Hans Hass An American Appreciation
by Nick Icorn

Back in the days before the first scuba units were introduced into America, a young Austrian named Hans Hass was documenting the underwater world with camera and pen, and leading expeditions to the Caribbean, Red Sea, and Australia. Long before Cousteau and “The Silent World” were household names Hass had dived amongst and photographed sharks, manta rays, and barracuda underwater and studied the many varied species of marine life. His travels were well documented in a series of books written at the time which helped to lead many Americans into the underwater field. His book “Manta” was like a bible to me, and in honor I grew my first goatee so as to look like Hans Hass.
In 1959 at the Underwater Film Festival in San Gabriel, California I had the privilege of meeting this man. He had arrived early and was standing in the lobby with two film cans under his arm waiting for assistance. The goatee was unmistakable and I hurried over to introduce myself and direct him to the Festival manager. It was a highlight of my early diving days and moment I will never forget. In this issue we have a treatise written on him by our German member Michael Jung, documenting his numerous firsts in the field of diving and marine science. Bonnie has written about Lotte Hass in her Women Pioneers column and Peter Jackson and Leslie have provided an informative guide to the books of Hans Hass. I strongly recommend that you read these articles on one of the worlds truly great diving pioneers.


Hans Hass Pioneer of Swimdiving
by Michael Jung

New Evolutionary Stage
If we review the tools that have been employed in the conquest of the ocean depths, we are forced to say that although self-contained diving equipment ensured the highest degree of mobility for the diver, a problem nevertheless remained: the possibility of traversing, quickly and safely, wide stretches of the ocean floor, whether to get an overview of its topography, to explore sunken ships in locations only roughly known or for the sake of general underwater research. This hurdle was only surmounted by the combination of self-contained diving gear and flippers, which enabled the diver to move not only two-dimensionally, but to explore three-dimensional space in every direction. The flippers developed by the Frenchman Louis de Corlieu made it possible. The combination of self-contained air tanks and flippers produced a far-reaching development in diving technique. This new swimdiving combination provided the means for mankind to economically investigate the shallow regions of the sea. Today, an estimated six million people now venture into the ocean using this swimdiving combination. But exactly what is a swimdiver? Quite simply swimdivers are individuals who, with the aid of onhand breathing equipment, are able to spend long periods of time beneath the water surface and, independent of any attachment to the surface and with the use of flippers, move independently through three-dimensional space.
In 1942, the Austrian marine biologist Hans Hass became the first person in man’s underwater history to successfully (and continuously) utilize this swimdiving combination in an open water environment. He deserves the honor, therefore, of being recognized as the diving pioneer who used self-contained diving equipment in conjunction with flippers, and thereby initiated and popularized the change from “walk-diving” (with helmet and lead soled boots) to the new era of swimdiving.

