Hans Hass (23 January 1919 – 16 June 2013) was an Austrian biologist andunderwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularisecoral reefs,stingrays, octopuses andsharks. He pioneered the making of documentaries filmed underwater and led the development of a type ofrebreather. He is also known for his energon theory[1][2] and his commitment to protecting the environment.[3][2]
Hass was born in Vienna; his father was an attorney and Hass initially pursued law. However, Hass had a formative encounter with the American diverGuy Gilpatric while on aRiviera holiday in 1938[2] which included underwater hunting and photography. After making expeditions to theCaribbean Sea and writing his first professional articles in 1938-39, in 1940 Hass switched from readinglaw to studyingzoology and graduated with a Ph.D. from theUniversity of Berlin in 1943 at the Faculty of Biology. His thesis was the first scientific research project that used an autonomous rebreather diving equipment. In his early diving he usedrebreathers, which he had made for him by the German diving gear makersDräger: he had these sets made with thebreathing bag on his back, as he did not like the bag-on-chest "frogman look". Hass and his team of researchers logged over 2000 dives utilising oxygen rebreathers from 1942 to 1953.[4]
Although Don Stewart, one of the first scuba operators on the Caribbean island ofBonaire, blames Hass for single-handedly hunting theAtlantic goliath grouper to local extinction in a book byCallum Roberts,[5] the author clearly refutes that claim later in the same paragraph.
Hass published "Diving to Adventure," his first book of underwater photographs, in 1939 and some credit him with developing one of the first underwater cameras. Hass completed his firstunderwater film calledPirsch unter Wasser (Stalking under Water) in 1940. It was published by theUniversum Film AG, originally lasting only 16 minutes and was shown in cinemas before the main film, but would eventually be extended by additional filming done in theAdriatic Sea close toDubrovnik.[6]
Hass moved from Vienna toBerlin in 1941, where he founded the tax privileged societyExpedition für biologische Meereskunde (Expedition for biological oceanography).
Hass was excused from serving in the German military during theSecond World War because of poor circulation in his feet caused byRaynaud's disease.[7]
From the proceeds of his hundreds of lectures, Hass was able to buy the sailing shipSeeteufel in 1942. However, he was not able to use the ship for his planned expedition because the ship was in the harbour ofStettin and it was not possible to bring it to theMediterranean Sea during the war.[8]
Therefore, Hass rented a ship inPiraeus and sailed for several months in theAegean Sea and theSea of Crete in 1942. Before the war, this ship had been owned by theUniversity of Vienna. During this expedition he filmed and took photos underwater. Hass had read the bookDie Raubfischer in Hellas (The Pirate Fishers in Greece) written in 1939 by Werner Helwig. Hass found this group nearSkiathos and was able to film theirdynamite fishing under water.
In spring and summer of 1943, Hass stayed for several months at theStazione Zoologica inNaples andCapri to study and collectBryozoa, aquatic invertebrate animals, for his doctoral thesis in zoology. In February 1944, he completed the thesis to become aDoctor of Science.
Until the end of the war Hass lived and worked in the film studios ofUniversum Film AG inBabelsberg near Berlin to cut and finish his film about the expedition in the Aegean Sea. This 84 minute underwater film,Menschen unter Haien (Men among Sharks), was released in 1947. It shows marine life including wrasse, jellyfish, sponges, sea anemones and rays. The highlights of this film includedynamite fishing and interaction of divers with sharks.[6]
In Babelsberg he metHannelore Schroth, a famous German actress. Hans and Hannelore married in 1945.
In 1947 his filmMenschen unter Haien had its world premiere inZürich, and his most popular book with a very similar title was released in 1948. As a consequence, he got contracts with Herzog-Film (Munich) and Sascha-Film (Vienna). He also went on his first expedition with his new research ship named 'Xarifa', which was mostly financed through photosafaris in theRed Sea and by theBBC.
Hass's marriage toHannelore Schroth produced a son, Hans Hass, Jr. The marriage ended in 1950 and he married his second wife,Lotte Baierl, that same year.
Hass produced 105 commercial films, many featuring himself and his second wife, who was an expert diver. In 1951, Hass's filmUnder the Red Sea was awarded the first prize at theVenice Film Festival.[9]
After expeditions inEast Africa andSouth Asia, his first TV series was developed in 1959, in 1961 for the first time about creatures outside the water. This was followed by behavioural research and the 'energon theory' from 1963 to 1966. From his behavioural research, Hass formed his energon hypothesis, the focus of his work in later years. It posits that the behaviours of all life-forms — human, nonhuman animal and plant — have common origins.[2] Combined withmanagement strategies, Hass published about commonalities with evolution in 1969. In the 1970s he addressed environmental and commercial themes and was appointed to aprofessorship by theUniversity of Vienna. In 1983, he started long term studies and tutorials aboutpredatory instincts in profession. Hass consolidatedmarine biology, behaviour research and management theories under one umbrella. He believed that his energon theory could not be disproved. In 1989, he addressed himself to environmental themes.
Hass with his family in 2012
After the Australian Prime MinisterHarold Holt disappeared in the waters ofCheviot Beach atPortsea,Victoria on 17 December 1967, Hass visitedAustralia and explored the area where Holt disappeared[10] for his 1971 film documentaryDas Geheimnis der Cheviot Bay (The Secret of Cheviot Bay). In an interview with Harry Martin for the ABC's current affairs programme "A.M" Hass said that having observed the underwater conditions of the area with its sharp and jagged rocks, he was convinced that Holt had been trapped in the structure of one of these rocks and his body considerably torn by the nature of the forces of the sea and the sharp rocks.
