques Cousteau's life... Kind of negative stuff. The gist of it is that he wasn't so much a scientist, environmentalist, animal lover, and explorer as he was a film maker and showman. Kind of a shocking revelation to those of us who were fans of the Cousteau TV shows.
- But I have to say, his showmanship in outfitting his on-screen divers with the coolest looking dive gear... Well, it just HAD to play a huge role in convincing thousands of people to take up scuba diving.

[21]

Until David L Wolper put JYC on TV in 1966 he was barely known out side the diving world. Inside the diving world he was know as the CO-inventor of the Aqua Lung and a partner in US Divers (Aqua Lung)

Dr. Hans Hass was the big hero of the early divers, he did just about every thing JYC did, ten years before and with out outside help.

There are a number of books written about JYC, beginning with James Dugan's 1957 "Undersea Explorer"..when time allows I will post the rest of them.
SDM

[DaleC]

Some tend to have a habit of tearing down icons from the past by pointing out that they weren't "perfect" individuals. I always like to look at things in terms of context. Different times/different behaviors. My take on JYC from reading is that he was a guy who really liked skin/scuba diving and film making and wanted to try to make a living doing that somehow. Almost everything flows from this basic desire to make films that would "sell" and therefore allow him to make more.

Hans was the same way but he used rebreather's instead of OC SCUBA and was on the wrong side of WWII, otherwise, as Dr Sam says, he was the German counterpart to JYC and might even have eclipsed him fame wise.

I too like Cousteau equipments "cool factor" and wonder why it had to stop with him. Today's divers seem so unimaginative in comparison.

[Superlite]

This reply is a little late in joining the conversation, but,here goes.
JYC may have been a showman but he brought the undersea world to the public's eye. He showed us a world that has become larger than life. The first movie I saw from JYC was his "Silent World" then "World Without Sun". Really enjoyed them both. Also like many other folks I enjoyed the really fantastic gear used by JYC.
Hans Haas bought his form to all of us and maybe earlier on than JYC but they both still gave us a glimpse of what is below the surface. I especially liked HH's nature photos of the creatures of the sea. He did such a great job and in black and white (early photos).
So I guess no matter what faults JYC or HH had they brought us many enjoyable moments from the undersea world.
Maybe someday there will be another that will develop equipment to rival what Jacques and Hans developed and used.
May Neptune watch over them both.

[1969ivan1]

Some would say that JYC was also on the wrong side of WWII.

[Bryan]

His brother for sure but from everything I have read Jeek was not.

[Ron]

Everyone remembers JYC, so in the end no matter what he was...it worked. People can bad mouth him all they want, but he was wildly, wildly successful. Hell, his documentary film won Cannes. The last who did that in modern times was, gasp, Michael Moore. If it wasn't for grainy reruns of shows like his on PBS I probably would have never gotten interested in diving growing up in a land locked state...or red hats...or Gauloises. Haters are going to hate...right?



"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[uwstlth]

His brother for sure but from everything I have read Jeek was not.

Very True. I'm currently reading Jacques Cousteau The Sea King by Brad Matsen and it seems that he did very extensive research into JYC and his entire family. His brother "PAC" was a Nazi sympathizer and this drove them apart as JYC didn't want people to know that they were related. In chapter 13 (in case you have the book)Matsen discusses PAC's death due to cancer and the reconciliation JYC had with him just prior to it.

I have found the book very humanizing for the man we all look to as the godfather of the ocean- it is written well and adds many lifestyle stories about him most never knew, at least I didn't. Did you know he moved to NY as a boy with his family as his father was a butler for some rich dude and got hooked on the underwater world stateside, in a lake? I didn't.

[georgeaustin]

Very cool dive gear and for a youngster like me that was interested in non fiction about fish, travel and exploration, the JYC stuff definitely had it's niche but my main inspirations were Ian Fleming and Lloyd Bridges - probably just because those two predated the televised UWOJC productions.
I also like the WWII frogman adventure stories that I could find at the public library.

I just thought of this too - G.I. Joe (ca 1964) with the hard hat stuff and the Navy Frogman outfit probably is the earliest example of me going "Wow! keen!

[TK6411]

I have always been a fan of Cousteau and despite the modern attempts to tear down his reputation and accomplishments. I still admire what he did and how his efforts inspired me to venture into scuba diving. To me there will always be those who do great things and those who don't. Many of these biography writers can't hold a candle to what Cousteau did. Did Cousteau have flaws, of course, but his achievements were many and he inspired hundreds like me to scuba dive or go into marine research. And that surely eclipses those human flaws in my book.

Jim Marshall
"Vintage Scuba Diver San Antonio"

[Superlite]

Cousteau was definitely a figure in our diving world. No one can take that away from him. If you have read Brad Matsen's book, Jacques Cousteau, Sea King, then you also should read "My Father, The Captain". It is a view by his younger son Jean Micheal Cousteau. Both books give lots of insight into the Cousteau mystic. I have both books and neither have changed my mind that JYC is truly a person to be remembered. JYC as well as anyone should be known for their accomplishments, not their lack there of.

[jvanostrand]

When we think of people who have inspired us we fill in all the missing details the way we want to see them. It's never a good idea to meet your idol because you will find he's not everything you imagined him to be. It's also why most people look better with clothes on.

[crimediver]

I always liked reading Hans Haas books because I could always count on some good pics of Lottie the hottie!