Born in 1919 as a son of a successful lawyer in Vienna, studies Zoology and laureated with "Summa cum Laude" at the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin.
1938: First underwater photographs with a camera in a hand made underwater housing at the Yugoslavian coast (pictures published 1939 in his first book "Jagd unter Wasser" Stuttgart 1939).
1939: First underwater film "Pirsch unter Wasser" filmed in the coral reefs of Curacao Westindies (UFA Germany). Thousands of underwater photos taken in coral reefs and observations made of the behaviour of sharks towards divers.
1941: Construction of the first breathing device for swim-divers (closed circuit oxygen equipment).
1942: Use of this equipment in the Greek islands for research in undersea caves and production of full feature film "Men Among Sharks".
1949: Underwater expedition to Port Sudan. First underwater exploration in the Red Sea, underwater photos and films of Mantas, Whale Sharks and of coral growth on sunken ships.
1950: Production of film "Under The Red Sea" which won the first price at Venice Film festival 1951.
1951: Expedition with his wife Lotte to the outer wall of the Great Barrel Reef of Australia.
1953/54: First "Xarifa" Expedition to the Caribbean, the Galapagos Archipelago and Cocos Islands. First underwater shots of Sperm Whales at the Azores, production of the feature film "Under the Caribbean".
1957/58: Second "Xarifa" expedition with terms of scientists to the Red Sea, the Maledives, Nicoba and the China Sea.
1960-2000: Research on evolution from the energetic point of view and the position of man, his industries and cultures as integral part of the evolution of life.
105 films, 28 books, various awards, President of
the
Pen Club in Liechtenstein, Member of Rotary.