May 9, 2012 at 10am (your time zone)
Born in Marseille on October 17, 1927, Albert Falco, Bébert, my “older brother” has returned to the Big Blue at age 84 on April 21, 2012.
In 1950, Falco dreamed of meeting Jacques Cousteau who was already famous in Marseille.
« And one day, the miracle happened, explains Falco. My life, all of my life was decided at once, the dream became reality. Cousteau and his friends, of which we spoke so often, were accepting volunteers to help explore a very ancient shipwreck off the coast of Marseille. Weekend divers were accepted. I joined the team. It was a miracle.»
As Jacques Cousteau’s first diver, Albert Falco spent nearly four decades as expedition chief and captain of the Calypso, a pioneer diver uncovering the sea’s wonders and secrets.
He was the first pilot of the diving saucer in July 1959 in the port of Marseille and one of the first Oceanauts to live for seven days at a depth of ten meters in the first house under the sea in the Mediterranean.
He calls those years “the most beautiful of my life.” When Falco retired, but not from the ocean, he shared what he had learned in short films he created for environmental organizations such as Martinique Vidéo Sub, Earth and Sea Images and others. He also worked to preserve the Calanque de Sormiou, a place close to his heart where he first discovered underwater diving. His films aimed to protect the ocean and the riches it conceals; to create marine reserves in order to save marine species facing extinction; and to teach children about the environment.
In honor of Albert Falco, I am requesting to all my family, friends, associates, and you to join a 'moment of silence' on May 9th at 10am (your own time zone). At this same time I will be in Marseille, France with family and friends of Albert Falco, dedicating a new marine protected area in honor of where he grew up and what remained his favorite place through out his life, Calanque de Sormiou.
Thank-you,
Images Courtesy of: Carrie Vonderhaar, Holly Lohuis, Nancy Marr, Tim Trabon, Dr. Richard Murphy, Phil Dustan, Craig and Bonnie Truscott and Alain Foret.
For more information please contact:
Holly Lohuis, Ocean Futures Society at
hlohuis@oceanfutures.org
About Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society (OFS) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization. With the motto, “Protect the ocean and you protect yourself,” the mission of OFS is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. OFS is based in Santa Barbara, California, with offices in Paris, France; Lucca, Italy; and São Paulo, Brazil. For more information, visit http://www.oceanfutures.org.
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