Hass acknowledged a rivalry with the better-knownFrench scientistJacques Cousteau; according to theNew York Times obituary, Hass told historian Tim Ecott that "For Cousteau there exists only Cousteau. He never acknowledged others or corrected the impression that he wasn't the first in diving orunderwater photography."[2]
Hass died on 16 June 2013 in Vienna. He was 94 and was survived by his wife and daughter Meta.[2]Lotte Hass died in January 2015. Hass's son Hans Hass Jr., an actor and composer, committed suicide in 2009.[11]
In 2002 the Historical Diving Society established theHans Hass Award which is awarded to individuals that display international achievement in underwater science, technology, or arts and literature.[12]
1940: First UW colour photos (Catalina Island, USA) and UW film
1941: Development of the technique of swim diving for research, industry and sport.
1944: Construction of a heliox rebreather (prototype)
1949: New system of deep-sea-film and photography (called 'Bathyopthalm')
1949: Worldwide patents for a new method of fishing by radio signals (called 'Elektro-Marina')'[14]
1949: System Hans Hass swim fin designed by Hans Hass and manufactured from 1949 bySemperit of Vienna and from 1951 by Barakuda of Hamburg and Heinke of London.[15]
1950: UW camera housing 'Leica System Hans Hass' with electronic flash
1939: Jagd unter Wasser mit Harpune und Kamera (Hunt under water with harpoon and camera)
1941: Unter Korallen und Haien (Among corals and sharks)
1942: Fotojagd am Meeresgrund (Photo-hunt at the sea-bottom)
1947: Drei Jäger auf dem Meeresgrund (Three hunters on the sea-bottom)
1949: Menschen und Haie (Humans and sharks)
1952: Manta, Teufel im Roten Meer (Manta, devil in the Red Sea): English version: Manta, Under the Red Sea with Spear and Camera, English translation by James Cleugh, 1952, Rand McNally & Co., Library of Congress Card Cat. No. 53-6152.
1954: Ich fotografierte in den 7 Meeren (I photographed in the 7 seas)
1957: Wir kommen aus dem Meer (We come from the sea)
1958: Fische und Korallen (Fish and corals)
1961: Expedition ins Unbekannte (Expedition into the unknown)
1968: Wir Menschen. Das Geheimnis unseres Verhaltens (We humans. The secret of our behaviour. Published in English asThe Human Animal)
1970: Energon: Das verborgene Geheimnis (Energon: The hidden secret)
1971: In unberührte Tiefen. Die Bezwingung der tropischen Meere. (Into untouched depths. Conquest of the tropical seas)
1972: Vorstoss in die Tiefe. Ein Magazin über Abenteuer bei der Erforschung der Meere. (Raid into the depth. A magazine about adventure while researching the seas)
1973: Welt unter Wasser. Der abenteuerliche Vorstoss des Menschen ins Meer. (World under water. The adventurous raid of humans in the sea)
1976: Eroberung der Tiefe. Das Meer - seine Geheimnisse, seine Gefahren, seine Erforschung. (Conquest of the deeps. The sea - its secrets, its dangers, its research)
1976: Der Hans-Hass-Tauchführer. Das Mittelmeer. Ein Ratgeber für Sporttaucher und Schnorchler. (The Hans Hass dive guide. TheMediterranean. A guide for sport divers andsnorkellers.)
1977: Der Hai. Legende eines Mörders. (Theshark. Legend of a killer)
1978: Die Schöpfung geht weiter. Station Mensch im Strom des Lebens. (The creation continues. Station of humans in the river of life)
1979: Wie der Fisch zum Menschen wurde. Die faszinierende Entwicklungsgeschichte unseres Körpers. (How fish became humans. The fascinating history of thedevelopment of our body)
1980: Im Roten Meer. Wiederkehr nach 30 Jahren. (In theRed Sea. Return after 30 years)
1985: Stadt und Lebensqualität. (City and quality of life)
1986: Abenteuer unter Wasser. Meine Erlebnisse und Forschungen im Meer. (Adventure under water. My experiences and research in the sea)
1987: Der Ball und die Rose (The ball and the rose)
1988: Der Hai im Management. Instinkte steuern und kontrollieren. (The shark in management. Steering and controlling instincts)
1991: Vorstoss in unbekannte Meere (Push into unknown seas)
1994: Die Hyperzeller. Das neue Menschenbild der Evolution. (Hyper-cellular organisms. The new human picture ofevolution)
1996: Aus der Pionierzeit des Tauchens. In unberührte Tiefen. (From the pioneer era of diving. Into untouched depths)
2004: Erinnerungen und Abenteuer. (Memories and adventures)
The film "Adventure in the Red Sea" received the International Prize for feature-length documentaries at the 2nd Mostra Internazionale del Film Scientifico e del Documentario d'Arte in Venice (1951)
The TV series "Diving to Adventure" is voted "Programme of the Year" by the BBC (1956)
Outstanding Underwater Photographer of the Year of the Underwater Photographic Society (USA, International Underwater Film Festival 1959)
Honorary Member of the Association of German Sports Divers (1974)
Honorary title of "Professor" awarded by Science MinisterHertha Firnberg (1977)
Honorary Member of the German publishing house Europäische Bildungsgemeinschaft Verlags-GmbH ("European Education Community Publishers Ltd."), Stuttgart (1978)
^Sanders, GS; Wendell, FE (1991)."Closed-Circuit oxygen apparatus: Minimising risks for improved efficiency".In: Hans-Jurgen, K; Harper Jr, DE (Eds.) International Pacifica Scientific Diving... 1991. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences Eleventh Annual Scientific Diving Symposium. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved2013-06-22.
^Roberts, Callum.The Unnatural History of the Sea, Island Press, 2007, p. 238
