N1: When Genie is in her 20s, she applies to Columbia University. But they reject her because she’s a woman.
N2: The professors there think she’ll leave school to get married and have children, and then she won’t end up becoming a scientist.
N3: But Genie refuses to give up her dream. Finally, she is accepted by New York University to study fish behavior.
N1: As part of her schooling, she goes to San Diego, California, to do research with Dr. Carl Hubbs, a professor.
N2: He takes her out on a boat with two male students for her first dive ever.
Dr. Hubbs: Are you all ready?
Genie, Students 1 and 2: Yes!
Dr. Hubbs: You’ll need to wear this special helmet.
N3: In the 1940s, divers wore a helmet with a long hose that carried air from above.
Genie: Is the hose long enough for us to walk around underwater?
Dr. Hubbs: Yes. And you can communicate with me while you’re down there by pulling on it.
Student 1: How does that work?
Dr. Hubbs: One tug means you’re OK. Two tugs mean you need more hose to walk farther. Three tugs mean you need less. Got it?
Genie, Students 1 and 2: Got it!
Dr. Hubbs: And listen carefully! Four tugs mean you’re in danger.
Student 2: What happens then?
Dr. Hubbs: I’ll pull you up to the boat fast.
N1: The male students take turns wearing the helmet and diving underwater.
N2: Finally, it’s Genie’s turn. Her heart is pounding.
N3: She puts on the helmet and slips over the side of the boat into the cold water.
N1: Soon Genie is walking on the sandy floor of the ocean.
N2: She sees silvery fish, sea plants, and starfish.
N3: Genie is just starting to explore when she notices she’s having trouble breathing.
N1: No fresh air is coming through the hose.
N2: Genie gasps, feeling dizzy.
N3: She tries to tug four times on the hose, but after one tug, she falls forward into the sand.
Genie (inside helmet): Help!
N1: Nobody can hear her.
N2: Just as she is about to pass out, Genie’s helmet comes loose. Cold water rushes against her face, waking her.
N3: With her last bit of energy, Genie floats up to the surface.
N1: Dr. Hubbs and the two students spot her. They quickly pull her into the boat.
Dr. Hubbs: Genie! Are you OK?
N2: Genie is gasping for air.
Genie: I couldn’t breathe! Something’s wrong with the hose.
Student 1: You must have turned the air valve the wrong way.
N3: The two male students start to mutter that only a girl would make that mistake.
Dr. Hubbs: No, look—the hose has a leak in it. That’s why you were losing air, Genie.
Genie: I knew something was wrong.
Dr. Hubbs: That’s an awful thing to happen on your first dive. There’s only one way to get over it.
Genie: How?
Dr. Hubbs: Go right back down!
N1: Genie stares at him, still numb from her scare.
N2: But after Dr. Hubbs fixes the hose, Genie dives again.