Marine Life & Conservation
Jean-Michel Cousteau To Open New Dive Centre In Petit St. Vincent This Year
Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will open a dive centre on the Caribbean island of Petit St. Vincent (PSV) in the southern Grenadines before the end of the year. Following extensive research of the reefs and aquatic life in the region by Jean-Michel and his team, he felt PSV would be a perfect place to share the wonders of coral reefs with guests and locals.
The newly established local company, known as “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Caribbean Divers”, is owned and operated by Jean-Michel Cousteau and long time colleague, Don Santee. The new dive centre will provide guided dives as well as diving instruction and PADI certifications for all levels of divers. Both Jean-Michel Cousteau and PSV management view the dive center as the first step in an ongoing program to protect the waters and aquatic life in the region.
While the dive centre will operate independently of the resort, they will share some facilities including the existing dock and boathouse. An on-staff naturalist/marine biologist will offer guided underwater tours and hikes around the island with the goal of educating and entertaining guests about the area’s rich marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The naturalist will also work with local schools and NGOs on surrounding islands including Union Island, Carriacou and Petit Martinique to develop educational programs and projects.
“This project is personally very exciting for me,” said PSV’s owner Phil Stephenson. “Like a lot of our guests, I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau’s specials every Sunday night on American broadcast television. It’s what got me into scuba diving as a kid and produced a lifetime love of the ocean. Having Jean-Michel and his staff help teach PSV’s guests about diving and the diversity of undersea world is really a dream come true.”
In addition to the new dive centre, PSV is also working with scientists at the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to reduce the island’s environmental footprint and make operations “greener”. For example, the resort has replaced plastic drinking bottles with reusable glass bottles with sealed tops, installed a wastewater treatment plant to reduce the discharge of untreated waters, and planned a retention pond for natural filtration using water lilies, tilapia fish and frogs which will assist in natural mosquito reduction.
PSV will continue to grow as much of their own fruits and vegetables on island as possible, rainwater will be harvested from rooftops for irrigation and a composting system will be put into place. These and many other planned initiatives will help reduce the island’s environmental footprint and create a beautiful and productive landscape.
“We must connect the ocean to the existence of every human being,” said Jean-Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures Society. “My father used to say, ‘people protect what they love’, and so it is our hope that by encouraging and enabling divers to explore the waters around PSV, and by initiating sustainability measures on the island, we will be creating ambassadors of the ocean and land for generations to come and share this important message: ‘Protect the ocean and you protect yourself.’”
About Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society
Ocean Futures Society (OFS) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization with the motto, “Protect the ocean and you protect yourself.” The mission of OFS is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean’s vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. OFS is based in Santa Barbara, California, with offices in France and Brazil. For more information, visit www.oceanfutures.org.
About Petit St Vincent
Petit St Vincent is a privately-owned 115-acre island in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The island has just 22 one- and two-bedroom cottages dotted along the beaches and bluffs, positioned perfectly for the ultimate in privacy and seclusion. The cottages are free of televisions, telephones and internet connections. A major renovation project was completed in 2011, which included the addition of a treetop spa and beachfront restaurant and bar. For more information, visit www.petitstvincent.com.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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