1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: Guess what will what's that mango? 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 2: So a few years ago I got to go in 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 2: this incredible experience to Kenya and we were off the coast. 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 2: It was in this place called La Mu, and I 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 2: had heard we could go see dolphins, and of course, 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 2: you know, I'm a huge animal lover, and even though 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 2: I'm not a great swimmer, I just had to go. 8 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 2: So we go out onto the open water. It's beautiful, 9 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 2: but the water just starts getting rougher and rougher, and 10 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 2: as we're going you can see the dolphins getting closer. 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 2: So I was getting a little excited. But also the 12 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: water was just getting choppier, and We're on this little 13 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: boat and my stomach is turning and I'm not usually 14 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 2: affected by seasickness, but this was just something else. So 15 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 2: I'm trying to figure out how to control it, Like 16 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 2: do I puke? Do I look at the horizon? Do 17 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 2: I close my eyes? It was really, really miserable. 18 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: That does not sound pleasant. So what did you end 19 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: up doing? 20 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 2: So I tried a little of all of it. Like 21 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 2: I closed my eyes, I was trying to look at 22 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: the horizon, but in the end, the boat captain just 23 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: pushed me into the water, and he said the only 24 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 2: way to get over it is to get into the water, 25 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 2: and he was absolutely right, Like it was crazy. Luckily 26 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 2: the water was so warm, and then, you know, I 27 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 2: obviously had this life jacket on, but I'm in the 28 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 2: middle of a school of dolphins all of a sudden, 29 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 2: and I peer down and they're just swimming and playing, 30 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 2: and it's this incredible experience but also totally terrifying because 31 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 2: I don't swim well. But this week I was reading 32 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: this thing on Jaques Cousto and his son was saying 33 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 2: that even though he grew up on the calypso you know, 34 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 2: with Jaques Custo going on these adventures, you still get 35 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 2: seasick a little. And he said the only way you 36 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 2: can get over it is to get into the sea 37 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,479 Speaker 2: like that, and so I felt a little bit calm 38 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 2: by that, and also felt better about the sea captain 39 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: just pushing me in. But yeah, you know, I was 40 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: curious after reading that. I wanted to know more about 41 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: Jaques Cousto's life. You know, how did he get into exploring, 42 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: did he really work as a spy, and why did 43 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 2: he and his crew always wear those red hats? So 44 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 2: grab your Snorkels. We're about to dive in. 45 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: Hey their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 46 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good 47 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: friend Mangesh Hot Ticketter and on the other side of 48 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: the soundproof glass sporting this red knit hat, of course, 49 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 1: in honor of the undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau. That's our 50 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: friends and producer Tristan McNeil. And I feel like he 51 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: finally got one spot on this time. 52 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 2: He did, But I actually think it might be a 53 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 2: tribute to Steve Suzu from a life aquatic, like just 54 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 2: judging from all those Bill Murray posters behind Tristan. But 55 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 2: you know, since they both were hats like that, why 56 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 2: don't we just call it a dual tribute, and that 57 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 2: why neither of them will be offended. 58 00:02:57,880 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: You know, I actually read that in the original note. 59 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: It's from the movie. Bill Murray's character was supposed to 60 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 1: be named Steve Custo, and that obviously changed as the 61 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: script evolved, but it still shows how big of an 62 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 1: influenced Jacques was on the movie. 63 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I mean not to nerd out on Wes Anderson, 64 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 2: who does happen to have my birthday. But there's a 65 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 2: reference to Jackustou in Rushmore, where like Max tries to 66 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 2: build out aquarium and he gets this book from Jackusteau. 67 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 2: So obviously he's been a hero of his for some time. 68 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm curious, just I haven't checked on your movie 69 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: rankings recently, as Rushmore still in your top five or so. 70 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's still one of my favorite movies. 71 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: That's awesome. Well, after looking into Cousteau's life this past week, 72 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: it's easy to see why he would be, you know, 73 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: a hero to him. And you know, his inventions basically 74 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: revolutionized undersea exploration in the mid twentieth century. Plus you 75 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: consider the work he did in film and TV that 76 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: sparked a public interest in ocean research, and it's really 77 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: been difficult to match that in the decades since then. 78 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: And that's before you get into all the conversation of 79 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: the work that he did later in life, like you know, 80 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: the time in nineteen sixty when he helped prevent the 81 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: French government from dumping nuclear waste into the Mediterranean Sea. 82 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: I mean, that's I feel like that's a pretty decent. 83 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 2: Accomplishment, pretty incredible. Yeah. 84 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, And there was a period there when you know, 85 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: he was pretty much everywhere you looked. 86 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, and this was the day is when 87 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 2: oceanographers could actually be rock stars. But you know that 88 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: said Gusteau was kind of a tough guy to pin down. Like. 89 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: He was an explorer, he was a conservationist, he was 90 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 2: obviously an author, a filmmaker. He won apparently as many 91 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 2: awards as Meryl Street. He was a scientist, a government spy, 92 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 2: and I mean he was pretty much the greatest dinner 93 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: guest in history. 94 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, And obviously anybody with a resume like that is 95 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: worth taking a closer look. So today we'll talk a 96 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 1: little bit about Jacques's background, his legacy, including a few 97 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: of the advances he made during his many years at sea, 98 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: and then later in the episode, we'll try to figure 99 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: out if the beloved explorer is actually to blame for 100 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: a toxic strain of seaweed that happened to escape into 101 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: the world's oceans forty years ago. And the spoiler is, go, 102 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: he totally is. But we can get to all of 103 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: that in a little bit. I feel like we need 104 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: to back up a little bit. Where where do you 105 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: think we should start? 