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: Editorial
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Editorial
by Monte Lee Thornton
Here in the twenty-first century, we find ourselves emerged in the Bill Gates wonder with the
cyberspace of the Internet. Everyone is has been captured in the wonder of information technology.
As I reflect over the dreamers and heroes, who became founders and leaders of the under water world, I realize
that they would embrace the internet as a means of getting information to a worldwide audience. It is my vision that
that this online magazine web site communicate knowledge for you to explore under water.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a co-inventor in the creation of self contained breathing apparatus (SCUBA), which
fulfilled his vision and desire to make it possible for others to share in the adventures waiting under the sea. With the
creation of his television series, he shared the
insight of his discoveries and changed forever the perspective that we have regarding the sea. We learned from him that
it
must
be protected for future generations.
The use of Rod Sterling's voice to narrate the series, gave visions from other
television series like the Twilight Zone, to intrigue us to go beyond what is seen and into the possibilities of the
unknown. Each person that had seen one of the series either consciously or unconsciously felt from the narrator's voice, a
certain
mystical draw, and great anticipation for the information forthcoming.
Whether it was intentional or not, it instilled the desire to uncover mysteries, that for so long were hidden,
and people began to seek out the beauty of God's creation in the oceans of the world.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau is for the diving population what Picasso was to the art world. He forever will be an explorer that
shines a light and leads us from being uncaring about the under water world, to preserving it for many generations to come.
Because of his television series many newcomers to the diving world sought out opportunities for ocean experiences and
possible employment in tropical places.
They hungered to be like Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and to find discoveries of their own to share with the world.
However, the media and film producer went for sensationalism, and the influences and impact by the producers of the film
industry and television programming, caused some to have hesitation, and even fear, of discovering the under water
world. The power of money has ruled out over truth, and has so negatively affected people, that they won't even venture
into the adventures
that the sea would gladly bestow upon them.
With such movies and shows throughout this century like Jaws, The Abyss, Sea Hunt, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea, Water World, Sphere and
way too many more, people have become afraid to discover the oceans that consume the greatest amount of the earth.
This instilled fear causes many potential explorers to sit back, watch from a comfortable couch and never experience the adventure of exploration, because they
end up enjoying the hour and a half of suspense and thrills instead of the opportunities of real adventure, getting out there
and becoming explorers themselves.
Embracing the desire to explore, that Jacques-Yves Cousteau placed in me as a young and impressionable youth, many years later
as an adult I ventured,
in May of 1998, to embark on a land and under water tour of Egypt. I spent five days scuba diving the Red Sea
from Sharma El Sheik. At the time I had no Underwater camera, but forever the sights will be imbedded in my memory.
I experienced total
amazement at the Saqqara tombs that are about 4600 years old and covered with murals of fish and fishing techniques. Some of
the fish I recognized as fresh water and others as reef fish. The boats depicted, ranged from simple reed vessels to
elaborate sailing ships with teams of oarsmen. The details of the murals show the appreciation man has for the beauty of
the fish and the skills of workmanship in building ocean-going vessels.
At times in the tour, I felt like I was Harrison Ford using deductive logic as a character of an Indiana Jones Movie. My
guide would talk about how the granite was carved out of mountains of granite 100 miles away. Once it wascompleted they floated
the sculptured monument down the Nile River where they placed them in certain temples. I could only imagine that with all
the monuments seen, that there had to be some vessels that were lost, and with due to their weight, ended up settled deep
into the sand. What treasures awaits our discovery under the Niles water. Some recent discoveries Underwater at Alexandria,
Egypt are believed to be that of Cleopatra's Ship and Bathing Temple.
With the onset of the turn of the century, who will be the communicators to challenge the masses of people to, if they desire to,
get involved with the adventure of exploring the under water world. It could very well be you or me. I challenge us both to get
involved. "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime."
Photo of Monte at Pirates Week Festivale 2008
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