The Pioneers Life
Hans Hass was born 23 January 1919 in Vienna. He first encountered the underwater world of the Mediterranean Sea in July 1937, during a holiday in the South of France. On Cap d’Antibes he encountered his destiny in the person of American Guy Gilpatric, the patriarch of underwater hunting. Fascinated by this new sport, Hass became one of the many Gilpatric disciples and, from then on, equipped with the Fernez-goggles and harpoon, went regularly on underwater fishing expeditions. But the spirit of research soon awakened in Hass, and he was no longer content merely to hunt fish as game. His real desire was to learn more about the undreamt of numerous biological processes taking place beneath the surface of the sea. In August of 1937, after his return from the South of France, he gave his first lectures in Vienna to acquaint others with his underwater experiences. In addition to a passion for research, Hass also possessed a love of adventure, and one year later, in 1938 at the tender age of 19, he undertook his first expedition. He went to the former Yugoslavia and was accompanied by several friends from the University of Vienna, where he was studying law. (After his initial underwater experiences, Hass wanted to study zoology, but his father - himself a respected attorney - would not permit it.) During this Yugoslavia expedition Hass fished with harpoon and goggles and also took his first underwater photographs using a watertight camera housing that he had built. He also used flippers for the first time which enabled him to swim by leg power only, leaving his hands free to operate the camera. He also had his first experiences with breathing equipment. Using the underwater adventures of American zoologist William Beebe as a model, Hass constructed an open diving helmet with an air pump. However he soon recognized the disadvantages of the open diving helmet for underwater research. The air hose and the air bubbles escaping noisily from the helmet’s edge disturbed and chased off the fish in his vicinity, so that he had little chance to observe or photograph them. Also, in contrast to his positive experience with his swimming equipment, the diving helmet tied him to the ocean floor and “damned” him to walk-diving. It took great effort for him to be able to move very slowly in a tight radius around the boat, and he could scarcely do anything in a deeply fissured environment. If he wanted to work on a vertically sloping rock wall, he was suspended from his air hose like a spider on a thread and swayed back and forth in the current. Nevertheless, the open diving helmet enabled Hass to spend long periods under water. Hass also had to make do with the unsatisfactory open diving helmet on his next expedition, which he undertook in 1939. This journey took him and his two friends, Alfred von Wurzian and Jörg Böhler, to the Caribbean, to Curacao and Bonaire. Here the three companions had many exciting adventures, most of them under water. They fished with goggles, flippers and harpoon, and Hass observed for the first time the behavior of irritated sharks in the vicinity of humans. At this time, Hans Hass was not only hunting underwater; he was also making his first underwater film, “Pirsch unter Wasser” [Stalking beneath the Sea] and carrying out a great deal of research. He was fascinated by the behavior of fish and discovered that trumpet fish could sometimes be found “riding” parrot fish to stalk and pounce upon their prey. The sudden outbreak of World War II forced the three friends to stay longer than planned on Curacao and return to Vienna by way of the United States, China and Russia. The expedition lasted a total of nine months. Upon his return to Vienna, Hass broke off his law studies for good and began instead, against his father’s wishes, to study zoology. Among the coral reefs of the Caribbean he had realized what great opportunities awaited the researcher if he turns himself into a “fish among fish” beneath the ocean surface and, instead of relying on the haphazard discoveries of the trawl-net and the grab-bucket, works directly on the spot. Hass also realized that, in the true sense of the word, a new dimension was opening for the natural scientist. New animal and plant species about whom nothing was known before the introduction of diving, were there to discover. Fish displayed their natural behavior far more in their coral reef surroundings than in some restrictive aquarium. In addition, the oceans contained the origin of all life, and it seemed to Hass the most suitable place to approach this phenomenon. This process still fascinates him today. Hass now dreamed of other expeditions that would take him to the expansive coral seas of the Southern Hemisphere. There he wanted to get to know and explore the many unknown animal and plant species. The end of his 1941 book “Unter Korallen und Haien” [Diving to Adventure] provides a fascinating insight into his plans: “The Curacao expedition showed what opportunities free-swimming underwater research provides. If the three of us were able to observe so much with such modest means and under such difficult conditions, what success must a more amply outfitted expedition to the South Sea coral world bring. The most important prerequisite for future journeys is a large ship outfitted with modern equipment with which we could cross the southern ocean. Equipped with new, improved gear and instruments, we could then explore the fish kingdom. We must be aided by scientists who, on the spot, can examine and evaluate everything that is brought up from the ocean depths. On board, they would have a modern laboratory at their disposal and instruct the diving team on the observation and filming of life processes of scientific interest in the ocean, and the capture of rare fish for examination. I am convinced that such collaboration would enable us to make a valuable contribution to oceanic research. And I am certain that, at least once, our ship will sail to the Red Sea, through the Indian Ocean and to the South Sea coral islands and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. May we then succeed in carrying out our project successfully, to penetrate ever deeper into the secrets and puzzles of the ocean