Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker, and author. He helped create the first successful open-circuit underwater breathing device, called the Aqua-Lung. This invention allowed him to make some of the earliest underwater documentaries.

Cousteau wrote many books about his underwater explorations. In his first book, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, he suggested that porpoises have the ability to sense their surroundings using sound. The book was turned into a documentary film titled The Silent World. Directed by Cousteau and Louis Malle, the film was among the first to use underwater filming to show the ocean in color. It won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 and remained the only documentary to receive this award until 2004. The film also earned the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1957.

From 1966 to 1976, Cousteau hosted a television series called The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. A second series, The Cousteau Odyssey, aired from 1977 to 1982 on public television stations.

Biography

The ocean connects all people and is our only hope for the future. Now, more than ever, the old saying has a real meaning: we all share the same challenges and must work together.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910, in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, France. His parents were Daniel Cousteau and Élisabeth Duranthon, and he had one brother, Pierre-Antoine. He studied at Collège Stanislas in Paris before joining the École navale in 1930. He graduated as a gunnery officer but had to leave the naval aviation career after an automobile accident broke both his arms. This accident forced him to change plans and instead focus on exploring the ocean.

While working on the ship Condorcet in Toulon, Cousteau began underwater experiments with the help of his friend Philippe Tailliez, who lent him Fernez underwater goggles. These were early versions of modern swimming goggles. Cousteau also worked for the French Navy’s information service and traveled to Shanghai and Japan (1935–1938) and the USSR (1939).

In 1937, Cousteau married Simone Melchior, his business partner. They had two sons, Jean-Michel (born 1938) and Philippe (1940–1979). His sons later joined him on the research ship Calypso. In 1991, six months after Simone’s death from cancer, Cousteau married Francine Triplet. They had two children: Diane Cousteau (born 1980) and Pierre-Yves Cousteau (born 1982).

During World War II, Cousteau’s work with diving technology became important. After the 1940 armistice, he and his family moved to Megève, where he met Marcel Ichac, a fellow explorer. Together, they made the first underwater film, Par dix-huit mètres de fond (18 meters deep), in 1942. They used a special camera case designed by engineer Léon Vèche.

In 1943, Cousteau and Ichac created the film Épaves (Shipwrecks), using early Aqua-Lung prototypes. These prototypes were built by Air Liquide in Boulogne-Billancourt, following Cousteau’s and Émile Gagnan’s instructions.

Cousteau worked with the French Navy to help Allied forces during the war. He also avoided his brother Pierre-Antoine, who supported the enemy and was later sentenced to life in prison.

In the 1940s, Cousteau improved the Aqua-Lung design, leading to the open-circuit scuba technology used today. He first used Fernez goggles in 1936 and later tested the self-contained underwater breathing apparatus invented by Yves le Prieur in 1926. He added a demand regulator to increase underwater time, and in 1943, he tested the first Aqua-Lung prototype.

In 1946, Cousteau and Tailliez showed Épaves to Admiral Lemonnier, who asked them to form the French Navy’s Underwater Research Group. This group later became the CEPHISMER. In 1947, a diver died during an Aqua-Lung test near Toulon.

In 1948, Cousteau explored the Roman wreck of Mahdia (Tunisia) using the Élie Monnier ship. This was the first scientific underwater archaeology project using autonomous diving. He and Marcel Ichac later made the Carnets film, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951.

In 1949, Cousteau left the French Navy. In 1950, he founded the French Oceanographic Campaigns (FOC) and leased the ship Calypso for one franc a year. He used Calypso as a research lab and for diving and filming. He also explored underwater sites in the Mediterranean.

In 1953, Cousteau published The Silent World, predicting that dolphins use echolocation to navigate. He observed dolphins following his ship and changing course, suggesting they used a type of sonar.

In 1954, Cousteau surveyed Abu Dhabi waters for British Petroleum. Louis Malle made a film about the expedition. Cousteau won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 for The Silent World. In 1957, he became leader of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and created an experimental underwater vehicle, the SP-350, which reached 350 meters. This was repeated in 1965 with vehicles reaching 500 meters.

In 1957, Cousteau was elected to the French National Assembly.

Death and legacy

Jacques-Yves Cousteau passed away from a heart attack on June 25, 1997, in Paris, two weeks after his 87th birthday. He was buried in the family vault at Saint-André-de-Cubzac, the place where he was born. The town honored him by naming the street near his birthplace "rue du Commandant Cousteau," and a plaque was placed there to remember him.

Cousteau’s achievements include over 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and an environmental protection foundation with 300,000 members.

He often referred to himself as an "oceanographic technician." In reality, he was a skilled presenter, teacher, and lover of nature. His work helped many people learn about the ocean’s resources.

His methods of sharing scientific knowledge, called "divulgationism," were criticized by some scientists at first. However, this simple way of explaining ideas became widely used in other fields and is now a key part of modern television.

His Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, and possibly he himself, is believed to have introduced the "Killer Algae" Caulerpa taxifolia, which harms the Mediterranean’s ecosystem.

The Cousteau Society and its French group, l'Équipe Cousteau, which Jacques-Yves Cousteau founded, are still active today. The Society is working to turn the original Calypso research vessel into a museum and is raising money to build a new ship called Calypso II.

In 2007, the International Watch Company released a special edition of its Aquatimer Chronograph watch called the "Cousteau Divers." The watch included a piece of wood from the Calypso. The company also supported The Cousteau Society, and some of the watch’s sales money was donated to protect marine life and coral reefs.

Fabien Cousteau, Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, is building a community of underwater research stations called Proteus near Curaçao. These stations, located about 20 meters below the ocean’s surface in a protected area, will allow underwater researchers to live and work. Construction planning began in 2022, and the habitat is expected to be completed by 2025.

In October 1997, an underwater plaque honoring Jacques Cousteau was placed in an underwater park near Avalon, California. Due to damage over time, the plaque was replaced in November 2020.

Awards and honors

Jacques-Yves Cousteau received these awards and honors during his lifetime:

• Cross of War 1939–1945 in 1945
• National Geographic Society's Special Gold Medal in 1961
• Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1972
• BAFTA Fellowship in 1975
• Officer of the Order of Maritime Merit in 1980
• Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit in 1985
• U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985
• Induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1987
• Elected to the Académie Française in 1988
• Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
• Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia on 26 January 1990

Media portrayals

Jacques Cousteau has been featured in various films and media:

• The American comedy film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, directed by Wes Anderson and released in December 2004, features Steve Zissou, a fictional oceanographer based on Jacques Cousteau.
• The French film The Odyssey, directed by Jérôme Salle and released in October 2016, highlights Cousteau’s life, particularly his relationship with his first wife, Simone Melchior, and his second son, Philippe Cousteau.
• Jacques Cousteau appeared in the sixth season of Epic Rap Battle of History, where he was portrayed by Peter Shukoff. He faced off against Steve Irwin, who was portrayed by Lloyd Ahlquist.
• Jacques Cousteau is shown in the music video for the song Jacques Cousteau by Plastic Bertrand. In the video, he is depicted wearing nautical clothing and living in a fish bowl.
• Jacques Cousteau made a brief appearance in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants in the episode SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout. He was portrayed as the French Narrator, a character who often speaks or appears in the show.