I have a friend who teaches a Library Science Research course at Cal Poly University San Luis Obispo in California.
One of his first assignments is for the students to visit the library and research a particular subject. The majority ignore the instructions and go directly to Google which contains incomplete and incorrect information.
They submit their Google based research and all receive a fail for not following instruction and submitting incorrect information.
The course of least resistance in researching is a few taps on the key board to take the researcher to Google.
A long time ago in 1948 - 70 years ago- before most of you were born and were certainly were not dives
The first documented person - diver - swimming with a whale shark was the late great Hans Hass.
In his 1948 B& W movie
"Under the Red Sea" he is shown with an O2 rebreather swimming along the back of a whale shark terminating by hesitating momentarily and looking to the large eye of the shark. At that time approaching a giant of the sea was unchartered territory-- would the diver be swallowed or bit or harmed in some unknown way
It was a unexpected thrill for the movie audiences then and if the movie was currently available would still be a supper thrill.
A B&W picture of the same event was also included in one of his books, ether
Men and Sharks published in 1949 and Manta in 1952
I personally have never seen a whale shark and if I did I would swim a respectable distance away to respect their territory and hopefully they would respect mine. In the beginning divers were very few in number and marine life flourished , now divers are plentiful and we should all do our part individually and collectively to protect what remains of out marine life for all to enjoy
@boulderjohn often quotes from recently published books... a list of the late great Hans Hass books
which were published in America-- perhaps will expand his and the readers horizons a wee bit
:
Men and Sharks 1949
Manta- 1952
Diving to Adventure 1952
We come from the Sea 1959
Challenging the deep 1971
Men beneath the sea 1971
(all of the books have been personally escribed to me by Dr Hass and his diving partner and wife Lotte)
For those of you who are fluent in German may I suggest
Hans Hass:
Ein Leben Lang auf Expedition (a life of expeditions )
ein portrat
By Dr. Michael Jung
1994, Stuttgart
336 pages, hard cover with dust jacket , Illustrated
(personally inscribed by Drs. Hass & Jung - It paid to be a bibliophile )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For you budding UW photographers with your Go Pros
"Fotojagd am Meeresgrund "
by Hans Hass
1942 (recall history - WW11 was on and German was being bombed day and night )
223 pages hard cover (no dust jacket)
Illustrated with B&W and
COLOR UW photographs
(Extremely rare book)
Ich Tauchiet in den 7 meeren
(I dive in the 7 seas)
Dr. Hans Hass
1957 Leipzig
164 pages - hard cover no dust jacket
Illustrated with B&W and color UW photographs
Enough for one California morning- the sun is shining brightly it is time for a walk on the beach with little dog Lucky
Sam Miller, 111