Fabien Cousteau
Ocean explorer and environmentalist
Fabien Cousteau spent 31 days underwater to research how climate change and pollution are affecting the oceans.
Why you should listen
For 31 days, from June 1 to July 2, 2014, Fabien Cousteau and a team of scientists and filmmakers lived and worked 20 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, at the Acquarius underwater science lab 9 miles off the coast of Florida. The intent of Mission31: study the life of and on the coral reef -- and the effects of climate change, acidification, and pollution, in particular by plastic debris and oil spills. But it was also a study of the scientists themselves spending extended time underwater. By stayigng down continuously, they collected the equivalent of several years of scientific data in just a month.50 years ago Fabien Cousteau's grandfather, the legendary ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, led a similar -- but shorter by one day -- expedition under the surface of the Red Sea. Since, we have explored only a very small portion of the oceans, less than 5 percent.
What others say
“You get used to it. Eel, sharks, barracuda parking on your shoulder wondering what you're doing. Animals getting used to you in their environment.” — Time, July 2014