106 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 2: So, at the risk of saving hat obsessed, I do 107 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 2: kind of want to start with the origin of those 108 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 2: red knit caps that Tristan started to show off, because 109 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 2: one thing I was surprised to learn this week is 110 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 2: that divers actually wore hats like that long before Jacques 111 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 2: Cousteau came on the sea, and in fact, it was 112 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 2: pretty standard attire among hard hat divers going all the 113 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 2: way back to the turn of the twentieth century. 114 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: Wait, you said hard hat diver. What's a hard hat diver? 115 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a real term. So it's the name for 116 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 2: the old school diving helmets that you'd see something like 117 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 2: in like twenty thousand leagues under the sea, and sometimes 118 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 2: like you see picks of like Salvador Dolly holding them too, 119 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,679 Speaker 2: But it's those big, bulky spherical helmets with those little 120 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 2: like glass viewports. But you know, when commercial or military 121 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: divers were in their diving suits, they would wear knit 122 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 2: hats under them for just a little bit of extra cushioning. 123 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,679 Speaker 2: And the divers wore red ones specifically because they often 124 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 2: would rest on the docks between their dives, and obviously 125 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 2: they'd have their helmets off at this point, and the 126 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 2: bright hats just made it easier for crane operators to 127 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 2: keep track of them and also to avoid smacking them 128 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 2: in the heads with heavy machinery. 129 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: So that's the reason Custo wore a hat like to 130 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: avoid cranes. 131 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, eventually wearing a red beanie just kind 132 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 2: of became like a diving symbol on its own. You know, 133 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 2: whether that was for like practical reasons or just out 134 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 2: of the sense of tradition. But one likely reason for 135 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 2: why the caps endured so long is that they were 136 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 2: away to honor this famous British diver. His name was 137 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 2: William Walker. And I know we're talking about Jocastow today, 138 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 2: but Walker's story is pretty great and it only takes 139 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 2: a minute. So I'm going to go on a tangent 140 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 2: if you're okay. 141 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: With that, Yeah, sure of course. 142 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 2: So back in the early nineteen hundreds, it was discovered 143 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 2: that England's Winchester Cathedral, which is one of the largest 144 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 2: in Europe, was in danger of collapsing. Apparently, when the 145 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 2: builders laid the foundations back in the eleventh century, they 146 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 2: unknowingly built them on top of the peat bog, and 147 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 2: sadly no one realized this until the cathedral actually started 148 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 2: to sink. So engineers quickly determined that the cathedral could 149 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 2: actually be saved if someone dove in into this bog 150 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 2: and you know, went to the cathedral's foundations, removed the 151 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 2: bottom layer of pete and then replaced it with a 152 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 2: whole bunch of concrete. And so this is exactly what 153 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 2: William Walker did. He was this experienced diver. He was 154 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 2: hired from a nearby dockyard, and over the course of 155 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 2: the next six years, Walker spent six hours a day 156 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 2: submerged in twenty feet of pitch black water like it 157 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 2: was so dark he could barely even see the foundations 158 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 2: he was supposed to be underpinning. But despite the setback, 159 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 2: Walker actually got the job done. He had a one hundred 160 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,119 Speaker 2: and fifty men top side support crew, and all told 161 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 2: he managed to lay a staggering twenty five thousand bags 162 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 2: of concrete and over a million concrete blocks and bricks. 163 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 2: I mean, it's stunning, and because of that effort, the 164 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 2: cathedral was not only saved, it actually still stands today. 165 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: That really is impressive. And I'm guessing this whole time 166 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: he was wearing the red net hat while he was. 167 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 2: Doing this, right, that's right, and so Walker obviously got 168 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 2: a fair amount of press during the ordeal, and it's 169 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 2: likely that other divers knew of him and adopted to 170 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 2: look in his honor, possibly even Jacques Cousteau himself. 171 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: Wow, I like how you looped him back at the 172 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: end there. That was pretty nicely done. All right, Let's 173 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: dig into the real man of the hour, which of 174 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: course is Jacques Eves Cousteau. And as you can imagine, 175 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: Jacques was born in France near Bordeaux if you happen 176 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: to be familiar with the great growing region there, and 177 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: this was in nineteen ten, and his family consisted of 178 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: his father, who was an international lawyer, and his mother, 179 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: who was the daughter of a successful wine merchant and 180 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: a landowner there, plus one older brother. So the Cousteaux 181 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: family was pretty well off, but health wise, Jacques was 182 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 1: actually far from it. So he suffered from anemia and 183 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: this chronic stomach issue that he dealt with throughout his youth, 184 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: and it really didn't slow him down that much though 185 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: at least. And Jaques learned how to swim when he 186 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: was just four years old, and he later credited his 187 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 1: early swimming experience as the origin for the passion of 188 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: his life. And here's what he said about it. I 189 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: was four or five years old when I became interested 190 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: in water. I loved touching water. 191 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 2: I mean, it sounds so simplistic, but I also kind 192 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 2: of know what he's talking about, like the first time 193 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 2: you experienced that sensation of floating, or like the effort 194 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 2: it takes to move through something other than air, Like 195 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 2: it's a surreal moment and it's like nothing you felt before. 196 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, it actually reminds me this other quote from Custeau 197 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: that I like a lot. There are so many good ones, 198 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: but another one is from birth. Man carries the weight 199 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,360 Speaker 1: of gravity on his shoulders. He has bolted to Earth, 200 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: but man has only to sink beneath the surface and 201 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: he is free. Buoyed by water. He can fly in 202 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:44,479 Speaker 1: any direction, up, down, sideways by merely flipping his hand underwater. 203 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 1: Man becomes an arc angel. 204 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 2: So I saw this quote too, and it's from right 205 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 2: after he learned to swim. Right. 