Opinion | I Know What Drives People to the Depths of the Ocean

On my fourth birthday, my father found me at the bottom of the pool, sharing air supply, or “buddy breathing,” with a family friend; I was having my first scuba experience.

I’ve been diving ever since, and on expeditions to some of the most remote parts of the globe, since age 7. As an adult, I’ve led teams to dive with orcas and great white sharks, to the North Pole and to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, and to live underwater for 31 days. I’ve piloted submarines and have even built a sub that looked like a shark. The journey has been full of gratifying experiences as well as challenges — some of them painful.

My grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, was a pioneer of ocean exploration who, over many decades, engaged millions of people around the world in sharing his passion. He contributed to the invention of many of the tools he needed — scuba, submersibles, submerged habitats, underwater cameras and more — because he saw the need for innovation to learn and explore. He would frequently cite a quotation, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” That belief fueled his insatiable drive to go beyond the known, and to push the boundaries of comfort and routine.

I dive into the unknown because the ocean is unique, magical and mysterious. It sustains all of life on earth. In the endless void of space, our fragile blue planet harbors virtually all life that we know, cherish and depend on. The ocean is earth’s life support system, without which we cannot exist. There is no other known planet that can sustain our species. It is a miracle of nature that we are here.

Most seemingly mundane tasks our body performs to sustain life are thanks to living in a liquid world. About 50 percent or more of oxygen comes from the sea, generated by trillions of microscopic plants and animals (phytoplankton) that call it home. The closed-loop nature of the Earth and its atmosphere drives evaporation from the ocean; rain falls, watering crops and filling aquifers. Foods we eat depend on resources from the sea, and our mild weather (compared with that of known planets) are thanks to it.

In all of modern-day ocean exploration we’ve barely scratched the surface — far less than 10 percent of the briny deep — in any significant way. This should not come as a surprise, considering that the ocean totals 99 percent of our planet’s living space. Add to this the complexities of exploration below the surface like increasing pressures, the density of seawater, the corrosive nature of saltwater on equipment, strong currents, extreme temperatures, a vast unknown topography, lack of light, unpredictable (or unknown) wildlife and man-made risks like entanglement in fishing nets, and it becomes clear why our knowledge is still so limited. I dive to find answers.

One could imagine that understanding the system that makes our planet tick and managing its health would be top-priority. Yet in 2022, NASA received more than 500 times as much funding as NOAA did for ocean exploration and research. Don’t get me wrong, space exploration is vital and I love it. (Please sign me up to explore the ancient oceans of Mars if there is a two-way ticket!) But until that opportunity arises, exploring the seas of our planet will continue to captivate my soul. For it is the key to progressing as a species.

As with anything unknown, there is risk and reward to this exploration that I understand and accept. I will always consider myself a student of ocean exploration. If properly executed, the experience is rewarding and life-changing. It is easy to pass judgment on an unfortunate, rare event from the disconnected comfort of an armchair. The Titan submersible tragedy is just one such example. We must leave judgment to the experts and offer sympathy for those who suffer.

As we move forward from this, it is imperative that a clear and distinct line be drawn between career professionals with public and private partnerships and the adventure tourism market. For tourists, risks must be minimized at all costs, and those who partake in deep sea exploration must be fully informed and properly trained. This goes for outer space or inner space.

Ocean exploration remains critical. Our planet faces dire challenges, and the seas are stressed, perhaps almost to a breaking point. We must stay in the water and pursue knowledge and answers as quickly and as wisely as we can, using safe means to do it. Mistakes will inevitably be made, though they can and should be few and far between. Let’s not make the mistake of not going there, of allowing a tragedy to keep us from the pursuit of continued learning and solution seeking.

One way I hope to further ocean exploration — while minimizing risk — is to build a stationary, state-of-the-art laboratory beneath the sea without a pressure hull like the one that most likely imploded on the Titan. To me, this is what is missing from our marine toolbox: a way for humans to live and work in the ocean world. For any venture into the sea like this one, I believe in partnerships — nonprofit, for-profit, private- and public-sector. I believe in involving and listening closely to experts and in pursuing every smart and acceptable risk mitigation strategy. I believe in the certification process when people’s lives are at stake.

How wondrous it is when all the effort, planning and challenges pay off with a discovery that mesmerizes the child inside us all — even better, when it solves a problem facing humanity or nature. My passion and dedication for ocean exploration and conservation come from two generations who have passed down this curiosity and love of our aquatic planet. And I will do everything I can to make sure that my grandchildren can do the same.

Fabien Cousteau, an aquanaut and environmentalist, is the founder of Proteus Ocean Group, which is building and operating PROTEUS, a sustainable underwater habitat for scientists and other visitors.

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