Monday, April 25, 2022
Since its origin, in January 2011, the philanthropic association of general interest OceanoScientific primarily targets young people in CE2-CM1-CM2 classes with the aim of making them RESPECT and LOVE the Ocean. To this end, Carla Di Santo, Scientific Coordinator & Diving Manager of theOceanoScientific Expeditions, assisted The Sea Workshop on Wednesday April 13 to take a group of twenty-four girls and boys aged six to twelve on a snorkeling trip to raise their awareness of the marine environment and to discover the animals of the Mediterranean shallows in their natural habitat. These children are from one of the programs offered by Synergy Family, co-founded by Laurent Choukroun and Frank Tortel, which has offered for more than ten years the opportunity for all kinds of activities aimed at individual and collective development. This trip to sea, financed by"Marseille Capital of the Sea", registered in operation "A step towards the sea", resulting from the collaboration of four partners: Marseille Capitale de la Mer, Synergie Family, Le Cercle des Nageurs and the CMA CGM Foundation. Thus, children learn to swim and live edutainment experiences to understand, love and respect the sea. Let us remember on this occasion that "Marseille Capital of the Sea" brings together the living forces of the Marseille city, whether economic, cultural, industrial, craft, sporting, gastronomic, environmental, academic, social, or institutional, to enhance the sea as an urban resource. The association team OceanoScientific is therefore happy to support this initiative to raise awareness of the major role of the sea in our urban lives.
2025 News
Wednesday 15 October 2025
The commitment of the Marines de Cogolin
to preserve marine biodiversity
Last winter, the Port des Marines de Cogolin welcomed the OceanoScientific association's Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran. It had been agreed that the duo responsible for raising awareness among schoolchildren about the preservation of the Mediterranean Sea, Cécile d'Estais and Justine Camus, would return at the start of the 2025-2026 school year to present the results of the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Expeditions. These expeditions enable a scientific inventory to be made of the fish that inhabit the coastline of the Région Sud. These science outreach activities in primary schools in the municipality of Cogolin were carried out on Thursday 9 October, in close collaboration with the Port Authority of Les Marines de Cogolin.
Nestled at the end of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, sheltered by the Maures hills, the Marines de Cogolin are crossed by the Giscle, a coastal river that rises in Valescure, thirty kilometers upstream. The combination of fresh water and sea water is conducive to the development of a highly diverse flora and fauna, which is carefully monitored by the team led by Romain Rosso, Director of the port. The collaboration with ECOCEAN - a company supported by the Rhône Mediterranean Corscia water Agency and the Région Sud - has made it possible to develop a network of fish nurseries in the marinas, whose effectiveness is impressive in terms of its rapid results in preserving and developing marine biodiversity.
The twenty fifth-grade students from Fontvieille Elementary School, supervised by their teacher, Yvonne Da Encarnacao, listened attentively to the presentation on the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expeditions. Photo: OceanoScientific
Romain Rosso, Director of the Port des Marines de Cogolin, welcomed Justine Camus (left) and Cécile d'Estais to accompany them to elementary schools in Cogolin to meet with fourth and fifth graders, the main target audience for OceanoScientific's awareness-raising activities. Photo: OceanoScientific
The Marines de Cogolin are located near the Gulf of Saint-Tropez Protected Marine Area. Numerous informational displays, such as the one shown here by Justine Camus, help boaters understand the fragility of coastal ecosystems and the significant efforts made by local communities to preserve marine flora and fauna. Photo OceanoScientific
Taking advantage of the scientific outreach activities organized by the OceanoScientific association, Romane Pruneau and Romain Rosso from the Port of Cogolin Harbor Master's Office presented the "Captain'Game", an orienteering course at the Port of Cogolin. This game allows participants to discover the location of fish nurseries (BIOHUT), which are fixed under the pontoons to protect species from predators and provide them with food. Photo OceanoScientific
In the fifth-grade class at Fontvieille Elementary School, Cécile d'Estais explained to the children that there is only one Ocean, as depicted by the South African oceanographer and geophysicist Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus in 1942, who placed the Antarctic continent at the center of his planisphere. Photo OceanoScientific
Sophie Eurin, teacher of a fifth-grade class at Le Rialet Elementary School, welcomed Cécile d'Estais and Justine Camus from the OceanoScientific association to raise awareness of marine wildlife on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez coastline. Photo: OceanoScientific
Cécile d'Estais explained to the 23 pupils from Le Rialet Elementary School in the town of Cogolin that the OceanoScientific Expeditions are carried out by sail, without CO2 emission, using the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran.
