- Passing through Paris, where he takes part from this Friday in the nautical diving show, Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout, founders of the Under the Pole expeditions, have just returned from Polynesia.
- Since this summer, with their team, they have tested a new tool that they had built in their base camp, in Concarneau: an immersive capsule that offers a 360 ° view of the marine life around and where, above all, it is possible to stay at least three days.
- What push the limits of underwater exploration? In this matter, the stake is not only to go deep, indicate in any case Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout. He is also staying there for a long time.
The cylinder is 3.20 meters long and 1.5 meters in diameter. Inside, not much except three berths hung on the aluminum walls. "We want three in the capsule and up to three days ...," say Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout. At least, we haven't tried more. "
For comfort, we will iron. However, the setting was magnificent. From mid-September until a few days later, the couple, founder of the Under the Pole submarine expeditions, and their team members, immersed their capsule twenty meters deep, off Moorea, in French Polynesia. Ghislain Bardout describes this capsule as an underwater tent, not planted in the ground but attached to two ballasts [air or water tanks] placed on the ground and which allow it to be levitated in the water , "Like a hot air balloon". All around, a coral reef and the rich underwater life that goes with it. Divers did not miss a crumb, thanks to the two plexiglass domes on either side of the capsule.
Pushing the boundaries of underwater exploration
A new way to do tourism? No, rather to push the limits of underwater exploration. Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout, specialists in extreme and deep dives, have been probing the oceans around the world for over ten years. Expeditions carried out in collaboration with scientists and aimed at a better understanding of the oceans, "one of the great challenges of the 21st century", assures Ghislain Bardout.
For Under the pole I, in 2010, the couple and eight team members spent 45 days at the geographic North Pole, the time to make 52 dives and study human physiology through studies on sleep and evolution the internal temperature of team members. Then, direction Greenland for Under the pole 2, in 2014. Over eighteen months, Ghislain and Emmanuelle made 400 dives there until reaching 112 meters under the ice floe. The aim was to study the physiological adaptation of man in the polar environment, the relationships between the atmosphere, the ice and the ocean, or to approach the astonishing Greenland shark, a mastodon with a longevity estimated at 400 years. The perfect illustration of one of these extraordinary encounters offered by the oceans at this depth.
Time, the grail of the diver?
We are now at Under the pole 3, a four-year expedition, started in 2017, of which the stage at Moorea was only one part. The idea is still to study the underwater environment between the surface and 150 meters deep, but no longer only with recyclers, these closed-circuit spacesuits that Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout usually use. Because the technique has its limits. “We only have a few hours of observations before having to go back to the surface, comments Ghislain Bardout. In addition, by our presence, our movements, we necessarily disturb the marine environment that we explore. This introduces a bias in the observation. "
This is the whole purpose of this capsule, specially designed for Under the Pole, from its base camp in Concarneau (Finistère) and then transported to Moorea by container. On site, the cylinder served well. About fifteen divers with varied profiles (explorers, scientists, photographers, etc.) were able to increase their stays of three days underwater. Most of the time in the capsule, but without being confined to it. This is another advantage of this tool. "You can enter it as well as leave it and thus launch outings in recyclers if you feel the need to go and see something closer," says Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout. We did it, on average, twice a day. "
"We blend in with the decor"
Physically, these days underwater are trying, continues the explorer. But worth it. “We manage to blend in with the decor, much like a naturalist photographer will try to camouflage himself to capture wolves in their natural environment. I seem to have learned more about the behavior of some of these underwater animals during these three days in the capsule than in fifteen years of scuba diving. "
It remains to be seen what the scientists will get out of it. On the capsule program, Under the Pole worked with the Criobe (Center for Island Research and Environmental Observatory), one of whose sites is in Moorea. "They were particularly interested in observations on the life of the reef at bedtime and upon awakening," continues Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout. Which fish are agitated first? Which ones stay longer? What is their predation mode? What are the sources of stress for these fish? "
Not from the next Under the pole trip
A great deal of data has since been compiled. The work of analysis has just started. The capsule, it is already on the return. It should arrive in Concarneau on February 2. For Under the pole then the time for feedback will begin. "There have already been many life experiences under the sea in the past, notably funded by the oil industry [to carry out explorations or ensure maintenance of offshore platforms," recalls Ghislain Bardout. On the other hand, this capsule is interesting because it compiles a certain number of technologies which make the tool light, autonomous and fairly inexpensive to set up. Much less in any case than a ROV [these remote-controlled underwater vehicles]. For the first, the budget is a few hundred thousand euros, when we speak in millions for ROVs. "
What democratize scientific exploration, often limited budget? Ghislain Bardout nuance: “The capsule will still be used, for sure, but this technique also has its limits. It cannot be used at great depths for the moment, nor in excessively cold waters. That's why she won't be on the next Under the Pole expedition. "At the beginning of autumn, the entire Under the pole team will set out again, towards Ushuaia, in Patagonia," announces Emmanuelle Perié-Bardout. From there, we will reach the Antarctic Peninsula in November for three months of underwater exploration. And this time focused on deep diving. Up to a hundred meters. In the course of next week, Under the pole will also launch a call for tenders to find scientific partners.
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