Dr. Ashley Lemke

Captain Jacques Cousteau is an enduring inspiration for millions of people with his adventurous spirit and deep love and respect for the world's oceans. As a co-inventor of the Aqualung, the first widely available and successful SCUBA gear, Cousteau allowed others to explore underwater more easily. The Silent World is his first book and recounts the early days of scuba diving, underwater investigations, and excursions diving into shipwrecks. Underwater science continues to progress, most notably our appreciation for and protection of underwater cultural heritage, like the shipwrecks explored by Cousteau but also much older archaeological sites. The world's oceans, lakes and rivers are still a frontier of science and the environments and life they protect are instrumental for a sustainable future. Water has always inspired and humbled me and I hope this book helps others capture this wonder and start their own adventures.