206 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, he was four years old and he was like, 207 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,440 Speaker 1: finally I'm free. I'm an archangel now. And he was 208 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: kind of a weird kid, I guess, but back to 209 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: his childhood. Let's just fast forward to about nineteen twenty 210 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: when his family lived in New York while mister Cousteau 211 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: was practicing law, So they lived there for about two years, 212 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: and it was during that time that Jacques learned to 213 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: speak English, and he also got plenty of practice swimming 214 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: and snorkeling at this summer camp that he attended in Vermont, 215 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: and it's actually there that Jacques gets his very first 216 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: taste of diving. So the camp had launched this effort 217 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: to clean up a nearby lake, and Jock volunteered to 218 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,959 Speaker 1: dive to the bottom to help clear away the debris 219 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: that was there. And once again, this early experience proved 220 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:38,359 Speaker 1: formative for Jacques, who quickly fell in love with being underwater, 221 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: despite the fact that he didn't own any goggles at 222 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: the time. 223 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 2: And I'm guessing on a plus side, there probably wasn't 224 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 2: all that much worth seeing at the bottom of a 225 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,559 Speaker 2: dirty lake, so I guess he didn't need those goggles. 226 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean, Jacques was completely hooked after this experience. 227 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: So when his family returned to France in nineteen twelve, 228 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: they settled in the Mediterranean city of Marseilles, which was 229 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: not far from the Italian border. And so this allowed 230 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: Jacques to continue snorkeling, and you know, this is right 231 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: there along the city's coast. Also, not to boggy down 232 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 1: with too many origin stories, but this is also around 233 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: the time that Jacques bought a used movie camera and 234 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: then he proceeded to take a part and reassemble it 235 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: so he could learn how it works. So he was 236 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: a very curious kid in terms of, you know, how 237 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: things were built and everything. So sure, we've already got 238 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: this boy who loves exploring underwater and who now has 239 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: an interest in both mechanics and filmmaking. So I mean, 240 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: his trajectory and life really seems to have taken shape 241 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: pretty early on. 242 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 2: Actually yeah, I mean I think it looks that way 243 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 2: in hindsight, but at the time Jack didn't seem to 244 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 2: have his designs on a career at sea at all, 245 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 2: and certainly not as a researcher. He actually got pretty 246 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 2: terrible grades in high school and he didn't show any 247 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 2: interest in academics. He also acted out a lot as 248 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 2: a teenager, like apparently he went on a window smashing 249 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 2: spree at one point, and it wasn't long after that 250 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 2: that his parents decided to send him away to this 251 00:11:57,640 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: super strict boarding school in northeast France. 252 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,840 Speaker 1: And so did this sixth period straighten him up? Or what? 253 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, it actually did. The school it's in Alsace, and 254 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 2: it seemed to do the trick for Jock because he 255 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 2: did well in and out of school. From then on, 256 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 2: you know, he finished his studies, he attended college in Paris, 257 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 2: and then in nineteen thirty he was accepted to the 258 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 2: French Naval Academy and that's where he trained for a 259 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 2: couple of years before finally being commissioned as a second lieutenant. 260 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 2: After that, things went pretty smoothly. For the next few years. 261 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 2: Jock actually got to sail the world as a gunnery officer. 262 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 2: He traveled to exotic ports in the Indian and South 263 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 2: Pacific Oceans. He captured what he found there on video actually, 264 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 2: and then in nineteen thirty five, with a little bit 265 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 2: of perspective under his belt, Jock finally decided on what 266 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 2: he wanted to do for his life's career. He wanted 267 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 2: to be a naval aircraft pilot aircraft. 268 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 1: So after all this tooling around and see, he wanted 269 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 1: to fly and not sail. It just seems weird, but 270 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: I mean that that obviously didn't happen, so what changed 271 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:53,839 Speaker 1: his mind? 272 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 2: So he had a bit of a tragedy. Unfortunately, in 273 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,199 Speaker 2: nineteen thirty six, just before his training was finished, Jack 274 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,319 Speaker 2: had borrowed his dad's sports car to attend a friend's wedding, 275 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 2: I guess, and on the way back that evening, he 276 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 2: was going a bit too fast around one of the 277 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 2: bends in the road and all of a sudden, his 278 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 2: headlights shorted out, and you know, Custo had this massive accident. 279 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 2: He did survive, but not without breaking like a dozen 280 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 2: bones and fracturing both arms. Worse still, his right arm 281 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 2: became so badly infected that surgeons actually thought the best 282 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 2: option was to amputate it. And you know, Custeau insisted 283 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 2: that his arm be left intact no matter how bad 284 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 2: the infection got. 285 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: But I mean, obviously he recovered, as we know from 286 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: seeing him in later years, So why didn't he go 287 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: back to piloting? 288 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 2: So the damage to his arms was just too severe, 289 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 2: Like there was no way he could have flown a 290 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 2: plane in combat after that. But the accident provided Jock 291 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 2: the opportunity to get reacquainted with the hobbies he loved 292 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 2: as a child, So he actually spent the next several 293 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 2: months swimming daily in the Mediterranean as a way to 294 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 2: strengthen his arms and to make the sessions more enjoyable 295 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,319 Speaker 2: for himself. He borrowed this early pair of swimming goggles 296 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 2: from a friend and this was honestly the first time 297 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 2: he'd done this, and it literally opened Joq's eyes to 298 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 2: the underwater mysteries all around him, and from then on 299 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 2: he pretty much spent as much time as he could 300 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 2: just taking in the strange and colorful plants and animals 301 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 2: that he found on the seafloor. When it was time 302 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 2: to return his friend's goggles, he actually decided to craft 303 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 2: his own pair for something he just happened to have 304 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,479 Speaker 2: lying around, a pair of aircraft pilot goggles. 305 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: Wow, I mean it sounds like he really turned things 306 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: around after the crash. 