Chapter 4 



THE KINGDOM OF THE HELMET 



WHEN first I ever put on a diving helmet and 

 climbed down the submerged ladder, then I 

 knew that I had added thousands upon thou- 

 sands of wonderful miles to my possible joy of earthly life: 

 let me escape from dry-land etymology and say instead — 

 the joys of planetary life; for personal exploration under 

 the ocean is really unearthly; we are penetrating into a 

 new world. 



After we have dived hundreds of times we learn to 

 discount the fears upon which we have been nurtured 

 since childhood. And when the needless terrors of being 

 water-inclosed, of the imputed malignity of octopi, sharks, 

 and barracudas have ceased to trouble our supreme delight 

 in the strangeness and unbelievable beauties of this newly 

 conquered realm, then we begin to appreciate the real 

 significance of our achievement. 



To enter into and to enjoy this new phase of life re- 

 quires no practice or rehearsal, no special skill or elaborate 

 preparation. If one dives and returns to the surface in- 

 articulate with amazement and with a deep realization of 

 the marvel of what he has seen and where he has been, 



then he deserves to go again and again. If he is unmoved 



6S 



