In 1949, he set a new world record with a 4,500 foot (1,372 m) dive in the Pacific Ocean, using his benthoscope (from the Greek benthos, meaning 'sea bottom', and scopein, 'to view'), which was designed by Barton and Maurice Nelles.
Inhabitants include various groups of organisms, from a microbes to higher lifeforms, including a total of 43 species of benthos, a community of organisms which live on, in or near the seabed.
This unique animal is currently believed to represent a "transitional organism", with physical and behavioral characteristics of both benthic (seabed-dwelling) and pelagic (free-swimming) organisms.