307 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, he did, and that new outlook extended to his 308 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 2: love life as well. So in nineteen thirty seven, just 309 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 2: a year after the crash, Jacques married a woman he'd 310 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 2: met at a cocktail party earlier that year. Her name 311 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 2: was Simone Melshore, and she and Jacques stayed together for 312 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 2: fifty three years until her death in nineteen ninety and 313 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 2: the couple also had two sons together, Jean, Michel and Philippe. 314 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 2: Both of them joined their parents on many expeditions when 315 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 2: they were young. 316 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: Well, that was what was so interesting, like reading about 317 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: him as a kid or seeing some of the old 318 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: films and things like that. I mean, his wife and 319 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 1: kids pretty much lived with him on the trick that 320 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 1: research ship, and that goes back to the fifties or so, 321 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: doesn't it. 322 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, the ship was the Calypso, And it's actually a 323 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 2: funny name, like if you think about it, Custo got 324 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 2: the name for this sea nymph character in Homer's Odyssey. 325 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 2: So in the story, Odysseus washes up on Calypso's island, 326 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 2: and when she finds him, she enchants the adventure to 327 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 2: make him forget about his wife, Penelope, the one he'd 328 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 2: been trying to get home to, and so Calypso basically 329 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 2: keeps him there as a prisoner for seven years, and 330 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 2: the whole time Penelope is just waiting and hoping that 331 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 2: he finally makes it back to her some day. So 332 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 2: it's kind of strange to name a boat that you 333 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 2: sail around on with your wife and kids that same name. 334 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: I think you made one mistake though, I thought Calypso 335 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: comes from Pirates of the Caribbean. The film series is 336 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: oh right, right, yeah, we'll correct that later. But all right, 337 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: we're getting ahead of ourselves here, because an awful lot 338 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: happened between Custau's wedding and the time the Calypso set sail, 339 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: including the invention of the aqualogue, and of course a 340 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: little something we called World War two. 341 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely a lot to talk about. But let's take 342 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 2: a quick break first and then we'll get back into it. 343 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius and we're talking about 344 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: French oceaneering legend and scuba pioneer Jacques Coustea. All right, Mago, 345 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: So let's talk about the war years and what those 346 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: were like for Custo, because remember he was serving as 347 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: a gunnery office in the French Navy when the fighting began, 348 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: and this was of course, in nineteen thirty nine. 349 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and from what I read, that was a really 350 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 2: difficult time for a Jacques emotionally because suddenly his country 351 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 2: was at war with the Italians right next door. Like 352 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: he'd had so many friends over there and now he 353 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 2: was on board the ships that were attacking their naval bases, 354 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 2: and he clearly felt conflicted, you know, wiging war in 355 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 2: the Mediterranean against all these people he'd grown up. 356 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: With, right, And so then a year later France surrendered 357 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: to Nazi Germany and the Italian occupation began. So it's 358 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: a pretty rough going there in those early years. And thankfully, 359 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: once Paris fell, Cousteau was able to flee with his 360 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: family to this small town near the Swiss border, and 361 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: they lived there peacefully for the next few years. And 362 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: in fact, this period of relative safety was when Jacques 363 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,439 Speaker 1: began to focus on that underwater exploration and beginning to 364 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: do some research, and you know, it was really the 365 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: beginning of what would make this huge career. 366 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,239 Speaker 2: That's true, but we should also mention that it's not 367 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 2: like Cousteau was just on holiday up there, because following 368 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 2: Franci's surrender, he actually joined the French resistance movement and 369 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,440 Speaker 2: he began working against Italy's intelligence services, so basically spying 370 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 2: on Italian troops, kind of keeping track of their movements, 371 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 2: that kind of thing. And then after the war, Cousteau 372 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 2: returned to work for the French Navy to help clear 373 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 2: underwater minds. So really all the years of underwater excursions 374 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 2: and scuba stuff that we're talking about, that's all happening 375 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 2: in between these long running series of military operations he 376 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 2: was involved in. 377 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: So basically, if you weren't impressed enough already, keep in 378 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: mind that all the ocean research and these technical breakthroughs 379 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: like that was really his side gig during World War 380 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: Two exactly. 381 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 2: And it's strange to think about, but it's true. You know, 382 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,400 Speaker 2: Cousteau is living in the heart of occupied France during 383 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 2: the darkest days of the war, and he somehow managed 384 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 2: to turn them into some of the most productive years 385 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 2: of his life. Is truly impressive. In nineteen forty three 386 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 2: in particular, that ended up being this pivotal year for Custo. First, 387 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 2: it was in the town where he'd fled. He'd actually 388 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 2: met this fellow explorer named Marcelle Chak and together that 389 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,959 Speaker 2: year they made the first underwater film. It's called eighteen 390 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,240 Speaker 2: meters Deep. Sorry, it's the first French underwater film, and 391 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:40,680 Speaker 2: they shot at themselves in the waters around this group 392 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 2: of islands in the French Mediterranean. And this was really 393 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 2: the first step in what become this very long career 394 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 2: of underwater film making for Custeau. That wasn't the only 395 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 2: life changing thing he did in nineteen forty three, because 396 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 2: that's also the year that Coustau co invented the aqua 397 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 2: lung with this French engineer named Emil Gagna. 398 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: All Right, so let's give a little bit of background 399 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: on why that's important, because it's not like the aqualung 400 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: was the first breathing apparatus ever made, or or of 401 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: course even the first scuba gear, right m m. 402 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 2: Like the hard hat diving suits we talked about earlier 403 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 2: had been around for almost hundreds of years by that time, 404 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 2: you know, And actually Leonardo da Vinci created designs for 405 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 2: a diving suit way back in the early sixteenth century, 406 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 2: so the idea of breathing underwater definitely was not new. 407 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: That's weird. I'm curious though, Like, do you know what 408 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: da Vinci had come up with. 409 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was basically this dual snorkel system, but with 410 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 2: these really long snorkels, Like he suggested making a boy 411 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 2: out of cork so that it would flow, and then 412 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 2: attaching these long cane tubes to either side. So the 413 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 2: diver below could I guess breede through the submerged ends. 414 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,400 Speaker 2: But you know what the best part of da Vinci's 415 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 2: design is, and I had never realized this before. It's 416 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 2: that Da Vinci actually came up with this bag that 417 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 2: the diver would wear so that he wouldn't pee straight 418 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 2: into the water. 