How Cousteau inspired my love of the oceans

Bridget Nicholls - 

Jacques Cousteau co-invented the aqua-lung, which brought diving to the masses, he pioneered underwater camera techniques, and he was the godfather of the modern conservation movement. But 100 years since his birth, Cousteau remains somewhat of an enigma.

Growing up, I remember Saturday mornings vividly. As soon as we heard that distinctive epic theme music trill out, my brother and I knew there was three seconds to don our red caps (pulled down at a jaunty French angle) and jump in front of the TV for the next instalment of Cousteau's underwater adventures.

Who didn't want to be a member of Jacques Cousteau's Calypso crew? The Calypso, as it set sail into the next conservation adventure, was the most exciting place to be on the planet.

So in his anniversary year, I set out to find the man behind the French accent. What drove him to his impossible challenges and, when he died in 1997, who took on the Cousteau cap ?

As ocean conservation becomes one of the biggest challenges of our time, what can we learn from Cousteau to take forward in communicating the intrinsic value of the oceans today - and to help a whole new generation fall in love with the sea?

As Cousteau said: "People protect what they love. A lot of people attack the sea, I make love to it."

But Cousteau was not always a conservationist.

He was born in an era when blowing things up (including habitats and other species) for the sake of science and exploration were far more the norm.

Yet as the world became more and more connected with modern technologies and with the birth of TV, he soon began to realise the devastating effects of human impact on our planet.

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