September 2018

It was a cool, foggy Sunday morning in the Santa Barbara harbor as Jean-Michel Cousteau, with a playful smile and dressed in a humpback whale printed t-shirt and off-white windbreaker, warmly greeted his family and friends in the charismatic, kiss-on-each cheekFrench fashion. From afar, the occasion would seem like a group of close friends going out for a scenic whale watching excursion, celebrating the 80th birthday of a true environmental hero – a man who has spent his lifetime traveling the world’s oceans, documenting it’s beauty and wonder, and sharing his love for life in the sea through his vision and hope for humanity. But for Jean-Michel, his birthday – he tells me – is not about himself at all. Instead, his relays his message that today is an opportunity, both his pleasure and privilege,

to be surrounded by those he loves and share with them the raw experience of adventure – the wonder, excitement and amazement that comes with venturing out into the unknown, and discovering together the physical, mental, and emotional connection we are all so privileged to experience with nature.

For Jean-Michel, the ocean has always been deeply intertwined with his life. Growing up in the small coastal town of Sanary-sur-Mer in the south of France, the sea was his playground. At the age of seven, his father, Jacques Cousteau, strapped Jean-Michel and his younger brother Philippe, into his newest undersea invention – the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus – or SCUBA. With their mother right beside them, the entire family plunged into the turquoise clear warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and opened their eyes to an amazing new world within our own. From then on, the Cousteau’s lives would never be the same.

In the decades that followed, Jean-Michel has remained captivated by the world’s oceans, dedicating his life to sharing its beauty and advocating for its protection. His expeditions around the world have taken him from the depths of the tropical Amazon, exploring the water cycles of Earth, to the frigid seas of the Artic, filming the colossal creatures that call it home, and to uncounted more places in between. As a filmmaker, he has produced over 80 films, bringing the magic of the ocean to the eyes – and hearts – of millions of people around the world. He has received the Emmy, the Peabody Award, the Sept d’Or, and the Cable Ace Award for his work. But for Jean-Michel, his passion is about sharing our human connection to nature – and reaching people at their heart. This philosophy has allowed him to become a voice and diplomat, not only for life in our oceans, but also for humanity itself.

Jean-Michel has met with leaders from around the world, including many United States Presidents, to engage in a dialogue and have a conversation about our life-support system – the ocean. In 2006, after the release of his PBS television documentary special, Voyage to Kure, Jean-Michel met with then-President George W. Bush at the White House, who created the then-largest marine protected area in the world around the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Everybody has a heart, as Jean-Michel always says, and when you get people to open up and talk about their families and lives, it becomes much easier to have a conversation about how we can work together to protect our water planet. For his lifetime of achievements and exemplary public service in ocean conservation, Jean-Michel was honored with the highest French civilian order of distinction, the Chevalier de la Légion D’Honneur, Knight of the Legion of Honor, from the then-President of France, François Hollande in May 2016. Through his voice and vision, Jean-Michel continues to remind us we are all connected to one another, and our quality of life depends on the quality of our oceans. This planet – our home – is what we all have in common.

Back on the boat, Jean-Michel chuckles while his grandchildren watch gleefully as common dolphins race to the bow and begin swimming in graceful bounds. As he looks out across his group of friends, he smiles at the young people around him, knowing it is them who will become our leaders of tomorrow. Educating the future generations has been a staple of Jean-Michel’s life. It is why he has created educational programs in numerous places and languages around the world, to communicate to children the lessons we can learn from nature and instill in them the knowledge that we are all connected on our one ocean home. Many of the friends with him are those he has known and worked with for years, and most are those who continue to join him every year for a week at Family Camp at Catalina Island, where each year, children and adults alike have the freedom and privilege to explore, experience and connect

to the natural world around them. For Jean-Michel, it is a time where the ocean is once again his playground, and his friends, both below and above the sea, are everyone he meets.

Why are the oceans so important to us?

What most people on the planet don’t understand, either because they may not live near the ocean or see it everyday is that we are all connected to the ocean. We are made out of the ocean. We drink the ocean when we drink water; we ski on the ocean when we are skiing up on the mountains. When the ocean evaporates, it creates clouds, which travel across the planet and ultimately drops the rain we need to survive.

It is very important for people to realize this. And we must share that information with the public and help them understand their connection to the ocean, no matter where they live. So, how can we help that? Education, education, education. And when we have the opportunity, we need to take kids out into nature! It could be as simple as taking kids who live in the middle of the US to a nearby river, and asking them to think about that bottle in a river. We can ask them, where does it go? Well, it goes to the ocean! Or to look at a fish and think about how it has been affected by everything you put into the river. We all depend on the ocean, not only for water, but also the air we breathe. Every other breath of air we take is coming from the ocean. No air, no water, no life.  This is not just for us – but for every living plant, animal, and creature on the planet. We need to do everything we can so we protect our water support system – so we can continue breathing and enjoy being alive.

When did you first realize our human impact on the planet?

This is something that, for me, goes way back to when I was very young and had the privilege to become a scuba diver with my family. Those early days, we had many friends underwater – the groupers, eels, stingrays, all the little creature that I loved. But as time went on, there were less and less of my friends underwater. They were starting to disappear. I began to realize that we were taking more from the oceans than nature could reproduce. At the same time, we were putting in a lot of garbage. Now, at the time there was no plastic.

