Jacques Cousteau’s love for the sea developed and grew throughout his growing up years.
Born in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, France, He learnt to swim when was only 4 years old. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to USA for 2 years. There, Cousteau improved his swimming and snorkeling. While attending a summer camp in Vermont, he started diving as part of the programme and this started his life-long love for swimming underwater. When he returned to France, this passion persisted, and he would snorkel around the city of Marseilles.
At around 12/13 years old, he got a 9 mm Pathé camera. His friends took much interest in it and wanted to be filmed. Soon, he began to write and direct short movies, starring himself and his friends. This started another life-long love of his – capturing the world around him and showing it to others through film.
Unlike most children who can be fickle minded about their interests, these 2 passions that he discovered earlier in life eventually came together to motivate and drive his conservation efforts.