A Commemoration on the 50th Anniversary of the William Beebe-Otis Barton Bathysphere Dives

Abstract

Fifty years ago this summer, Otis Barton, the designer of the Bathysphere, and William Beebe, a naturalist and, at that time, Director of Tropical Research, New York Zoological Society, captured the interests and imagination of the public with their diving exploits off Bermuda’s Nonesuch Island. The drama that unfolded on each of their expeditions was reported in detail by Beebe (1930, 1932, 1934); the flavor of this period in deep-water diving history was captured on film as well (Barton, unpublished), in footage that is now on file in the archives of the New York Zoological Society. Scenes were selected by the authors and juxtaposed with new film footage taken of a modern research submersible diving in waters off Grand Bahama Island. The contrast between the Mermaid II sequence (International Underwater Contractors, Inc.) and the 1930s dive is striking. At the start of the film a relatively primitive device is shown that barely accommodates two people and has minimal survival and safety features aboard (Fig. 1); at mid-point in the film, the time shifts to the present and we focus in on a sophisticated diving system, mother ship and submersible, with the latest communications and safety equipment plus an impressive array of navigational aids (Fig. 2).