419 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:57,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you got to love the priorities there. 420 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean you get it. But anyway back to Custeau, 421 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 2: I have. 422 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: No idea what you mean by that. 423 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 2: I don't either, But you know, he's got a few 424 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 2: years worth of diving under his belt and he absolutely 425 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,439 Speaker 2: loved it. But you know, over time he started to 426 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 2: get frustrated with the limitations of the diving equipment. He 427 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 2: couldn't travel as deep as he wanted, and he couldn't 428 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,120 Speaker 2: stay under for anywhere near as long as he would 429 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 2: have liked. And at that point, the best thing on 430 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 2: the market was a self contained underwater breathing apparatus or 431 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 2: scuba as we call it, that had been invented about 432 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,199 Speaker 2: twenty years earlier by another Frenchman. So divers already had 433 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 2: this option of wearing air tanks on their backs instead 434 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 2: of like the heavy helmets with the air tubes that 435 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 2: kept them kind of tethered to the surface. But the 436 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 2: problem was that the first scuba gear it actually lacked 437 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 2: any kind of regulator, so there was no way to 438 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 2: control the airflow to the driver, and that meant that 439 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:52,679 Speaker 2: the air supply was used up super quickly because it 440 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 2: was being released in this constant stream, and so dive 441 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 2: times were just actually limited to a few minutes at 442 00:20:58,080 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 2: the best. 443 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: Huh. I could see why that would definitely put a 444 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: damper on this experience for Custau, especially when he wanted 445 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:07,399 Speaker 1: to dive as deep as he possibly could, and it 446 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 1: it's tough to go that far when he've only got 447 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: ten or twenty minutes worth of air. 448 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 2: Right, And that's ultimately what Cousteau was looking to do, 449 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 2: Like he reached out to his friend Emil and a 450 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 2: year earlier, I guess in nineteen forty two, Emil had 451 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 2: invented this demand regulator to control the gas flow in engines, 452 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,680 Speaker 2: and Cousteau thought the valve like that he had invented 453 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 2: might also have applications for diving, and he figured that 454 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 2: if you could just modify the valve a little, it 455 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,440 Speaker 2: could supply air only when a diver was breathing in, 456 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 2: and then it would conserve the air supply and allowed 457 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 2: the diver to stay underwater for longer. So Cousteau took 458 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 2: his idea to his friend and in nineteen forty three 459 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 2: they co invented and patented the on demand diving regulator, 460 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 2: whereas they called it aqualung. I guess this would later 461 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 2: serve as an inspiration for a Jethro Toll song. But 462 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,400 Speaker 2: you know, Cousteau was clearly thrilled about this invention, and 463 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 2: this is what he said at the time. Quote from 464 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 2: this day forward, we would swim across miles of country 465 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 2: no man had known, free and level with our flesh, 466 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 2: feeling what the fish scales know. 467 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 1: I mean, it's kind of a great and weird quote 468 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 1: at the same time, but I mean Custo definitely put 469 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,959 Speaker 1: his newfound freedom to use once the war ended. So 470 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 1: you passed forward a little bit to nineteen forty eight. 471 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: He joined with these fellow divers and a group of 472 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: scientists to explore this Roman shipwreck that was off the 473 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,360 Speaker 1: coast of Tunisia. And this was actually the first underwater 474 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,400 Speaker 1: archaeology operation to use scuba equipment, so it was really 475 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: the birth of this brand new field. And then in 476 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: the early nineteen fifties, Custeau and his team decided to 477 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: take the next step and they devoted their lives full 478 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 1: time to underwater exploration. There was only one problem with 479 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: this is that they would need lots of money to 480 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: fund those expeditions, and unfortunately they didn't have any money. So, 481 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,439 Speaker 1: you know, Custau started reaching out to all kinds of 482 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: French science institutions as well as like potential private donors. Well, 483 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,879 Speaker 1: he eventually struck gold with this wealthy British philanthropist named 484 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: Thomas Lowell Guinness. Now Guinnis also happened to be a 485 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,400 Speaker 1: member of Parliament, so he was connected in so many 486 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: different ways. But Custeau told him about his plans to 487 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: make undersea documentaries and to introduce the world to the 488 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: wonders of the deep, and Guinnis just love this idea, 489 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: and so here's what he decided to do to help. 490 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 1: He bought a decommissioned mind sweepership from the war, and 491 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: this was one that had already been converted to use 492 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: as like a car ferry or something like that, and 493 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 1: he leased it to Custeau for a symbolic price of 494 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: one franc per year, and that's how Cousteau came to 495 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,439 Speaker 1: own the world famous Calypso for one franc. 496 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 2: That's amazing and it's pretty awesome, except now he had 497 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 2: this like giant, like one hundred foot one hundred and 498 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 2: fifty foot like car ferry. But he doesn't still seem 499 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 2: to have much money to equip or staff it, right. 500 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's true. And so the team was was pretty 501 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,159 Speaker 1: much a loss for how to solve that, and they 502 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 1: pretty much tried everything they could, Like Cousteau begged the 503 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,440 Speaker 1: government for grant money. He hassled manufacturers for free equipment. 