Legendary French diver, Jacques Mayol, whose books about man's spiritual connection to dolphins are an inspiration to ocean lovers around the world, passed away on December 22, 2001. He was 74. Born in Shanghai in 1927, to French parents, Mayol spent most of life at his spiritual home in Elba, Italy, where he took his own life. Jacques Mayol first encountered his life long companions, the dolphins, in the Red Sea. He saw them from the deck of a steamer, en route from China to France, when he was seven years old. His interest in them grew and he eventually became known to many divers as "the human dolphin." Jacques Mayol achieved fame as an elite apnea diver, and went on to become the first man to hold his breath long enough to descend to 100 meters under water. His fame reached legendary status when the record-breaking dives became part of a long-running rivalry between Mayol and Italian diver Enzo Maiorca. This rivalry became the inspiration for the 1988 film The Big Blue, which Jacques co-wrote. The movie was extremely successful across Europe, but was less so in the USA. During the 1950s he worked at an aquarium in Florida, and developed an especially close relationship with a female dolphin named Crown. Even thought it was against the aquariums rules, Mayol swam with Crown during his lunch hours. It was during those secret visits with Crown that Mayol honed his ability to stay under water for minutes on end. By the 1970s, he had perfected his technique, diving 100 meters in 1976. At the age of 56, he followed that with yet another record-breaking dive, this time to 105 m. In 1983 Mayol wrote "Homo Delphinus, The Dolphin Within Man." In the book he reflects on the many years of preaching a state of mind based on relaxation and yoga, and also argues the importance of protecting the ocean. The book also includes accounts of the apnea record dives and has a treasure chest of photos.
Mr. Mayol suggested that within a couple of generations people will be able to swim at depths of 200 m and hold their breath for up to 10 minutes. Such an accomplishment appears to be possible. The free-diving record currently stands at 162 m. This wonderful book has only recently been published in English by Idelson-Gnocchi (ISBN 1-928649-03-3) Friends say "the human dolphin," who once held more than a dozen world records for his lengthy underwater escapades, was suffering from depression and had recently hinted he was considering taking his own life.
"He told me on the phone, 'I feel nothing for myself, I want to kill myself,' " said Maurizio Russo, whose company published Homo Delphinus: The Dolphin Within Man. "He was getting older and he just didn't want to accept that." A neighbor in the Italian town of Calone discovered Mayol's body, which was accompanied by a note in which he asked to be cremated. "I just spoke with him yesterday. I'm in a state of shock," said Stephen McCulloch, director of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Florida where Mr. Mayol gave numerous lectures about the intricacies of the sea.
"I hope he'll be remembered more for the wonderful things he's done rather than how his life ended." "He was just one with the ocean," said Mr. Russo. "For me, the sea is like a lover: the more it caresses me and the more I emb race it, the more we exchange our affections and the greater my desire to explore it deeply," Mr. Mayol once said. "Whether on the surface or at depth, I feel myself melt into the wide-open arms of our 'original' mother, the ocean. Each time I dive into the sea it cradles me and I emerge like a newborn baby."

Front row, left to right, Jacques Mayol, Albert Falco, Capitaine Philippe 
Tailliez, Christian Petron, and Andre Laban, with Jean-Michel Cousteau 
     (standing) at a screening of Jean-Michel’s “Manfish” movie. 

© 2000 Antibes, France

Historical divers Albert Falco, Jacques Mayol and Jean-Michel Cousteau.

© 2000 Antibes, France

Besides his underwater feats, Mr. Mayol will be remembered for his oceanic research. The "citizen of planet ocean" delivered innumerable lectures about the sea and its role in the lives of humans. "I considered him my master," said friend and fellow diver Umberto Pelizzari, who once descended 131 m from the ocean's surface. Mr. Mayol's enthusiasm for the ocean, however, had dwindled over the past year. Mr. McCulloch, who has known Mayol for the past 20 years and considers him his adoptive father, said he recently invited Jacques to the Dominican Republic to swim with humpback whales. "I called Jacques, knowing he was feeling down and depressed," Mr. McCulloch recalled. "I said it was going to be a great adventure like the good old days. He said, "Really Steve, I've just lost my enthusiasm, and that's the way it is. I'll think about it and call you after the New Year." Jacques Mayol was an Honorary Life time member of The Historical Diving Society Australia, & S.E. Asia. A funeral service was held in Livorno, Italy.

Bob Ramsay.
Historical Diving Society Australia, & S.E. Asia With acknowledgment to National Post, Stephen D. McCulloch, Maurizio Russo and news services.