DIVE SLATE
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FALL 2014
PHOTO CREDIT
the opportunity to dive alone (while
tethered to the habitat) after all the
visitors had returned to Islamorada.
I spent several late evenings
with Cousteau using our Light
and Motion lights and filming fish,
invertebrates and even corals that
exhibited fluorescent properties
(see Advanced Diving, Page 44). On
one spectacular evening, Shantz,
Zenone and I encountered swarming
plankton, dozens of reef squid,
aggressive barracuda and even a
loggerhead turtle all within an arm’s
reach of the habitat. Some of these
evening shoots can be viewed on the
Mission 31 YouTube channel.
These night dives were truly
remarkable, but so were the late-
night shows that occurred while we
were snug in our bunks. On several
occasions we watched a goliath
grouper that we named Sylvia (in
honor of aquanaut Sylvia Earle)
feeding right outside our window.
She would often hang within
inches of the glass and dart after
small fish with amazing speed.
On one particular evening we all
watched in astonishment as Sylvia
attacked a pushy barracuda that had
been invading her turf. In all my years
of diving, I had never documented a
grouper attacking a barracuda.
OUTCOMES
Employing the tools of the 21
st
century
to take a page out of his grandfather’s
documentary past, Cousteau used the
Internet to educate the public about
Mission 31 and the ocean. Engaging
students and followers via Skype,
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
traditional media, Cousteau and our
team reached hundreds of millions
of people across the globe with blogs,
videos and even underwater selfies.
Along the way our production team
produced 31 videos documenting
not only life inside Aquarius but also
stories that were taking place on
shore. Some of my favorite videos
were produced with our partners
Nokia, Doxa, Backscatter, and Light
and Motion.
Mission 31 scientists from FIU and
Northeastern University collected enough
data to publish at least 10 scientific
studies during the 31 days of saturation.
Cousteau and our team participated in 70
Skype sessions with schools, universities,
camps and the media. Mission 31 was
both a personal and professional journey
for me, and it will remain one of the
greatest adventures of my life.
Fabien Cousteau peers out of the main
viewing port of Aquarius Reef Base.
• Includes all meals, beverages and transfers
• Free Nitrox
• Tech diving available
• Nine spacious suites
