Jacques Cousteau Jacques Cousteau's name is associated with marine biology and his work has done much to introduce young people to the beauty and power of our oceans. Cousteau is credited with inventing the underwater gear known as SCUBA (short for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). He also developed the first underwater camera container that was used to make many films. Because of his beautiful photography and descriptive narration of the adventures aboard the Calypso, Cousteau became a celebrity with his TV series called "The Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau.