Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Our table was so engrossed in this humorous subject that we failed
to notice that the several hundred other diners had all finished eating.
Apparently etiquette didn't permit them to leave until Cousteau him-
self stood up, and when this was pointed out to him he chuckled and
rose to his feet with a wave. We thanked our host for a wonderful con-
ference and a most stimulating evening and made our farewells.
That evening I spent with Jacques Cousteau comes to mind when-
ever I think about my retirement. Like Cousteau's, my retirement years
are simply a continuation of my life—though I like to think I might
be a little wiser than I was when I started out so many years ago. When
meeting young, eager marine biologists, I do my best to steer them in
a direction that will give them as much satisfaction as I've had in my
work. When they ask what they can do to get started, I pass along com-
monsense tips: Get an education. Learn to dive, so you can experience
the underwater world firsthand. Volunteer if you can. Keep learning,
diving, and working with the animals you love.
I will keep on doing what I've been doing. Whenever I can dive, I
do. Whenever I can work with or talk about sea creatures, I do. When-
ever someone has an intriguing proposal—a collecting trip, a new ex-
hibit idea, a day's fishing—I respond. The satisfaction of being on the
water with the sounds and smells of the salt air is part of my being.
In fact, it doesn't seem so long ago that I returned as a youngster from
a day at the beach in Durban with my mother, father, and sister and slept,
that night, with a fish under my pillow. No, not so long ago at all.