Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Vermont Barnet Harvey's Lake: Home of Jacques Cousteau's First Dive

Harvey's Lake: Home of Jacques Cousteau's First Dive

The place where the great marine explorer first learned to work underwater is not where you'd expect.

Barnet, Vermont

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Sign at the entrance to Harvey’s Lake.   Anne Reddington
The public beach at Harvey’s - the boys camp was to the right.   Anne Reddington
The clear and cool lake is nestled in the smooth mountains of the Northeast Kingdom.   Anne Reddington
The lake is in the village of West Barnet, just down from Mosquitoville and the historic Bayley-Hazen Military Road.   Anne Reddington
The quiet lake is lined with small camps, summer homes and a few year-rounders.   Anne Reddington
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

When Jacques Cousteau was a boy he dreamed always of the water. Often described as a “sickly” child, young Jacques longed for its buoyancy and freedom, even though he wasn’t the strongest of swimmers. At least not yet.

That all started to change in the tiny village of West Barnet, Vermont. Here, there is a clear and cool lake known as Harvey’s, snuck in between two small mountains, and proud of their status as the "home of Jacques Cousteau’s first dive."

Even though the young Cousteau wasn’t a natural in the water, he was determined to overcome this drawback, and a summer trip as a kid in 1920, along with his brother Pierre-Antoine, gave him the opportunity. The boys were sent packing to the country, to the place the future marine explorer would learn to hold his breath while working under the surface. It was an unlikely spot for two kids from rural France, in the quiet and wild corner of Vermont known as the Northeast Kingdom.

The trip for Jacques and his brother included a stay at a boys camp on Harvey’s Lake, where, according to Cousteau’s son Jean-Michel, he was put to task for refusing to participate in mandatory horseback riding (he didn’t like horses much). The camp director sent Jacques instead to clear the bottom of the lake’s swimming area of sticks and reeds, to make for safer diving. Jacques loved the job, holding his breath for longer and longer, and thinking up ways to use those very reeds as makeshift breathing tubes.

It’s probably a stretch to say that the hollow reeds at the bottom of a lake in the Northeast Kingdom led directly to the development of Cousteau’s early form of SCUBA known as the Aqua-Lung, but the great conservationist never forgot his days on Harvey’s Lake. In 1981, still holding onto more than 60 years of those memories, he pledged a large sum to purchase acres of land to protect the watershed of the lake. To keep it clean and clear for future little divers.

Related Tags

Lakes Exploration History Underwater Water

Know Before You Go

West Barnet is in Caledonia County, near the New Hampshire border and about an hour south of Canada. Harvey's Lake is open most times of the year, and there is a small fee for daily users in the summer months.Published coordinates take you right down to the northern most accessible part of the lake.

Community Contributors

Edited By

Blindcolour, MagnumPI

  • Blindcolour
  • MagnumPI

Published

April 25, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA1109&lpg=PA1109&dq=harveys+lake+jacques+cousteau&source=bl&ots=gAyTlXAtau&sig=g_N52UFS_s09MRTBE3JVsBhKjOE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjoo7CmibvTAhXEJCYKHQvoClo4ChDoAQhYMAk#v=onepage&q=harveys%20lake%20jacques%20cousteau&f=false
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=CxYqSwCMtqsC&pg=PT11&lpg=PT11&dq=harveys+lake+jacques+cousteau&source=bl&ots=A02B4S0JFr&sig=a4qHzm7rz4QoTBx65SLZNoIPh_Y&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjThIaQibvTAhUq6oMKHakeD2wQ6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q=harveys%20lake%20jacques%20cousteau&f=false
  • http://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/09/01/Explorer-Jacques-Cousteau-who-now-spends-his-time-searching/9575368164800/
  • http://www.brighthubeducation.com/science-homework-help/129350-jacques-yves-cousteau-biography/
Harvey's Lake: Home of Jacques Cousteau's First Dive
97 Harvey Mountain Rd
Barnet, Vermont, 05821
United States
44.303873, -72.138939
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Forgotten Village at Greenbank's Hollow

Danville, Vermont

miles away

American Society of Dowsers

Danville, Vermont

miles away

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

St. Johnsbury, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

Nearby Places

The Forgotten Village at Greenbank's Hollow

Danville, Vermont

miles away

American Society of Dowsers

Danville, Vermont

miles away

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

St. Johnsbury, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

Related Places

  • Silver Islet, Ontario

    Silver Islet Mine

    The site of one of the most profitable silver mines in the world, reclaimed by Lake Superior.

  • Seesicht

    Zug, Switzerland

    'Seesicht' ('Lake View')

    Walk down these stairs to get an underwater view of Switzerland's Lake Zug.

  • Antuni

    Castel di Tora, Italy

    Ruins of Antuni

    A semi-abandoned village destroyed by U.S. bombings during World War II dominates the valley of Turano.

  • The entrance.

    Nong Bua, Thailand

    Wat Nong Bua Yai

    An underwater temple submerged for 20 years has resurfaced with an extreme drought.

  • View of the exposed bridge looking north, 2008.

    Tallassee, Tennessee

    Abrams Creek Underwater Bridge

    Abandoned for 60 years, this submerged bridge was completely forgotten until the lake was drained.

  • The Lake Michigan crucifix under water and ice.

    Petoskey, Michigan

    Lake Michigan Crucifix

    Winter weather reveals a large Italian marble crucifix drowned beneath Lake Michigan.

  • The Dixie at dockside.

    North Webster, Indiana

    The Dixie Sternwheeler

    Indiana's oldest sternwheel paddleboat has been plying the placid waters of Webster Lake for 90 years.

  • The ruins of the Ritter Lumber Company’s sawmill at Hazel Creek near Proctor.

    Bryson City, North Carolina

    The Lost Town of Proctor

    The scant remains of this flooded historic village can be explored in one of the most remote areas of the Great Smokies.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.