Family explores the deep ocean for months

Family explores the deep ocean for months

Not many children can say that they took their first steps on board a yacht in the northwestern passage of the Arctic. But Tom can do that. He spent the first three of the four years of his life at sea with his parents Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perie-Bardout, both of which are active as ocean researchers and the organization Under the pole document.

The family adventure at sea

The Bardouts estimate that their two children - Tom and Robin, who are now 8 and 12 years old - have spent the fact that their lives on board the expedition "The Why". Together they explored the most remote angles of our planet, from the polar ice ranges to tropical reefs. Their goal is to document the ocean's mesophic or “twilight zone”, which is located at a depth of 30 to 150 meters below the surface.

The passionate divers decided to start a family without giving up their passion for ocean expeditions. "We invented ways how we want to work and live," explains Emmanuelle.

a life between the country and the sea

In the surrounding area they live in Concarneau, a small coastal city in Brittany, Northwest France. At sea, the 18 -meter -long yacht becomes your home, in which you live with about 10 other people, including scientists, doctors, a cook and a teacher.

Despite their unconventional lifestyle, Emmanuelle emphasizes that they have a normal everyday life. "We work like normal people and the children go to school," she says. Nevertheless, the bardouts have a very special professional field. Few people have experienced the depths of the ocean as they are, and that is exactly the point.

The unexplored oceans

While the oceans 70 % of the earth , they are also the least researched and understood ecosystems. Less than 30 % of the global sea floor are detailed, and experts appreciate that 91 % of all types of sea are still unknown.

Finally, the family of waters, who are closer to their home, explored in the Mediterranean. For the Deeplife program by Under the Pole, which is part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, they completed a number of missions over two to three months to find what they call "Marine Tierwälder", in Greece, Italy and France

These species-rich ecosystems in the deep sea consist of sponges and corals, such as the red gorgonia and black corals, which form a terrestrical forest-like habitat with their own microclimate and offer many types.

The fragility of the ocean ecosystems

But like forests on land, these ecosystems are also fragile, and if they are disturbed, this has a significant impact. "If you destroy this habitat, all other species will disappear and in the end only a rocky desert remains," explains Ghislain.

He describes that the Mediterranean in recent years under more frequent and more violent marine heat waves suffer that have killed many surface ecosystems. In addition, it is negatively influenced by the fishing method of the basic towing network, which records a large number of fish on the sea floor.

ghislain emphasizes that the goal is to research biodiversity, ecosystems and the ecological functions of these marine animal forests, especially how the twilight zone develops compared to flatter waters.

discoveries in the deep sea

The team traveled to Fourni, Greece because they had seen pictures of a potential forest that were taken by an underwater drone in 2021 and wanted to take this documentation for the first time. After several unsuccessful dives and the recognition of signs of basic pitching, they feared that this habitat may have been completely destroyed. But then they discovered him: a rich marine animal forest at a depth of about 100 meters.

"If you find a marine animal forest, you will find an oasis, you can find life, you will find a very rich ecosystem that lives together," says Ghislain. "It is really this oasis of life we ​​want to show the world."

In the weeks later, they collected data for each aspect of the ecosystem, from currents and acoustics to bacteria and marine life. They want to present these research in June 2025 at World Sea conference of the United Nations in France. With the underpinning of the importance of these ecosystems, they hope to convince governments to protect these areas and act against harmful fishing practices.

deep sea diving and challenges

Only in recent decades have developments in technology immersed in the twilight zone, and there is an extremely specialized company that requires years of training. Divers use "rebreather" that were originally developed for military purposes. These devices absorb the carbon dioxide out of breath and recycle it as oxygen. As a result, they can stay under water for much longer, and since they do not create bubbles, they are less disturbing the sea life.

With a typical mission that lasts six to seven months, the team will complete between 300 and 400 dives, says Ghislain. Each dive can take between three and six hours, with the majority reserved for the climb to give the body time to relax.

"If we are at 100 meters, time passes incredibly quickly," he says. "We concentrate on the mission, use samples and sensors and take photos ... and after about 20 minutes it is time to climb."

It is physiologically exhausting - you can lose weight up to 5 kilograms (£ 11) during a dive, says Emmanuelle - and accidents can happen, including Decompression disease and pulmonary overpressure syndrome when the lungs expand beyond their capacity.

a new perspective on diving

Emmanuelle admits that her attitude towards diving has changed since the birth of her children. There is more at stake, and sometimes she and Ghislain don't dive at the same time. Nevertheless, she believes that it is worth.

As a young girl, she looked at the French underwater researcher Jacques Cousteau. Now she lives the life she has always admired, and her children too. "I don't think our children are aware of how happy they are," she says. "We can breastfeed their curiosity."

The use for the next generation

in a way, Robin and Tom also represent the future generation for which the Bardouts are fighting. For years, Ghislain and Emmanuelle have experienced the consequences of climate change first and recognize the urgency of this situation. "Humanity destroys its environment, at sea and in the country," says Ghislain. "This is a huge problem of the century that we have to try to solve for the next generation."