The Living Sea

by Jacques-Yves Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Beneath the mantling oceans, Cousteau and his professional diving team excavate a ship which sank in the third century B.C. They roam afar to investigate other wrecks, from one sunk in the Bronze Age to a freighter which went down before their eyes. Captain Cousteau goes down to the bottom of the sea in the bathyscaph and starts an undersea avalanche which engulfs the vessel. He drinks wine that has lain on the sea bottom for two thousand years; he is entrapped at night by twenty-five-foot seaweeds in the Gibraltar current. In THE LIVING SEA you'll meet creatures never before seen or classified: abyssal sharks with shovel snouts and white protruding eyes; a sliver fish shaped like a triangle; a fish whose skin is marked off into perfect checkerboard squares. you will encounter "the Truckfish", an animal unaccountably grown to fifty times the normal weight of its species, and Ulysses, the giant grouper which became the divers' pet.

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

241 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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.