504 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 1: There was even one time when his wife Simone sold 505 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: her jewels just so they could buy fuel to keep 506 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: the ship at sea. And all of this worked well 507 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: enough for a while, and you know, Custeau was able 508 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: to gradually restructure the ship and transform it into this 509 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: state of the art research vessel. You know, go back 510 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: to him being so interested in the mechanics and all 511 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 1: of this, I'm sure, but was you know, came a 512 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: handy in this process. And they even had this support 513 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: base for diving on the ship, a helipad and the 514 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: special storage for equipment like the one and two man 515 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,879 Speaker 1: mini subs that he developed all by himself. But the 516 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: team's biggest break after all of this, and the thing 517 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: that really allowed him to keep financing their research, was 518 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,919 Speaker 1: Cousteau's media exposure. So throughout the fifties, he and his 519 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: fellow divers began publicizing their efforts and stories for Time 520 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: and National Geographic, and Coustou co authored a biographical book 521 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,439 Speaker 1: for their early ski uba adventures. It was called The 522 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 1: Silent World, and it was this huge financial hit. They 523 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 1: sold more than five million copies over the years, and 524 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,680 Speaker 1: it included the first ever suggestion that whales were able 525 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 1: to communicate with each other using echolocation. 526 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 2: And the team even knew how to build on that 527 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 2: success because like just a few years later, Cousteau made 528 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 2: his first color movie documentary about the ocean. It's called 529 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,720 Speaker 2: The Silent World, and it actually won Best Documentary OSCAR 530 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 2: in nineteen fifty seven. The movie turned out to be 531 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 2: another big turning point for Cousteau's team and really for 532 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 2: diving in general, because at the time very few people 533 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 2: had seen undersea footage before, so the movie was really 534 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 2: like this revelation for people who had no idea what 535 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 2: the plants or the animals in the ocean even looked like. 536 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was actually fun reading about how after this 537 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: film came out, scuba sales like went through the roof 538 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:53,600 Speaker 1: because you've got all these people who are suddenly interested 539 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: in trying diving for themselves. And you know, once again, 540 00:25:57,119 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: Cousteau knew exactly how to capitalize on this, so he 541 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: channeled all that money and public interest into these new 542 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,159 Speaker 1: expeditions until finally he was such a well known figure 543 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 1: that the BBC and ABC here in the US just 544 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: went ahead and gave him his own primetime TV show. 545 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 2: Oh I know about the day. It was actually called 546 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 2: The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, and it kind of 547 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 2: followed the real life exploits of him and his crew 548 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 2: for I want to say, like nine seasons right like that. 549 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 2: That's pretty impressive for like a French nature series. 550 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: Absolutely, and it was it was this series that really 551 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: made Custeau a household name throughout the seventies and eighties. 552 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: You know, in the same way that The Silent World 553 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,400 Speaker 1: had introduced moviegoers to the underwater world, the TV show 554 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,919 Speaker 1: gave viewers their first glimpse at humans interacting with ocean 555 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,959 Speaker 1: creatures like in a way they'd never really seen before. 556 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,679 Speaker 1: And you know, they got to see them swimming with 557 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: dolphins or being pulled along by giant sea turtles, and 558 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: so I'm sure it was just fascinating for people to 559 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: be able to watch for the first time. 560 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing. But I also do want to be 561 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 2: careful that we don't paint too rosy a picture of Cousteau, 562 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 2: because for all incredible achievements, he definitely made a few 563 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 2: really weird mistakes over the years, and honestly, some of 564 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 2: them are just too bizarre not to talk about. 565 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:10,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's that's fair to say. Well, before 566 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 1: we get into that, let's take one more quick break, 567 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: all right, Mangos, So what dodgy aspect of Jaques Coustau's 568 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: life do you think people would be most surprised to learn? 569 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 2: Well, the one I was most stunned to buy, But 570 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 2: it was I guess, his darkest secret, which is that 571 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 2: Custou actually had a secret second family that he hid 572 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 2: from the public for decades. One year after his first wife, 573 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 2: Simone died from cancer in nineteen ninety, Custau actually shocked 574 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 2: the world by revealing that he had been having this 575 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 2: long running affair with a French woman named Francine Triplett, 576 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:00,000 Speaker 2: and they had had two secret children together during the eighties, 577 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 2: and once the fair was out in the open, Cousteau 578 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,520 Speaker 2: married triplet though they still tried to keep it as 579 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 2: quiet as possible for obvious reasons. 580 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 1: Wow. I mean, I know when pop culture French husbands 581 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: have a reputation for keeping mistresses, but having secret kids 582 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: and actually getting married is it seems like it's another level. 583 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: But anyway to think that Simone sold her jewels to 584 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: fuel his ship, that's a tough one. 585 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, it's always confusing to me when people 586 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 2: have two families too, Like one family feels like so 587 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 2: much work. I can't imagine like trying to keep two 588 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 2: of them going. I read this story about William Sewan 589 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 2: who was this legendary editor of The New Yorker, and 590 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,000 Speaker 2: he had two families, but he kept his apartments the 591 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 2: exact same, so that when he reached for the remote 592 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 2: in one where he went to get a notepad in 593 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 2: the other, like, it was basically in the same place 594 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 2: in both settings, which is just so crafty. You know, 595 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 2: his second family is probably the biggest scandal of Cousteau's life, 596 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 2: So I guess at least, you know, it is good 597 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 2: that his wife wasn't around to see the fallout from it. 598 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, that's interesting. Well, the next thing I want 599 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 1: to talk about is a lot less scandalous than a 600 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 1: secret family, but it is a whole lot weirder, I 601 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: actually think because in a nineteen sixty interview with Time, 602 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: Jacques Coustau predicted that humans would one day be able 603 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: to breathe underwater, like actually breathe underwater like fish. He 604 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: apparently thought that medical science would get to a point 605 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,959 Speaker 1: where you could have a reversible surgery that would let 606 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,520 Speaker 1: you alternate between lungs for life on land and gills 607 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: for life underwater. 