The First Dives

During the early dives, a fearful William Beebe and Barton tested whether the bathysphere would hold up to the pressure of deep water. The fused quartz windows provided a clear view of life at depth for the first time. As Beebe looked out, he thought not of feet or yards of visibility, but of the hundreds of miles of this color stretching over so much of the world. On deck, Gloria Hollister communicated with Beebe and Barton via the telephone line and took notes of the observations they relayed to her. Their very first dive reached 803 feet. The 1930 bathysphere was painted white, but it was later decided that a dark blue color would be less conspicuous to deep-sea fish.

New York, New York · United States