The Living Sea

by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, James Dugan

D#15

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Travel, Biology, Environment, Animals

15 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Born in 1910, was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, and filmmaker, who studied the sea. Although he is most famous to us from his television programmes, he also co-developed the aqua-lung, and pioneered marine conservation as a political and scientific priority.
In the Calypso, an ex-Royal Navy minesweeper, Cousteau visited the most interesting waters of the planet. During these trips he produced many books and films. He gained three Oscars for; The Silent World, The Golden Fish, and World Without Sun, as well as many other top awards including the Palme d'Or in 1956 at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cousteau liked to call himself an "oceanographic technician". He was in reality a sophisticated lover of nature who found a way of communicating complex scientific and biological concepts to ordinary people. While he was criticised at the time by some academics for failing to express science 'properly', his work permitted many people to explore the resources of the "blue continent". As an example of his influence, in 1975, folk singer John Denver composed the song "Calypso" as a tribute to Cousteau and his research ship Calypso. The song reached the number one position on the Billboard 100 charts.
Cousteau's work did a great deal to popularize knowledge of underwater biology and was featured in the long-lived documentary television series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau which began in 1968. On January 11, 1996, the Calypso sank in Singapore harbour. Cousteau died on June 25, 1997 - his work is continued by his son Jean-Michel and his grandson Fabien, who studies sharks from a custom-built shark-shaped submarine.

Reviews

[Marysya Rudska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Кусто для мене - одна із найбільш надихаючих постатей 20 століття. Він не лише був крутим дослідником, винахідником, дайвером, капітаном, а щей - це важко було не помітили - популяризатором знань про океани, популяризатором досліджень і цікавості до світу. Він вмів налагодити стосунки з людьми, без чого це все не вдалось би. А ще, як виявилося, класно писав. Книжка легка і надихаюча - з детальними поетичними описам підводного світу, смішними сценками з побуту його команди і захоплюючими історіями досліджень. Вдвічі цікаво було це читати, бо я й сама людинориб завдяки цій людині :)

[Nicholas Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Although co-authored with James Dugan, it seems Cousteau is a better writer. Dugan wrote "Man and the Sea" which I haven't been able to finish, partly because its so horribly written. If you're into the ocean, this book has a great last chapter about the psychological changes people undergo while living in underwater habitats for weeks at a time. A must-read for all of you seafarers!

[Andrew Maul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me feel I was right there in the water with Jacques and Falco. Travel, marine biology, marine archeology, submarines, and seafaring adventures all in one book. Parts were eyebrow raising such as riding and eating seaturtles and tortoises or abusing sharks simply because they are hated. We have come a long way since this book was published, but Cousteau remains a pioneer for conservation and exploration of the Living Sea in so many ways. Good read.

[Urban Andersson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastisk skildring av Costeau som en av havsdjupens utforskande pionjärer.
Genomgående finns det en stark närvaro och upptäckarglädje.
Många spännande och kreativa lösningar som Cousteau och hans team fick utveckla under tiden
Det märks att man inte hade nått lika långt när det gäller naturvård och arbetsmiljö och ibland känns det mer som skrönor i någon sjömansbar.

[Thomasaquinas Ozoagu]

When brave men set out into unknown worlds in search of nothing but setting new records and making new discoveries, this is what you get: a fascinating documentary about sea exploration.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good. Very good. But it took me forever to read, where The Silent World was an easy read, this just dragged for no good reason despite the amazing content. I blame James Dugan.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrative account of the early years in the career of ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, including his acquisition of the old naval vessel Calypso, dives in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean, exploration of shipwrecks, and numerous encounters with sea life. This was an enjoyable read, for anyone interested in Cousteau's work. There are some sad moments when crewmembers die in accidents, reminding the reader of the dangers of life (plane crashes) and of exploration (mishaps while diving). There are also some disturbing encounters with dangerous sea creatures and one very disturbing encounter with Human traffickers. On the brighter-side, the chapters on undersea archeology was fascinating and sometimes even poignant as they uncovered long lost artifacts, a tenuous tie to the ancient peoples who created them. There is also a growing sense of respect for the seas and its inhabitants; Cousteau and his crew would learn to befriend individual fish and to marveling at the underwater dances of Dolphins.

[Jody Rambo]

Still have images in my mind from childhood of Cousteau jumping of his marine research vessel 'Calypso' -- from the TV series, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." It was a undersea wonderland to me then. The book fills in a narrative I didn't catch back then, and captures the life of a person who seems to have belonged more to sea than to land. Interesting & straightforward. The spearing of fish for sport is unsettling however.

[Jordyn Boettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic must read for all marine biologists or aficionados of the ocean.