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Prof. Dr. Hans
Hass, the greatest diving pioneer of all times  |
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 Hans Hass was born in Vienna
on 23rd Jan. 1919 as a son of a lawyer. He was the tallest diving pioneer and
the Maldives wouldn't be this without him either, what they are for us today!
The 18-year old Hass was in
the South of France in 1937 and he was always interested of the mysterious
sea, he also put the head under the water and he was immediately fascinated
by this fairytale world.
1938 built Hans built hate
for the first sub-water camera, a (mostly) watertight case for his Rolleiflex,
to document his impressions under water then at that time nobody wanted to
believe him in Vienna what he had everything seen under water.
Within the years 1941/1942
Hans Hass has collaborated substantially at the first swimming aqualung of
the world of the company Dräger. He has dived with oxygen, with compressed
air, with circulation equipment, with rebreather and he experienced his first
depth high when we didn't know that there is something like that at all. After
years, from the sports diver became a biologist and trough this he was the
first sea biologist he made his studies not only at spirit preparations but
at living sea animals in the most very own biospere.Hans Hass financed all
dive expeditions alone and he was all over the whole Mediterranean Sea, in
the Red Sea, in the Pacific and natural also in the Indian Ocean and he dived
in the most Maldives atolls. His first diving ship the legendary "Seeteufel"
of Felix Graf Luckner he had it only 3 years then she was confiscated by the
Russians in 1945, but already 1951 he bought the "Xarifa" with this
one he did diving expeditions in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean for 20
years. Today, a diving place is still known in the south of the North Male
atoll as "Hans Hass Place" and the to date unknown, shy Tube-Eels
Heteroconger hassi and Xarifania hassi are named after him and his ship.
Unlike Jacques Cousteau who
did all diving journeys and films with state help Hans Hass had to finance
all expeditions self, however, what with his world known movies "Unternehmen
Xarifa" (1953/54) and "Expedition ins Unbekannte" (1958/59)
partly reach, as well as books known to many other cinema and filmlets as well
as his ''Jagd unter Wasser'' (1939), ''Unter Korallen und Haien'' (1941), ''Fotojagd
am Meeresgrund'' (1942), ''Menschen und Haie'' (1949), ''Wir kommen aus dem
Meer'' (1957), ''In unberührten Tiefen'' (1971), ''Eroberung der Tiefe'' (1976)
and many others reach again and again. After the Xarifa expedition Hans Hass
became from the diving pioneer always more a biologist and a behavior researcher,
just like his world-famous friend and diving partners Irenäus Eibel Eibesfeldt.
The first diving woman of the world was also in case of many journeys at this,
his later wife Lotte Hass!
Without Prof. Hans Hass there
wouldn't be any sports divers, no underwater photography and "Protect
the Maldives" it would have never either been founding then if Hans Hass
did not in 1958 find out and dive in the Maldives, today, perhaps they still
wouldn't have any diving tourism there. Prof. Hans Hass was the first person
who could freely dive under water, he was, the first person this photographed
and filmed under water and he was the first person who proved that the sharks
aren't those bloodthirsty monsters as this one they were always notorious till
there, but that himself - of course considering some behavior rules - could
diving freely under the sharks. Hans Hass was for me, just the same like for
many others, that great idol that me suggested by his films and books since
1957 that I bought a diving mask for myself and with that in the Old Danube
between sun perches, pikes and thick horn cabbage to snorkeling and today,
Hans and Lotte Hass are honor members of the registered association Protect
the Maldives in this I may collaborate in the organization executive board. |
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Interview about
"Protect the Maldives" with Professor Dr. Hans Hass on Sept 2nd 2003 |
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G.Geyer: |
Good day Mr. Professor. I come because
of our action "Protect the Maldives". |
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Prof. Hass: |
Hello Mr Geyer. I am still interested
in the Maldives and, if you liked to protect there nature, I help you
be glad then the nature of the Maldives a great request for me. |
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G.Geyer: |
At present we are still a loose
interest community of Maldives fans, but we found the bordering exceeding
organization "Protect the Maldives" in Hamburg at the beginning
of October with members from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and also
from Italy. |
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Prof. Hass: |
I find organization whose members
of almost all of Europe proceed for very good but only too bad that
your organization isn't founded yet. I thought this would already be
taken care! If it helps you, of course you may use my name for the
action "Protect the Maldives"! |
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G.Geyer: |
Unfortunately no but soon. I fly
also to the organization foundation to Hamburg on October 4th and finally
then we can appear as an organization and not as a loose group of single
idealists. I have particularly proudly that the tourist strongest country
Italy also is represented. Elena doesn't speak only Italian but also
perfect German and if considers that from Italy come three times so
many tourists than from Germany and even fourteen times so much than
from Austria so I think the participation of Italy in our action "Protect
the Maldives" is particularly important! |
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Prof. Hass: |
Tell me a little about the aims
of her action. What disturbs you most, what would you like to change
to please the nature? |
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G. Geyer: |
We aren't militant but we would
like to draw the attention of only the many tourists how sensitive
the ecosystem of the Maldives is and as they behave as environmentally
harmlessly as possible on the Maldives on vacation. To this end we
have written information sheets of one's own and translated into 8
languages, bound to information briefcases and now we are trying to
convince not only the tourists but also the island managers and the
diving bases with that. These are only 2 sides but there is this one
in 8 languages! |
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Prof. Hass: |
This is more than enough! Mr Geyer,
you know Mr Erich Ritter? |
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G. Geyer: |
Yes, but only by the hearsay. Even
an article stands in the "tauchen" of September over Mr Ritter
and his life with the sharks. |
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Prof. Hass: |
Mr Ritter would like also coming
soon to me and talking with me about the organization "Shark-project"
(Remark: Details on www.sharkproject.com).
