For a long time, the great ocean explorers used sight to reveal the secrets of the marine environment, downplaying its acoustic aspects. Indeed, the ocean has long been considered a place devoid of any sound.
This belief originated when Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his companions produced a remarkable feature film about the marine environment, The Silent World. Scuba divers often appear to be swimming through a calm and muffled universe, where communication between animals is done through through visual displays and chemistry.
