The inventions of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Here, underwater pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau stands next to an historic diving helmet suit at the founding of his Society for the Protection of Ocean Life in 1973. Cousteau did a lot to enable divers to move in water with ease - almost like fish - discarding that heavy metal suit, which looked more suited for a medieval knight.

At the bottom of the Red Sea in '63, Cousteau keeps up with his small research submarine. Even then he was able to use underwater radio communications to speak with the submersible's captain. That said, one essential part is missing: He's not wearing a buoyancy-device, which today is considered essential to prevent divers from stirring up sediment or from damaging coral with their fins.

An engineer named Emile Gagnan developed this regulator for Cousteau. It had just one stage to reduce air pressure. A disadvantage: The pressure of the air one breathed equaled that at the tip of the tank - not at the mouthpiece. So when the diver descended head down, he had to actively suck. Ascend head up, and he had to blow. The advantage: Air exited behind the head, which was good for filming.

In its time, this submarine must have recalled science fiction movies. In 1959 Cousteau presented his research submarine at the International Oceanographic Congress in New York. Cousteau developed most of the gadgets for his filming activities himself: underwater casings for his cameras, lights and much more.

The Calypso was a present from the Irish Guinness brewery to the underwater researcher. Cousteau equipped it with a helipad and used the cranes for launching his Zodiac boats, submarines, shark cages and other equipment. Inside, there was space for lab work. And the ship was a permanent film set. Cousteau produced more than 100 movies, bringing the dream of the South Sea into every living room.

This unusual vessel has the name of Cousteau's son, Philippe. He launched it in 1980 at the harbor of Le Cap d'Agde in southern France. The submarine could carry eight passengers, and it was designed to be used more as an underwater sightseeing bus than anything else - to convey the beauty of the seas to those who could not dive themselves.

Cousteau presents his underwater research station Precontinent III. Divers could sleep there. It follows a principle that today still applies to professional divers and construction workers in the field of building tunnels: They have to spend long periods under conditions of increased air pressure.

If people are under permanent increased pressure, their blood will take in more nitrogen from the air. Should divers accend too quickly to the surface, this gas would bubble out, just like CO2 from a can of soda. That's why divers who spend a long time under water need a long time to get back to the surface - and it's also why they prefer to remain in a pressurized environment and avoid surfacing.

This diving bell was the previous model - but it's not suited for spending a night there. But those ascending from greater depths can enter the bell and spend a few hours inside. It's not located at greath depth, but is instead big enough for divers to relax in and wait until the nitrogen content in their blood has gone down sufficiently. Then, they can safely surface.

This metal structure was once Cousteau's shark cage, which he used in the Red Sea. Now, it is an archeological sight for divers, who can still find it at the botom of these waters.

The idea of shark cage diving has caught on with the tourist industry. And please, do enjoy the thrill of this smiling bull shark without the danger of meeting it in the open water! Some companies use bait to lure the sharks, but among organized sport divers, this is considered an absolute no-no! It teaches sharks that humans mean food - and that could lead to danger.

There are other ways to approach wild animals - using camouflage. Cousteau used this model, for example, to make a movie about hippos.

Underwater scooters were not an invention of James Bond's "Q". Back in 1956, Cousteau conducted experiments with this model. This picture was not taken during research, however. It shows tthe researcher aboard the Calypso with the actresses Edith Zetline, Isabelle Corey and Bella Darvi during the Cannes Film Festival.

Today, water scooters have far more powerful batteries and motors. They're also a lot smaller. This makes for an even better experience - almost like flying.

This is how the successor to Calypso was supposed to have looked - with an innovative sail. It never became a reality, though. The original ship sank in an accident in Singapore in January 1996. Jacques-Yves Cousteau died on June 25th, 1997 at the age of 87. His first ship is currently being repaired in Turkey. Later, it's supposed to serve to promote conservation - in the spirit of Cousteau.