Perhaps you also know the Australian diver couple this fights also
for the protection of the reefs in Australia, too? |
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G. Geyer: |
I already have heard of them but
unfortenately I don't know about this two. Know Professor Hass, my
Maldives homepage in the meantime, this one is probably already the
biggest Maldives side of the world, keeps me already about in trot,
that I have no more time at all to deal with other actions. I think
it is better to concentrating me on this one as to do several things
at the same time and nothing gets more perfect! |
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Prof. Hass: |
You are quite right there. Concentrate
on your homepage and the organization "Protect the Maldives"! |
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G. Geyer: |
This is but a Fulltimejob but today
was my last working day and I hope that I have as Pensionist more time
for "my" Maldives. |
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Prof. Hass: |
What do you want to reach with the
tourists at all, then?. |
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G. Geyer: |
It is actually only some points
about which we would like to inform the tourists such as Cigarette
ends we shouldn't "forget" this on the beach or shouldn't
throw into the sea because the synthetic filters partly need rotting
far more than 100 years! For a couple of years you met more and more
Dhonis with a an old water bottle as an ashtray, or islands with many
sand filled coconut nuts as an ashtray along the ways. We try to move
peoples, that they leave her air-conditioning system leaving switched
on not the whole day but that they cool the room only specifically
this would be no more problem at all with today's programmable equipment
anyway. The fish feedings also disturb us on some islands but we had
to remove this point from our information documents on request of the
Maledivian government again. |
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Prof. Hass: |
So I find nothing bad at the couple
of fish feedings actually. In comparison with the richness in fish
of the oceans these couple of fish feedings are so insignificant anyway
that they don't fall into the weight at all. I would find it much more
important not only to inform the tourists and managers but that you
show commitment also against the shark fishing and that you also seek
contacts in the Maledivian population and these too more environmental
awareness should stimulate. |
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G. Geyer: |
These would we like but unfortunately,
we only have very few contacts to the Maledivian population apart from
the Tourism Ministry, Mr. Hassan Sobir. |
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Prof. Hass: |
Perhaps, unfortunately I know also
no longer many peoples but, if you need help, ask me perhaps I can
you help a anyway. |
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G. Geyer: |
For a couple of years on the Maldives
comes the trend, away from the mass tourism and to the luxury tourism,
what do you think of it? |
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Prof. Hass: |
Against this has nothing to be objected
actually, on the contrary. If everybody cannot do himself the Maldives
any more comes only more the peoples this was really interested and
not all that one they then simply wanted to indicate this only once
to have been on the Maldives too already. |
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G. Geyer: |
But definitely the luxury tourism
loads more and more nature anyway?! Earlier there was no hot water
on the islands but the water was warmed by the air in dark tanks on
approximately 30° while there is a hot-water tank in every room today
and the sewages of the island are warmer than early through it. The
water is warmer at the housereef of the hotel-islands on an average
by one degree than on the uninhabited islands and one degree more can
mean already the death of many corals. 30° of water temperature still
are come through but the coral bleach already permanently starts with
31° of centigrades. On many islands such as also on Maayafushi you
assemble in the bath room already 2 donators for liquid soap and this
isn't provably used so thriftily for a long time as conventional soap
and so also load the environment. In our information sheets everything
is listed, what harms nature and if every tourist would taking a couple
of our tips, the nature and the coral-reef would be spared much more. |
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Prof. Hass: |
Yes, many small things sum himself
up and harms then the corals but now since I see like and for what
you show commitment is I like to prepare your action help! However,
I wouldn't only like to be simply a normal member in your organization
(Note: then even as honorary member), but I also would like to collaborate
with you. I would like that they keep me informed about your action
from time to time (Note: Nothing kind than this!). I already see a
little bad but if is a little too small print, then reads it to me. |
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G. Geyer: |
Natural we want to keep you informed
about our action. HThat is much more as me had hoped and I am honored
to report you about PTM be able. |
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Prof. Hass: |
Does your action only confine itself
to the Maldives or do you expand your activities also into other countries? |
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G. Geyer: |
Actually our action was brought
by Maldives fans for Maldives vacationists brought into being but if
contacts to other countries which have the same problems like the Maldives
give up then we like to try to inform these people and to convert the
thought of our action also into these countries but we don't found
other countries sections ourselves of course. This year in spring we
had a very interesting contact, we met the Tourism Ministry of the
Seychelles, the charming Mrs Simone De Comarmond, at the "Maldivian
Night" in Berlin and she was very interested in our ideas, actually
almost still more as a Mr. Hassan Sobir, the Tourism Ministry of the
Maldives. |
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Prof. Hass: |
Mr Geyer I am the Maldives very
concerned and I wish you much success for this action but please, report
to me about it from time to time! |
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G. Geyer: |
Mr. Professor, please might I still
take a photo of you? |
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Prof. Hass: |
With pleasure, but I also would
like to have a picture of it! |
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G. Geyer: |
Of course, I have at least a reason
to disturb you here in your office again :-) |
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