Fabien Cousteau

Why you should listen

For 31 days, from June 1 to July 2, 2014, Fabien Cousteau and a team of scientists and filmmakers lived and worked 20 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, at the Acquarius underwater science lab 9 miles off the coast of Florida. The intent of Mission31: study the life of and on the coral reef -- and the effects of climate change, acidification, and pollution, in particular by plastic debris and oil spills. But it was also a study of the scientists themselves spending extended time underwater. By stayigng down continuously, they collected the equivalent of several years of scientific data in just a month.

50 years ago Fabien Cousteau's grandfather, the legendary ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, led a similar -- but shorter by one day -- expedition under the surface of the Red Sea. Since, we have explored only a very small portion of the oceans, less than 5 percent.

What others say

“You get used to it. Eel, sharks, barracuda parking on your shoulder wondering what you're doing. Animals getting used to you in their environment.” — Time, July 2014