MAYOL, Jacques

France (1927-2001)

Last updated: January 31, 2019 at 4:24 am

Competitive freediver; first freediver to descend to 100 m (330 ft) in 1976; inspiration for Luc Besson’s cult film The Big Blue (1988); author of Homo Delphinus: The Dolphin within Man; worked as an aquarium diver in Florida where he formed a close bond and swam with a dolphin named Clown; a.k.a. The Human Dolphin.

Wyland ICON Award (2008)

Before commenting, please be aware that the Diving Almanac is not an award nor a hall of fame. It is simply a listing of individuals, past and present, that have made a significant contribution to the world diving community. Also note that comments are moderated: (1) Stay on topic (2) Be respectful (3) Refrain from vulgarity and abusive language (4) Do not make personal complaints about a person’s character, business, work or associations (5) Do not publish materials that violate copyright. OFFENDING COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED.
If you would like to nominate someone to our Who’s Who, please complete the form on the nomination page. For details on existing profiles, please contact the Editor.
In order to ensure your browsing experience is as enjoyable as possible, banners are kept to an absolute minimum, which means that advertising revenues alone cannot sustain this 100% FREE publication. Researching and updating the Diving Almanac requires a lot of time and dedication. If you believe the diving community needs a central body of information to record, validate and make available our shared history and accomplishments, please show your support by making a contribution to the Diving Almanac via PayPal (Porbeagle Press). Thank you!

VESCOVO, Victor

VESCOVO, Victor

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Deepsea explorer extraordinaire; first person to descend to the deepest points of all five of the Earth's oceans during the Five Deeps Expedition in 2018–2019; set the record for the deepest [...]
Read More
WALLINGFORD, Peter

WALLINGFORD, Peter

By   Jeffrey Gallant
President of Diamond Reef® Training Systems International (renamed from BTSI); creator of the Diamond Reef Training and Evaluation System; founded Friends of the Reef in response [...]
Read More
COUSTEAU, Jacques-Yves

COUSTEAU, Jacques-Yves

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Diving pioneer, visionary, and inventor; world-famous underwater explorer and advocate for the environment; prolific author and film [...]
Read More
LE PRIEUR, Yves Paul Gaston

LE PRIEUR, Yves Paul Gaston

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Inventor; modified the Rouquayrol Denayrouse diving apparatus by combining a demand valve and high pressure air tank thus eliminating [...]
Read More
EVANS, Bob

EVANS, Bob

By   Jeffrey Gallant
President, Bob Evans Designs, Inc.; inventor holding more than 33 patents on revolutionary fin designs (Force Fin); inventor of GasPods; fin design part of the permanent collections [...]
Read More
WOLBERT, Linden

WOLBERT, Linden

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Professional mermaid; entrepreneur; Ocean Advocate; founder and CEO at Mermaid Linden; Half woman, half fish, Linden speaks to humans about the creatures of the sea with [...]
Read More
VANN, Richard D., Ph.D.

VANN, Richard D., Ph.D.

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Hyperbaric researcher; diving physiologist; Emeritus Assistant Professor at Duke University; former Vice President of Research for DAN; diving engineer at Ocean [...]
Read More
NITSCH, Herbert

NITSCH, Herbert

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Competitive freediver; established AIDA No Limit record of 214 m (702.1 ft) in 2007; has set over 30 world records; can hold his breath for more than 9 minutes; invented the neck [...]
Read More
LABAN, André

LABAN, André

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Underwater photographer; filmmaker; world’s first underwater painter; musician; longtime crewmember and diver of the Cousteau Society; chemical engineer; co-designer and [...]
Read More
CHURCH, Ron

CHURCH, Ron

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Pioneer underwater photographer; author; cinematographer; freediver; world record spearfisherman; co-founder of the San Diego Underwater Photographic [...]
Read More
NICKLIN, Chuck

NICKLIN, Chuck

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Pioneer underwater cinematographer and photographer; filmed underwater sequences for TV shows and blockbuster movies including The Deep, The Abyss, and two [...]
Read More
EARLE, Sylvia, Ph.D.

EARLE, Sylvia, Ph.D.

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Scientist; aquanaut; author; public speaker; multiple record holder including the Deepest dive in one-atmosphere suit and the Deepest solo submersible dive; led the first all-female [...]
Read More
SULLIVAN, Jeremiah

SULLIVAN, Jeremiah

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Marine biologist; shark diving pioneer and researcher into the reality of human/shark interactions; founder of SharkArmor Tech; inventor of the Neptunic Sharksuit, a flexible [...]
Read More
HASS, Lotte (née Baierl)

HASS, Lotte (née Baierl)

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Diving and underwater photography pioneer; first underwater model; producer; author; went on her first expedition with Hans Hass in the Red Sea in 1950 resulting [...]
Read More
DOUBILET, David

DOUBILET, David

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Underwater photographer; resident photographer for National Geographic Magazine; explorer; author; multiple awards include Lowell Thomas Award (Explorers Club) and the [...]
Read More
McDONALD, Kendall

McDONALD, Kendall

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Author; wreck enthusiast; chronicler of British diving and shipwrecks; public speaker; scriptwriter and presenter of the first British TV series on diving; former Chairman of [...]
Read More
WATTS, Hal

WATTS, Hal

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Founder of the Professional Scuba Association, originally known as the Florida State Skin Diving Schools in 1962; world air depth record at 390 ft (119 m) in 1967; set the world record for [...]
Read More
WATSON, Neal

WATSON, Neal

By   Jeffrey Gallant
Pioneer of dive resort franchising; President of the Bahamas Diving Association; commercial diver; dive instructor; treasure salver; underwater stuntman; holds the world record for the longest [...]
Read More