608 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,959 Speaker 2: So like, in his vision slash fantasy for this, like 609 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 2: would we have underwater colonies? Because I mean, if it 610 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 2: requires surgery to switch back and forth, I'm guessing he 611 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 2: was picturing something more permanent than just like a like 612 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 2: a two week vacation or something. 613 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean he was actually thinking long term with this, 614 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: and can you can imagine for him that would have 615 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: been exciting to just be able to live underwater but 616 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: in that interview, this is what he says about the 617 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: cultural shift he thought would come from having guilt. He said, 618 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: everything that has been done on the surface will sooner 619 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: or later be done underwater. It will be the conquest 620 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: of a whole new world. 621 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like that's just a line from 622 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 2: like Aquaman, like maybe something a bad guy would say. 623 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if that had been said 624 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 1: at some point. But you know, speaking of things that 625 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: sound like they were ripped from a comic book, did 626 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 1: you know that Jaques Cousteau may have been responsible for 627 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: releasing a mutant seaweed strain that continues to smother ocean 628 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: floors to this day. 629 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 2: So I heard you mentioned this earlier, and I'm so curious. 630 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 2: It almost sounds too ridiculous to be true, though. 631 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: All right, well, let me just kind of explain what 632 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 1: happened here, and then you can decide what you want 633 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: to believe on this one. So all right, So it 634 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,800 Speaker 1: all started in nineteen eighty nine when this marine biologist 635 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: named Alexander Mainez went diving off the southern coast of 636 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: France and made this shocking discovery. So what he found 637 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: was that the seabed throughout the region had become covered 638 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: in this toxic tropical algae, one that was you know, 639 00:30:57,680 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: really shouldn't have been able to thrive like that in 640 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 1: the cold Mediterranean water, and it was later determined that 641 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: the tropical seaweed was growing at twice the speed of 642 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: the region's indigenous plants, and even worse than that. Even 643 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: though the seaweed's toxin wasn't lethal the humans or the animals, 644 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: it made the plant taste terrible. And so this meant 645 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,680 Speaker 1: that nothing in the area wanted to eat the invasive species, 646 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: and as a result, it was able to spread, I 647 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: mean pretty much unchecked. And so Alexander knew that like 648 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: if nothing was done, the tropical seaweed would take over 649 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: and the Mediterranean's wildlife would either have to move somewhere 650 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: else or potentially face starvation. So he decided to bring 651 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: his concerns to one of Europe's leading marine research organizations, 652 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: which was the Monaco Oceanographic Museum, and he thought for 653 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,320 Speaker 1: sure that the museum would want to help solve the problem, 654 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 1: but to his surprise, actually the director insisted that the 655 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 1: seaweed had floated in naturally from the tropics and probably 656 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 1: wasn't as dangerous as it seemed. And so here's where 657 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 1: things get interesting, because the invasive algae that supposedly floated 658 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,440 Speaker 1: in from the tropics, DNA testing later showed that it 659 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,800 Speaker 1: was actually an artificial human bread strain that was somehow 660 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:14,840 Speaker 1: released into the Mediterranean. 661 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 2: What, like, I don't even know what that means exactly. 662 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: Well, apparently this was man made. And you know, if 663 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 1: that weren't suspicious enough, researchers also found that the earliest 664 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: known infestation site for the seaweed happened to be directly 665 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: below the Monaco Oceanographic Museum. 666 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 2: Wow, so the plot thickens. But you know, where does 667 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 2: Jackustou figure into all of this? 668 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: Like? 669 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 2: Is he the one behind that strain? No? 670 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 1: I mean that part is actually still kind of a mystery. 671 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 1: And researchers eventually followed the trail to a zoo in Stuttgart, Germany, 672 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: which had imported the strain from the Pacific and then 673 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: used it to decorate their tropical fish tanks because apparently, 674 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,400 Speaker 1: and this is something I actually never heard before, but 675 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: some zoos and aquariums used to have a really hard 676 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 1: time getting seaweed to survive and the artificial environment of 677 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: a fish tank. And so for this German zoo in 678 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: the seventies, the solution turned out to be, you know, 679 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,960 Speaker 1: this imported tropical seaweed, which, for whatever reason flourished in 680 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,360 Speaker 1: the way that other plants never seemed to be able to. 681 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:19,240 Speaker 2: So then what happens exactly like the zoo eventually dumped 682 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 2: their tanks in the ocean, and this seaweed made its 683 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 2: way to the Mediterranean. Like didn't you say you thought 684 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 2: this strain was man made? 685 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: Though, yeah it was. And the thinking here is that maybe, 686 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: just maybe the chemicals and the lights that were used 687 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:36,760 Speaker 1: in the aquarium tanks caused the plant to mutate into 688 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 1: this more invasive species than the kind that was originally 689 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: found in the wild. And since aquariums all over the 690 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: world began using the tropical strain once they heard about 691 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 1: the zoo's success, there's really no way of knowing exactly 692 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,000 Speaker 1: where the mutant batch came from or who dumped it 693 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 1: into the open water. But since the Monaco Museum is 694 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 1: considered the first known infestation site, there's a good chance 695 00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: that it actually did come from there. And so here's 696 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: the thing. Based on the evidence, the most likely time 697 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 1: for all of us to have happened was in the 698 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,600 Speaker 1: early nineteen eighties. And guess who was running the museum 699 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen eighties. 700 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 2: So I guess this whole ecologic disaster like it must 701 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:20,360 Speaker 2: have happened on Cousteau's watch, is what you're saying. 