depths and to make the ocean’s beauty accessible to the public with photographs and films”. In this 1941 preview Hass already formulated everything that he would realize in the following two decades. The book “Unter Korallen und Haien”, which roused the general public’s interest in the underwater world, proclaimed the conquest of a new field of research. It was translated into almost two dozen languages, has been reprinted in numerous editions and has sold nearly a halfmillion copies worldwide. Starting in 1941, Hass wrote books and articles and held countless lectures in order to earn the money that would help him fulfill his dream of owning his own research ship and to also spread the word about the new research method. At the same time, he wanted to show that sharks were not the bloodthirsty creatures they were often said to be and that they were no obstacle to the researchers working in the ocean depths. In 1942 Hass planned another expedition. Because of the raging war, however, it could be only carried out in the Aegean Sea, not in the tropical ocean. During this expedition, he planned to combine the great mobility provided by flippers with a self-contained breathing apparatus for the first time. In the spring of 1941, Hass met Hermann Stelzner, the technical director of the Dräger Company in Lübeck, Germany. Together they rebuilt the “Dräger-Gegenlunge”, an oxygen rebreather, and made alterations to the breathing bag and the oxygen supply valve. The continuous flow regulator fitted to the Gegenlunge was replaced by a simple push-button valve, allowing the diver to manually admit oxygen to the breathing bag according to his varying consumption and to control his buoyancy. To produce an advantageous center of gravity in all swimming positions, the breathing bag was moved to the back. Hass replaced the original goggles he had been using up until this time, with a circular diving mask that enclosed the eyes and nose. The use of flippers turned the selfcontained oxygen rebreather into a swimdiving apparatus, which Hass used constantly on all his expeditions from 1942 on. Although, technically, the swimdiving apparatus represented only a minor innovation, it was fundamentally different from all earlier equipment in its application. In contrast to the traditional practice of divers, who walked erect on the ocean floor while working underwater - (precisely in the position that produces the most resistance to water) - the swimdiving apparatus made it possible for the diver to move in the only physically correct manner of underwater locomotion, which all marine mammals also employ. That is, with the head forward and the flippers on the rear extremities. Hass was able to use the apparatus as early as 1942, during his Aegean expedition. The film he made there, “Menschen unter Haien” [Man Amongst Sharks] documents this historic event. The transformation of Hass into a swimdiver occurred on July 12, 1942 near the small Greek island of Ari Ronisi and close to the western tip of Euböa. In the film he describes his feelings during the first dive as follows: “I immediately let myself sink to a depth of 30 feet. It was a wonderful feeling to linger underwater without any breathing difficulties at all and to be able to move about with complete freedom of movement. I had become an amphibious being and could travel along with the fish!” Putting himself in life threatening situations, he defined the limits of the apparatus on this expedition. Two accidents, which luckily had no serious consequences, proved to Hass once again the high risk involved in the use of the oxygen rebreather. But Hass was more concerned with being able to observe the behavior of fish as unobtrusively as possible. This is why he continued to use the almost totally silent rebreathers on subsequent expeditions, instead of the safer compressed-air diving gear, which was unsuited for his purposes because of the noise produced by the exhausted air. In addition to the lack of noise, the rebreather was also easily portable and convenient in that one could obtain oxygen and absorbent all over the world. The maximum diving depth of 60 feet, prescribed by Hermann Stelzner, was sufficient enough for Hass because most organic activity in the coral reefs takes place at a shallower depth. The shallows also provided better lighting for photographs and films. Another advantage of the rebreather was the chance, when technology made it possible, to breath a different gas mixture other than pure oxygen. This would make it possible to increase the depth limit . On his 1942 Aegean expedition Hass was able to carry out extensive work in marine biology for the first time. The use of the rebreather allowed him access to work in undersea caves which would be inaccessible to a helmet diver. His thesis on the immobile animalcule called “Reteporiden”, which he began writing on this expedition, is regarded today as a milestone in marine biology research and the first marine biology project carried out with the swimdiving method. Swimdiving was first used as an aid to underwater biological research in 1942 by Hans Hass. Until then, researchers only reached the oceans depths with trawlnets or grab-buckets, or individually with hose-equipped diving helmets. Now, as they began using swimdiving gear, the shallow coastal regions lay open for researchers driven underwater by scientific curiosity. Hass was the first of this new generation of researchers. The combination of self-contained breathing equipment and flippers was a milestone in the history of diving and humans attempts to explore the oceans. Because of its design-specific risks, the oxygen rebreather was eventually replaced, in mid-century, by the safer, more dependable SCUBA using only compressed air. Today the use of new gas mixtures for breathing has made the rebreather popular again. Its basic principle has remained unchanged, apart from developments in construction and the various mixtures of gases for breathing, the use of which has been made possible by technological advance and the development of special dispensing valves. Nitrox, Trimix or Heliox are the three most commonly used and best-known gas mixtures, and continue to extend the rebreather’s depth limits and duration.

