Podcast
Newsletter
We value your information and will not disclose it without your consent.
Privacy Statement
Gallery Images
Quick Links
United Divers is our favourite dive shop
ILB Computing hosts Bluebeyond.com.au
Search BlueBeyond
Stars Beneath The Sea by Trevor Norton
When most of us turn
our thoughts to the pioneers of diving, the first name which springs to
mind is usually Jacques Cousteau – certainly an individual worth of
being called a pioneer.
The
book briefly details the lives of thirteen different individuals with a
chapter describing the exploits of each. Some names will already be
familiar, such as John Haldane, Hans Hass and Frederic Dumas.
Others include Henri Milne Edwards who explored the underwater
coast of Sicily in the late 1800s, wearing a hood held in place by
stirrups passing under his feet. His equipment worked reasonably well
but was a little restrictive as he discovered, as only a slight tilt
forward allowed the water to rush into his helmet!
The Twentieth Century saw Horace Wright as a scientist in the
United States, researching the effects of underwater explosions on
survivors of sunken ships and submarines. Much of his research involved
suspending navy divers and himself at different depths and setting off
charges of TNT! In fact he was somewhat of an explosions expert, but
paid the price many years later when his shattered body gave in after
decades of research.
The stories are often amusing, sometimes incredulous, and
occasionally sad, and beg the question of how diving ever managed to
progress considering some of the experiences described in the book .
I guess the desire for knowledge is a very powerful instinct which has and will continue to drive humanity.
Recommended.
Belinda
Trevor Norton
Random House
London, 2000
Price A$24.00
Buy Stars Beneath the Sea: The Pioneers of Diving at Amazon.com (aff).