702 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like I should have had that big 703 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,360 Speaker 1: setup and be like, Nope, it actually wasn't custou but no, 704 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,719 Speaker 1: it wasn't. He could have even been the one to 705 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: unknowingly release the algae. But yeah, of course the Monaco 706 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:34,759 Speaker 1: Museum flatly denies all of this and maintains there's no 707 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 1: connection whatsoever. And meanwhile, the seaweed is actually still there today, 708 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 1: and in recent years it's cropped up in the harbors 709 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 1: and coral reefs around Australia southern California too, so it 710 00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:48,640 Speaker 1: is kind of all over the place. So you know, 711 00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 1: at this point it's probably time to worry less about 712 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,720 Speaker 1: who started the problem and more about how to actually 713 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:54,200 Speaker 1: fix it. 714 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 2: Also, I mean, like Custeau's done so much, it's hard 715 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,359 Speaker 2: to imagine it would really hurt his legacy. 716 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: And probably not. I mean, his work has led to 717 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: so many marine discoveries and inspired so many future explorers 718 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: that he probably gets a pass on this one, I guess. 719 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: And you know that's before you even consider the conservation 720 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 1: work that's been done through his nonprofit, the Cousteau Society, 721 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: which is something he formed himself back in nineteen seventy four. 722 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, he was obviously an overachiever, as we've 723 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,760 Speaker 2: probably shown today, but I would still say his greatest 724 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,319 Speaker 2: achievement was opening so many people's eyes to just how 725 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 2: beautiful and mysterious and strange the ocean really is. I mean, 726 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 2: it's really difficult to get people to open themselves to 727 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,879 Speaker 2: the unknown, but that's exactly what Jacques Cousteau did through 728 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,840 Speaker 2: his work. He showed them reasons to care about the ocean. 729 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,759 Speaker 1: That's a great point. And you know, like I read 730 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:45,560 Speaker 1: this week that roughly ninety four percent of all the 731 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:49,879 Speaker 1: space on Earth where life can survive is actually underwater. Yeah, 732 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,880 Speaker 1: we've only fully explored about five percent of that. And 733 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: you know, when you think about it, the number was 734 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: even lower than that before Cousteau came along, and now, 735 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 1: hopefully thanks to his example, a little only continue to 736 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,560 Speaker 1: go up from there. Yeah, because of Cousteau's work proved anything. 737 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,440 Speaker 1: It's that exploring the oceans is the way for humans 738 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,920 Speaker 1: to fall in love with them, and from there, the 739 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,000 Speaker 1: hope is that if we love them, then we'll also 740 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,480 Speaker 1: do our best to take care of them too. And 741 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: it may sound a little bit corny, but you know, 742 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: here's hoping. 743 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 2: It does sound corny. What do you think we get 744 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 2: to the fact off from here? 745 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 1: All right, let's do it. 746 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:32,560 Speaker 2: So here's something kind of fun. Off the coast of Florida. 747 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 2: There's this underwater Museum of Art and it's the first 748 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 2: underwater museum in the US. In addition to the artwork 749 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,760 Speaker 2: they've got there, they've got like a deer giant skull 750 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 2: a pineapple, which I thought was initially like a tribute 751 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 2: to SpongeBob, but apparently it's just a beautiful pineapple. There's 752 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,160 Speaker 2: also this model of Jock Cousteau's scuba mask, and it 753 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,879 Speaker 2: is pretty cool because the sculptures are sixty feet deep 754 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 2: and it's in this artificial reef where all types of 755 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,840 Speaker 2: reefish and turtles and other animals just swim through and 756 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 2: seems really beautiful. 757 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:05,320 Speaker 1: Huh. All right, well, here's one I wasn't expecting. Apparently, 758 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: Fidel Castro was a huge fan of Cousteau. So in 759 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty five, when Coustou asked to come through and 760 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:16,320 Speaker 1: research Cubas system for managing their lobster population, Castro actually 761 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: went aboard Cousteau's ship and ate dinner on board the 762 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,880 Speaker 1: Calypso and the pair I guess got along so well 763 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,240 Speaker 1: that mental floss reports on this Castro allowed the diver 764 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:28,600 Speaker 1: to liberate eighty political prisoners. 765 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:29,360 Speaker 2: Wow. 766 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,359 Speaker 1: Also, Cousteau's team became the first non Cubans to pass 767 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,240 Speaker 1: through Guantanamo Bay since the Cuban missile crisis. 768 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,560 Speaker 2: That's pretty impressive. So one of the things I'm always 769 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,680 Speaker 2: fascinated about is how Custeau helped stop whaling. He actually 770 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 2: called up and personally made pleas to a number of 771 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 2: heads of states to get the International Whaling Commission to 772 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,800 Speaker 2: pass this moratorium on commercial whaling. This was in nineteen 773 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:55,919 Speaker 2: eighty six, and that's actually helped protect multiple species over 774 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:56,360 Speaker 2: the years. 775 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: All Right, Well, Cousto apparently didn't always come across as 776 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,719 Speaker 1: an environmentalist. In fact, in the beginning, he was more 777 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 1: of a spear fisherman, an adventurer, and you can actually 778 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,960 Speaker 1: see this in some of his early films, like there's 779 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,080 Speaker 1: this horrific scene in the Silent World where the calypso 780 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: collides with a baby sperm whale and then, thinking that 781 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:19,399 Speaker 1: it's near death, they also shoot the sharks that start 782 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 1: circling the whale. So this obviously isn't a good look 783 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,680 Speaker 1: for Custo, and so when the group decided to remaster 784 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: the film twenty years later, they decided to edit out 785 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: those ugly scenes. But according to reports, Custo absolutely refused 786 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,480 Speaker 1: to let that happen. He said, it was true and 787 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,360 Speaker 1: it shows how far we've come and how dreadful humans 788 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 1: can be if we don't curtail ourselves. 789 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:44,560 Speaker 2: So on one head, it's a little like Steve's Zoo 790 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:47,400 Speaker 2: from The Life Aquatic, like wanting to go out and 791 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,240 Speaker 2: kill a shark. And on the other hand, it really 792 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:53,480 Speaker 2: is amazing, like you'd show your warts and all in 793 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:55,840 Speaker 2: the hopes that others could learn that we can all change. 794 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,920 Speaker 2: You know. I just love how Jacques Cousteau's appreciation for this. 795 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,319 Speaker 2: He just grew more and more over the years, and 796 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 2: I do think he get a trophy for pointing to that. 797 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,239 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, he led an incredible life and it's 798 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:09,799 Speaker 1: fun to try to learn from it. But all right, well, 799 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:12,720 Speaker 1: I think that's it for today's show. So from Gabe, Tristan, Mango, 800 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: and me, thanks so much for listening.