Nobody made science as cool as Jacques Cousteau. He brought ocean exploration right into the living rooms of people around the world. His specials and documentaries were must-see. And he didn’t just make great TV– he invented the Aqualung and championed environmentalism.
Enjoy these vintage pics remembering ‘the life aquatic’ of a real-life explorer. Marine biology and oceanography never looked so stylish as when Cousteau took them on with a red cap on his head and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Merci beaucoup for everything, Monsieur Cousteau!
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Jacques Cousteau with the diving team in an underwater house called the Conshelf 2, circa 1970s
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Jacques Cousteau and his first wife Simone on board the Calypso, their research ship. 1959.
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Jacques Cousteau with two divers on the Conshelf I, 1962.
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Philippe Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, 1975. He really looks like his father.
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Jacques Cousteau with his son Philippe, circa 1960s
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Jacques Cousteau in 1954
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Jacques Cousteau with his crew aboard the Calypso in 1978. It was originally a British minesweeper, and was converted into a research vessel.
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Jacques Cousteau in the 1970s
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Jacques Cousteau at a “Save the Whales and Ocean” event, 1976.
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Diver Guy Morandière with an octopus, photographed by Jacques Cousteau in 1950
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A signed photo of Cousteau, circa 1970s
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Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco with Jacques Cousteau, 1967.
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Jacques Cousteau in 1970, after a 3-year and 8-month expedition aboard the Calypso.
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Jacques Cousteau playing with artifacts in the mid-1970s
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Jacques Cousteau showing off his spherical underwater habitat design, 1964
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Jacques Cousteau and his “diving saucer” submarine. 1960s
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Jacques Cousteau and pilot Bob Braunbeck take off in the helicopter ‘Félix’ from the deck of the Calypso. Circa 1975.
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President Kennedy presenting Jacques Cousteau with the National Geographic Society’s Gold Medal, 1961.
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Jacques Cousteau in 1972. Those eyes have seen a lot.
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Jacques Cousteau demonstrating his latest invention, the Aqualung, in 1950. It allowed divers to breathe at depths of 200 feet without needing to be connected to the surface.
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John Denver on the deck of Jacques Cousteau’s research ship the Calypso, 1974. Denver later wrote the song ‘Calypso’ as a tribute to Cousteau.
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The Cousteau family, 1939. Left to right: Jean-Pierre, Jean-Michel, Jacques, Simone, and Philippe.