Additional Work
Through laborious and painstaking work producing books and lectures, Hass was able, in 1943, to fulfill his dream of owning his own research ship. However his ownership would be short-lived. After the war, the victorious Russian troops confiscated the ship as booty, and Hass also lost all his money. The “Seeteufel” [Sea Devil], as the ship was named, has never been recovered. But Hass did not give up. In 1951, in Liechtenstein (Switzerland) he founded his International Institut for Submarine Research (IISF). Shortly thereafter, using his own funds, he acquired a three-masted schooner, hired a crew, gathered a team of scientists around him and set off, with himself as expeditionary leader, to explore the various oceanic coral reefs in great style. In 1953/54 his ship, the “Xarifa”, sailed across the Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea and the Galapagos Islands of the Pacific; in 1957/58 he sailed through the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean to the Nicobar Islands and, finally, to Singapore. These journeys produced numerous sensational results. For example, there was the first underwater encounter between a human and a sperm whale, the ocean’s largest predator. Hass was able to determine that this animal is far more timid than was generally assumed. In the Indian Ocean, Hass elaborated a new theory regarding the creation of the coral atolls in the Maledives, which replaced the previously accepted theory of Charles Darwin. The Xarifa’s research journeys produced in many respects an important contribution to a more precise knowledge of the ocean and its residents. With his two legendary expeditions with the Xarifa, the diving pioneer completely opened the ocean floor to future swimdiving researchers. It was as if a door had been opened behind which the ocean now presented itself enticingly to science. During his approximately 25 years of underwater activity (1937 to 1962), Hass continually developed his technological innovations. An electric instrument to lure or repulse sharks and control schools of fish with artificially produced vibrations was developed in 1948. In 1950 he produced the first underwater flash camera, the “Hans Hass Rolleimarin”. At the same time, he further developed underwater photographic and film technology. After 1942, he stirred international public interest in diving with his films, and promoted swimdiving as a popular method of underwater research and future leisure activity. He achieved world fame as a bestselling author and director of numerous documentary and underwater films, first for the cinema and later for TV. His beautiful wife, Lotte Hass, appeared in many of his films. As one of the first underwater models, she played an important role in their success. In 1951, Hass’s film “Abenteuer im Roten Meer” [Adventure in the Red Sea] received first prize for long documentary films at the Venice Biennial. During 1959, in Los Angeles, Hass was given an award for outstanding underwater cinematography for his film “Unternehmen Xarifa” [Under the Caribbean]. Due to space constraints I am unable to fully record these events here. I have, however, recorded them in the publications referred to in the Notes. In 1961, the much-traveled zoologist and originator of swimdiving again summed up his reminiscences in a book. “Expedition ins Unbekannte” [Expedition into the Unknown] Hass had established the new method of oceanographic research and reached the goal he had formulated in 1941. He had contributed greatly to the advancement of humans into this immense and soon-to-be enormously important realm, and had written a significant chapter in the history of diving. In doing so he had become a pioneer in the field of underwater behavior observation. Everywhere on seacoasts and inland waters, people were already copying him. The conquest of the submarine world was off to a flying start. Underwater research and sportdiving in general would never have become what it is today without Hans Hass. In 1961, the dynamic scientist reached for new goals, which had less to do with diving technology than with problems in the area of natural philosophy, such as conformity to natural laws and evolution. He developed what he called the “Energon- Theorie”. Today at 77 years of age, Hass is still a fervent advocate of marine and environmental protection. Over the years, he has published three manifestos urging a more rational interaction with the ocean, its creatures and resources.

Summary
The 1940’s saw the arrival of the European pioneers who were to be mankind’s guides to the underwater world. In the 1930’s and 1940’s Hans Hass brought us the marvels of the undersea with his writings, photographs and films. In 1943, Jacques Yves Cousteau and Emil Gagnan developed their Aqualung that was to eventually provide all of us with a safe means of exploring the world Hass had shown us. The significant underwater achievements and advances made by Hans Hass are now finally being recognized outside of Europe. He is the recipient of the 1997 REACHING OUT AWARD from the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, the worlds largest sports diving trade organization. He will add this to the international awards he has already received. Hans Hass has been a pioneer for both divers and the environment of the ocean. Both a man of vision and courage, he opened the eyes of the world to the beauty of the undersea. For this, we all owe him eternal thanks.

Photo sources courtesy of Michael Jung and Leslie Leaney.

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