Today, ocean pollution has only gotten worse. But as a kid, seeing that felt terrible. It felt like we were heading in the wrong direction. While I say this now, I don’t think I completely understood that as a kid. And even though I may not have known it at the time – it got into my guts, my brain, and my heart. It became something I now feel very privileged to have experienced. Fortunately, I was able to keep exploring other parts of the world. I realized that some places were still in very good shape, while others looked much more damaged. And a lot of it we never talk about, not only is there the garbage we can see, but also the things we cannot see – chemicals, heavy metals, pieces of plastic degraded into smaller particles. We are filling our oceans with these chemicals without realizing how connected we are to the system. Ultimately, it all comes back to us – on our dinner plates, in our homes. It is terrible what we are doing to ourselves. But many people do not know and we need to help them understand so that we can do the right thing.

What are your thoughts on climate change?

Climate change is a real, real problem. It affects a lot of people. Our emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) through the burning fossil fuels increases the temperature of our planet – not just of the air, but also of the oceans. That added heat contributes to the rising sea level of the oceans, which is a huge issue for many people around the world, especially those in low-lying areas. We also tend to forget that because the water is warmer, it contains more energy. This means that storms and hurricanes become stronger, with much more dramatic consequences on land, particularly for those in small islands that don’t have mountainous landscapes to retreat into. These beautiful places are being washed away, and this is happening today. These are only some of the major consequences from a changing climate, with others being food and water security, public health and disease, costs of  living, and many more. While these are serious and urgent concerns, there are ways to stabilize the acceleration of climate change by switching to other forms of collecting energy, and using renewable sources. We can do it! We know what needs to be done. But we need to do it now. We have no choice. For me, it’s an exciting time.

How has the world changed in 80 years, through your eyes?

Well, it has changed enormously! You know, when I was a kid, there were no communication systems – no cell phone, no computers. Our phone at home was connected to a wire and I’ll never forget, our phone number was three numbers – my mother would always tell me, 1-2-2 – backwards. That’s it! There has been a huge transformation in our communication systems, where today, we now have seven and a half billion people connected to each other, in what I call, the communication revolution. Every human being on the planet is connected today. It is fascinating! Now, anybody can ask questions, and we can all get answers. And because of this, today, we can no longer lie, steal or cheat, because you are going to get caught! It is a very exciting time! For our species, everything has changed.

What are you most hopeful for?

Young people of today, our Ambassadors of the Environment (AOTE) educational program, and the fact that you can reach young people in schools, teach them about our life support system – the ocean – and they will immediately understand and do whatever they can. I’ve seen kids tell adults, for example, oh, you’ve dropped something, and the adults listen to the kids and pick it up.

For these kids, it is second nature to clean up after themselves, to not pollute, to conserve energy and water. That is what we need to continue doing, educating the next generation of leaders so they can make better decisions than we have made. I have never been as excited or optimistic about the future as I am today.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever seen underwater?

The coolest thing I’ve ever seen underwater… will happen in the future! My next dive! My father used to say, and I agree, that if I knew what I would see, I wouldn’t go. Well, every time you go diving, there is always something new to see. My favorite dive will be the next one.

You’ve just turned 80 years old! Happy birthday! What is the one message you want to share with the world?

Everybody on the planet should fall in love with the water system, with the ocean, which we all depend upon, and should continue to help and support one another in taking action, making real change, and caring for all life on our water planet. Our mission at Ocean Futures Society is, when you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.

Special Thank you to:

Jean-Michel Cousteau for the generously giving his time for the intervew.

Holly Lohuis

Jaclyn Mandoske

Carrie Vonderhaar

Brenda Saint Hilaire Photography

and Ocean Futures Society

Wonders of the Sea 3D

The sea is a wondrous and magical place. It is world of light and shadow, full of amazing creatures that stimulate the imagination. Here, beneath the waves, can be found both the beautiful and the bizarre. The coral reef is one of the Earth’s most diverse environments. Thousands of unique species inhabit an ecosystem that has been called the rainforest of the sea. Further down in the depths lies an eerie world of cold darkness. In an environment with extremes of both temperature and pressure, life actually flourishes. But here, evolution has taken a bizarre turn. Grotesque alien creatures patrol the darkness, illuminating the way with artificial lights produced within their bodies. Welcome to the mysteries of the Ocean Realm.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been tapped to narrate Wonders Of The Sea 3D, a new feature documentary from 3D Entertainment Films that is being directed by  Jean-Michel Cousteau andJean-Jacques Mantello. The 85-minute pic made its debut in May at the Cannes Film Festival market, Special thanks to all casts and crews:

Directors:

Jean-Michel Cousteau

Jean-Jacques Mantello

Writers:

David Chocron,

Francois Mantello,

Jean-Jacques Mantello

The Producers:

Pascal Borno, Jean-Francois Cavelier, Beryl Huang,

Luc Hardy, Jonathan Kendrick, Ulrik Knap,

Francois Mantello, Melissa McGinnis, Elisabeth Riley,

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick M. Knapp Schwarzenegger

Read Our Magazine…