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Show Calling Upon Bermuda's Varicolored Finny Tribe water will not rise above his chin, the newcomer in Neptune's realm is ready to look out of the glass window in the front of the helmet and enjoy the strange spectacle of being at home with the fish. Underwater View of Fish Ideal. "Wandering through this twilight, twi-light, underseas world one has the queer feeling of being a disembodied disem-bodied spirit, of pressing against warm wind, of wading, not up to one's ankles only, but with one's whole body. Distances under water wat-er are strangely deceiving. The diver progresses through sunlit water for what seems a city block only to be told on his ascent that he has covered no more than a score of feet. "Those who think all fish are silvery and torpedo shaped are surprised by the variety of beautiful beauti-ful colors and the strange shapes of Bermuda's fish. While one gets some slight idea of them by gazing gaz-ing down through a glass-bottomed boat towed slowly over the reefs, one can see them still better, bet-ter, without distortion or foreshortening, fore-shortening, through the helmet. Colors of birds and butterflies are lasting, but the radiant, iridescent Colors of fish fade at death. Many fish, pale and uninteresting looking on ice in Bermuda's markets, appear full of brilliant coloring that flashes and changes when seen alive under the water. Trip Underseas In Diving Helmet Lends Thrill to Visitors. Summer visitors and budding scientists have found a new thrill in Bermuda. One of the most popular pop-ular diversions of the summer is amateur helmet diving, made possible pos-sible through the government ac-quarium ac-quarium on Harrington sound. "Although not a new idea, this Is the best opportunity the public has been given to enjoy this unique sport, and hundreds o f sightseers, including many women wom-en and children, are taking advantage ad-vantage of the privilege," says a bulletin from the National Geographic Geo-graphic society. Heavy Helmet Becomes Light "After visiting the aquarium, one of the finest in the world, more adventurous ichthyologists add to their acquaintances among Bermuda's fish families by descending de-scending beneath the clear, calm waters of Harrington sound t o view them in their natural sur-! roundings. It is an Alice in Wonderland Won-derland experience feeling fish frisk about you unseparated from your touch by a tank's glass walls. "Divers on their first descents are apt to be nervous. Clad only in bathing suit and sneakers, the novice may eye with apprehension apprehen-sion the strange-looking metal helmet hel-met with its snakelike air hose. The helmet, flanked with lead weights, rests heavily on the shdulders, but as soon as one ventures ven-tures to descend the gently sloping sea-floor, and lower one's head under the surface, the air-filled helmet seems much lighter. In fact, its weight is scarcely felt. "Water rushing in under the open helmet almost to the mouth may cause alarm, but air pressure pres-sure holds it at about chin level, and one soon relaxes again. Should the diver feel ear pressure, pres-sure, as in elevators, it can be alleviated by swallowing. Once he becomes accustomed to the silvery sil-very bubbles, . and the gentle gurgling of the air as the pump forces it out under the bottom of the helmet, and assured that the |
