Driven by a pioneering spirit, Under The Pole expeditions aim to push the boundaries of human underwater exploration, through a daring approach and constant innovation. Internationally recognized for their expertise in polar diving, they have already brought together 150 team members, 200 partner companies and research institutes. At their head, Ghislain Bardout & Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout, the couple who have made their passion for exploration a profession and a way of life. We had the privilege of interviewing Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout on her return from the Northwest Passage.
You are very passionate about diving. How did you start this extraordinary adventure that is Under The Pole?
We met with Ghislain at the Glénan Dive Center when I passed the 4 level. Ghislain had been an instructor for a long time. I was myself a sailor and I went to work at that time in the polar regions. It turned out that we both worked for Jean-Louis Thiele. It is within the framework of this work, that Ghislain carried out a first mission to the North Geographical Pole, where he made his first dives under the pack ice. He came back completely amazed with the idea of dedicating an expedition. That's how the Under The Pole project was born. In 2010, we managed to gather the necessary funding to achieve this project. We did a lot of training, scuba diving, especially in the north of Finland, as well as in the mountains to pull the sleds and to ski, the whole lot of a great physical preparation. When we finally returned from our first expedition, we had the desire to continue our explorations, especially on the Green Coast. Ghislain also wanted to dive deeper distances, curious to discover the underwater environment living in these latitudes.
We are at the 3rd edition of Under The Pole. How has the project evolved over time?
The DNA of Under The Pole has not changed, since from the first expedition we found what the project is today. That is to say present in a pedagogical and educational way scientific data. This restitution of knowledge is done through innovations in the field of scuba diving and documentation through films and magazine articles. Over the years, time and funding have allowed us to bring together the essential team to professionalize the project Under The Pole.
We have been able to give ourselves ever more ambitious objectives, such as the tin capsule program or the colossal program we are going to be doing soon on deep corals in Polynesia. This will allow us to go further and push the limits of time spent underwater. We are currently equipped with an engineering office, professional video and photography. We are almost autonomous, able to provide everything internally.
How was the crew formed?
It's a mix of people we knew and others we met on the Under The Pole II expedition. It was a very long expedition since it lasted almost two years. At the time we did not have the necessary funding yet and we had to sell our house to carry out this expedition. Everyone was a volunteer. There was a very strong commitment from the people who got involved in this project. When we live 18 together in the ice, we learn to work well together. Our goal was that upon our return, we would be able to pay those people there, to keep the hard core that is our team, and continue to work together. In accomplishing this goal, most of the people who were part of this second expedition stayed with us, and others joined as we went along. We are trying to get everybody on the ground, because there are several positions that involve office tasks, so they can live and understand what a field expedition is (the issues, difficulties ...).
What was your biggest discovery during your expeditions?
It's hard to say. On Under The Pole I it was not a discovery per se, we wanted above all to reveal a world that we did not know and that had never been filmed or photographed before in this way.
On Under The Pole II, we did some extremely interesting scientific work, especially on sea ice. As we started when ice formed and stopped when ice melted, it was relevant for scientists to have readings. during the entire sea ice season and obtain important data. But what was certainly the most striking was the encounter with the Greenland shark that we were able to film in incredible conditions, up to 80m deep, whereas we did not expect to see it at that time. It was a very nice meeting. Regarding Under The Pole III it's in progress ...
What type of species do you think suffers the most from climate change in Greenland?
Everything suffers, there is no hierarchy, starting with the men and women who suffer from the lack of sea ice since it is their working and hunting territory, it is the place where Greenlandic culture is expressed. . When a species is upset, the entire chain of biodiversity is upset, so necessarily when the waters are warmer in certain places than they were before, there are certain species that appear and others that disappear. This leads to a modification of the ecosystem, in particular a great contamination of animals but also of humans by heavy metals.
Why did you choose recyclers as equipment?
This allows the diver to be safer while offering more autonomy and incidentally gain silence, which is not anondin.
What was the maximum depth reached during your dives?
The maximum depth was -112m in open water, in the polar region, and -111m under the ice in Greenland.
Go down so deep, what's at stake?
These are places where no one has ever dived. There is still a lot to discover. Often in polar regions, unlike other regions of the world, biodiversity can increase with depth, surface waters are colder and more drained by icebergs and ice storms.
