"The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."
- Jacques-Yves Cousteau -
I am an inventor.
That's just the way Jesus/God wired my brain.
I can't help myself. I am constantly thinking of new ways to do things.
By Dirk2112 CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
I also have an adventurous spirit.
As a teen growing up in the Virgin Islands in the 1960's, I was largely cut off from the flow of scientific knowledge that I craved. There was one exception, however; National Geographic Magazine.
A Real-Life Cousteau Adventure - Image from eBay via Pinterest, "Fair Use."
I was always particularly thrilled when NatGeo featured one of my heroes,
Jacques Cousteau.
Cousteau's projects were often "cover material." Whenever one of those issues arrived, I would devour it. I would be lost in my imagination for days, contemplating sharing in the adventure.
Cousteau is the co-inventor of the AquaLung.
Together with engineer Émile Gagnan, Cousteau in the early 1940's developed and produced a tool that has been used world-wide ever since to enable exploration of the oceans.
Living on St. Croix,
I had abundant opportunity to snorkel.
The "tools of the trade" were simple. - By Petey21 CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The "tools of the trade" were simple, and my dad made sure we always had several sets available. I became quite expert at the skill. But though I could never afford it, I always wished that I had SCUBA gear.
You see, when snorkeling, if you wish to explore beneath the surface of the water, you must take a deep breath and then dive while holding it in. You can only remain submerged for as long as you can bear to not breathe.
What I really wanted was a Jacques Cousteau AquaLung, a.k.a. SCUBA, a Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
Then I remembered my old friend Alan.
Alan was the smartest kid in 7th grade back in The States. He once told us how he had built a UBA (Underwater Breathing Apparatus) and tried it out in his bathtub. I decided to try and assemble something like it.
I got my hands on a discarded plastic jug. - By ChildofMidnight CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Building My SCUBA Device
I got my hands on a discarded plastic jug. After thoroughly rinsing it out, I cut out the bottom. Then I taped a heavy duty plastic bag securely around the now open end.
The result was a flexible air chamber of about two gallons capacity, inflated.
Next, I cut the mouthpiece off of an old snorkel tube and taped it to the mouth of the jug.
Inflating the "lung" with fresh air was a simple matter of pushing the plastic bag diaphram all the way into the jug. This forced out any stale air. Then pulling the bag completly out, drawing in two gallons of fresh air.
The finishing touch was to strap a cement-block counterweight to the side of the jug. Without the added ballast, I'd never be able to submerge.
The result was glorious.
I tested the rig at one of my favorite snorkel beaches just south of Frederiksted. I don't recall now whether I had to tinker with the ballast arrangement, but once I was submerged, my dreams of SCUBA diving were finally fulfilled. (To a limited extent.)
For the first time in my life, I actually experienced the thrill of breathing underwater. Of course, my time submerged was limited. My rig contained two gallons of "extra air," only about one third of a cubic foot. Compare that to the 80 cubic feet in a standard SCUBA tank.
With each breath, the percentage of carbon dioxide in my air supply increased. Eventually, that increase in CO2 would drive me to the surface for fresh air. Within two or three minutes, my lungs were telling me it was time to come up for more air.
Glories of the Reef - By [email protected] CC BY 2.0, via flickr
But what wonderful minutes they were.
I was actually doing it. I was breathing underwater. All the mysteries of brightly colored tropical fish, coral reef, and sea fans were mine.
I was living the adventure.
~FIN~
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This is great! "As a teen growing up in the Virgin Islands..." Poor @creatr. ;)
Let me tell you, it was not a bed of roses!
I've written about some of the frustrations in other articles... One day, when I'm able to update my TOC, I'll be able to direct you to the right story... ;)
I'd love to read it! I always enjoy your posts.
Thanks!
The waters are so crystal clear and beautiful!
Thanks for sharing, @creatr
You're welcome.
Yes, the Caribbean is an amazing place for snorkeling and diving, Thanks! ;)
You're welcome! I'm sure it really is an awesome place to visit! :)
AWESOME..!!
Clever tinkering and adventuring!
Those Cousteau shows were so good. I can clearly recall his narrative voice.
Thanks, my friend!
I didn't get to see the TV shows until much later. This was in the day before satellite and undersea cable... ;)
Weren't born with a iPad?!
Hahahahaha!
I had to build a primitive computer from a kit comprising perfboard disks wired together to make multi-gang switches!!!
Lolz! Now it's my turn to show you my age, 'cause I have no idea what you just said!
I only heard "primitive computer!"
I guess I'll have to write that whole story then, one of these days! :)
I earned the computer kit that I built buy selling greeting cards...
It was capable of composing music! :)
A jack of all trades! I'm sure that'd make for a good post.
You still have its punch cards? harhar!
wow your really living the life. Thats what I want to do so bad. Thanks for sharing :)
You're welcome, and Thanks for an encouraging comment.
Just grab the opportunities you have, my friend!
Wow looks fun, I use to watch Jacques Cousteau a lot when I was smaller.
thanks for bringing those memory back.
Great post.
Thanks friend @necio! Glad to remind you of an amazing man. ;)
That is so clever!!! I wanted to be a marine biologist because of Jacques Cousteau and that song "Calypso" by John Denver. I could just see myself sailing off into the sunset on Calypso (sigh) Thanks for the lovely article, keep inventing!!
Thanks, my friend. I appreciate your encouragement and that you've blessed me with your comments. ;)
So, did you become a marine biologist?
Hmmm went back to College, couldn't do the subjects I needed, left home, went crazy, had a baby, got my act together but still not a Marine Biologist. Great friend of the Sea though..I love it.
How reminiscent of the way life "works" for almost all of us! :D
you know what I'm going to say - what the parents said to the kid in A Christmas Story - "you'll put your eye out." well, okay, just your life. I mean, not an eye...Mind you, they paid a lot for an eye on those school insurance forms :)
Hahahahaha... :D
Fortunately, I had a reasonable amount of freedom growing up... ;)