Who Is Hans Hass: Hass' Place in Diving History

Hans Hass' achievements and adventures have already filled several books, and are too numerous to recount here in detail. But by way of reintroducing him to the U.S. diving public, here are some of the highlights of his diving career: 1919: Hass is born in Vienna, the son of a prominent Austrian attorney. 1937: During a vacation in the south of France, he learns goggling (the new sport of breath-hold spearfishing) from expatriate American writer Guy Gilpatrick. Hass becomes a star among his disciples, referred to as "the Austrian" in Gilpatrick's book, The Compleat Goggler, the first ever written about free diving. 1938: In the Adriatic Sea off Yugoslavia, Hass shoots photographs with a self-made camera housing, using a surface-supplied open diving helmet, which he also designed and fabricated. 1939: Camping on the beaches of Bonaire, he shoots the world's first underwater documentary film, Stalking Beneath the Sea. Upon returning to the University of Vienna, he changes his major from law to zoology, eventually earning a Ph.D. 1941: Among Corals and Sharks, the first of many books by Hass, is published in Austria. He begins diving with a Draeger oxygen rebreather, which he modified in collaboration with engineer Hermann Stellzner. He coins the term, "swimdiving" to differentiate his activities from surface-supplied "walkdiving." 1942-45: Deferred from military service due to a circulatory condition, Hass continues his underwater research, writing and lectures. He outfits a ship, Sea Devil, for research and launches expeditions in the Mediterranean. When the war ends, the ship is confiscated by the Russian army. 1949: To revive his career, Hass travels to Sudan. With cameras and a rebreather he is the first to dive the Red Sea. The resulting book, Manta: Under the Red Sea, is an international sensation. 1950: He mounts a second Red Sea expedition to make a feature film. On board is his beautiful secretary, Lotte Beierl. Unbeknownst to Hans, she had learned to dive and photograph in order to join the expedition. The first glamorous underwater model, she soon proves indispensable both professionally and personally. They are married upon their return. 1951: Hass' film, Under the Red Sea wins major awards. He uses the proceeds to establish the International Institute for Marine Research, and to outfit a three-masted schooner as a research ship. She is named Xarifa, Arabic for "charming lady." 1952-1960: Xarifa's expeditions cover much of the world, from the Carribbean to Australia. In most of these locations, Hass' crew is the first to scuba dive. They continue to use rebreathers for logistic reasons and for ease in approaching marine animals. He designs the Rolleimarine, the first mass-produced underwater camera housing. Despite a lack of sophisticated wide-angle lenses, his photographs of mantas, whale sharks, sperm whales, white sharks, and shipwrecks set standards for the next generation of photographers. He continues to lecture, write books, and make films. Eight of his books are translated into English, as is one by Lotte, Girl on the Ocean Floor. Visiting researchers on board Xarifa account for over 200 scientific papers. 1961: Hass sells the Xarifa and gives up diving to write, study and pursue his new theory on the global impact of unchecked population and technological expansion, which he calls "Energonics." 1997: Now 78 years old, Hans Hass' shoulders are stooped by the weight of his age, but his intellect and humor are still dynamic. Accompanied by Lotte, he accepted DEMA's highest honor, the Reaching Out Award, in Orlando in January. Afterward, he sat down for this freeform interview on subjects ranging from his place in diving history to the Energon Theory, which has become his passion over the past three decades.

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