How many species have you studied and what was the most interesting finding?
This summer we worked on an inventory of species encountered at the Museum of Natural History with the scientist Cyril Gallut. On Under The Pole II, we worked on crinoids with Cyril, but also on bivalves with the CNRS in Brest. The Greenland shark sees very little or very badly. We were able to film bumping into the walls. These observations confirm the innovative theories put forward by scientists. Biologists have shown an interest in its speed of movement. The main technical constraint is due to the depths in which these animals evolve. These are fish that are caught to be studied. Once collected, sensors used to collect scientific data on their environment and their evolution within it, are implanted on each specimen. A shark that has just been caught and released does not behave in the same way as a shark that we meet in its natural environment.
During your last expedition, faced with an endangered environment, what did you see as the most dangerous?
This is the conclusion of Cop 21: to reduce global warming to 1 degree. Since then, the figure has been revised downwards. Warming is a problem. It would be illusory to believe that we could reach any conclusions after a mere one-season study season. Such an operation is carried out over years. I will not have the arrogance to say that I have seen global warming firsthand with my own eyes. On the other hand, the readings that we have taken participate in a set of measurements which have been carried out for several decades by scientists. Today, within scientific communities worthy of the name, there is no longer any place for climate skeptics. What is very interesting for us is the testimony of the Greenlanders there, who have been there for several hundred years and bear witness to global warming.
We are experiencing the sixth great extinction, how do you feel about the voluntary implementation of biodiversity in our oceans?
It's a drama obviously. Ghislain and I are trying to be rather optimistic. It is obvious that drastic measures must be taken to protect the oceans. What fascinates us personally about the program that we will conduct during 8 months, is to see if indeed, these deep corals could help the less deep corals who are extremely abused and thus save some of this biodiversity. The oceans are the source of life, so we are destroying ourselves, but I think people are starting to realize it.
How did you come up with the idea for the “Capsule” and how was it developed?
The idea for this capsule comes from Ghislain who would like to be able to spend more time underwater, having as a point of comparison the naturalist on the lookout in the forest, who to observe animal behavior, does not need to spend time underwater. In diving, the idea is to free oneself from temporal and technical constraints. The solution would be the installation of a camp in which we could come to sleep, eat… The principle of developing saturation diving for scientific needs would allow us to compete with the astronomical means used by the oil industry. It is also about getting a foothold in current and future scientific progress.
We have an engineering office, Ghislain is an engineer by training. He coordinated the program. We have a second engineer who also has some diving knowledge. The third American engineer specializes in operating pressure chambers and is responsible for managing technical patents. We are working with biologists on the implementation of protocols: air recycling and safety procedures. We made this prototype to check that everything was working fine to measure the volumes and thus get an idea of what it could be like. One of the essential things for the capsule to be able to meet the specifications was that it had to be able to fit into a 20-foot container to be transportable anywhere in the world and that it could then be loaded on the Why to be able to take him and be autonomous. We have launched tenders waiting for the start of construction.
I guess there is great enthusiasm to be able to test it very soon.
Yes we are impatient, but the test date is scheduled for June 2019.
Your best diving memory?
There is one at each destination, but if I have to tell you about one it would definitely be Greenland Shark Diving. At the North Pole, the dives under the ice floe give the sensation of being in space, it is so infinite. I had the chance to explore, at the beginning of my diving training on the island of Petit Portum, in the waters of which I had one of my most beautiful experiences.
Your most beautiful moment of human exchange?
Without a doubt in Greenland with a hunter named Jorut and his wife Joana, who became close friends. I had the chance to go 4 days with him on the dog sled hunt, in very remote and very isolated places where I could better understand the Greenlandic culture.
How do your children live this adventure at your side?
They experience it quite naturally. Robin grew up being on the boat more than half the time, so this is her first home. For him it's normal and the team that is on board and that he has always known has become a second family for him. The youngest is only a year and a half old. He took his first steps in the Northwest Passage this summer on the boat, he was delighted to see the whales. They are just happy to be where their parents are.
Why the name “Why ” for the sailboat?
It was his name when we bought it and we decided not to rename it. We thought the name matched her well, because of the mystery around her story and we liked the nod with the " why not From Charcot.
Interviewed by Aurélie Kula
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