Photo OceanoScientific
Justine Camus, Professional diver and Head of marine environmental DNA collection for OceanoScientific Expeditions, leads a game with 26 pupils from the Pisan - Malaspina Elementary School in Cogolin: recognize some of the fish that inhabit the Gulf of Saint-Tropez Protected Marine Area. Photo OceanoScientific
Wednesday 17 September 2025
Raising awareness of Mediterranean marine biodiversity
In mid-September, at the Mucem - Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Marseille - France), on the initiative of Mutuelles du Soleil, then in La Ciotat as part of the 10th Lumexplore Festival organized by the Société des Explorateurs Français, the OceanoScientific association presented the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expeditions to raise awareness among the general public about the preservation of marine biodiversity, specifically along the Mediterranean coastline between Menton and Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where OceanoScientific is implementing 45 Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Sites - MBSS. This campaign of collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) is being conducted with energy autonomy and without CO2 emission aboard the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran. The objective is to complete the work already carried out on the initiative of Pierre Boissery (Rhone Mediterranean Corsica water Agency) with the BioDivMed Mission 2023.
An average speed of 11 knots over the 22 nautical miles between Marseille's Old Port and La Ciotat, most of which was covered under mainsail alone: the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran loves the breeze! Yvan Griboval, at the helm, enjoyed some beautiful surfing at speeds of over 14 knots... Photo OceanoScientific
As if it were intentional, the gray hull of the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN harmonizes with the wall covering of the Mucem - Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Marseille - France). Photo OceanoScientific
As a partner of the OceanoScientific association, Mutuelles du Soleil invited its local members, in one of the Mucem VIP lounge, to a conference on the benefits of marine organisms, specifically sponges (Porifera), for humans. The view of the harbor was exceptional... Photo OceanoScientific
During the OceanoScientific conference for the local members of Mutuelles du Soleil, Dr. Isabelle Mus-Veteau (Director of Research at the CNRS - Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology - IPMC in Sophia Antipolis) presented her work on the use of a molecule found in a sponge from the Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, which has the unique ability to significantly enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Photo OceanoScientific
As part of the Lumexplore Festival, the OceanoScientific association and its Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN, which serves as the sailing base for all OceanoScientific Expeditions, were invited to present environmental DNA (eDNA) collection and its use in conducting marine biodiversity inventories with high scientific accuracy. Photo OceanoScientific
On Friday 12th morning, during LOVE THE OCEAN's stopover in La Ciotat as part of the Lumexplore Festival, the team of BFM TV Marseille, composed of Hugo Lahouze (journalist) and Alice Rheims (video journalist), came aboard the catamaran to broadcast live and present the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expeditions. Photo OceanoScientific
Supervised by their teachers David Pitois (Mathematics) and Catherine Bergel (Life and Earth Sciences), a group of students from the Collège Notre-Dame in Reims (France) came to La Ciotat to present their film “Plas et Tic” as part of the Lumexplore Junior Festival. At that moment aboard the LOVE THE OCEAN, they didn’t yet know that they would win the Lumexplore Junior 2025 Grand Prize, beating fifteen other films made by teams of middle and high school students from mainland France and overseas territories. Photo OceanoScientific
Yvan Griboval filled the conference hall of the Simone Veil Media Library as part of the “Hors les Murs” program of the Lumexplore Festival, during the presentation of the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expeditions and the screening of the documentary TÉMOINS DE MÉDITERRANÉE, which promotes the profession of coastal fisherman along the French Mediterranean coast. Photo OceanoScientific
Comfortably seated in the cockpit of the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran, Pierre Boissery (Marine Expert at the Rhone Mediterranean Corsica water Agency - right), Loïc Letan (left), co-owner of the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN catamaran and renowned specialist in marine scientific instrumentation, and Yvan Griboval, President of the OceanoScientific association, had a long discussion about developments in methods for observing marine biodiversity. Photo OceanoScientific
Wednesday 30 July 2025
Implementation of 45 Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Sites in the Région Sud
In mid-July, in Villefranche-sur-Mer and in the Bay of Cannes, the OceanoScientific association embarked on a major scientific challenge. The aim is to set up 45 Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Sites (MBSS) along the French coastline of the Région Sud, from Menton to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples using a procedure developed jointly by SpyGen, the undisputed leader in the study of DNA in natural environments, and Yvan Griboval, the initiator of this expedition, which is being conducted with energy autonomy and without CO2 emission aboard the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN. Objective: To complete the work already carried out on the initiative of Pierre Boissery (Rhone Mediterranean Corsica water Agency) with the BioDivMed 2023 Mission, of which the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Expedition 2023 is a part.
This OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expedition 2025 will enable the establishment of a standardized inventory of fish species in general, and invasive species in particular - including the famous Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) - in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region at depths not exceeding 30 meters. The aim is to provide coastal fishermen with reliable scientific information to promote sustainable fishing and sustainable food supply chains, but also to assist local authorities in the coastal areas of the departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Var, and Bouches-du-Rhône to optimize the management of their coastal waters and marine protected areas, thanks to reliable and unprecedented information on local marine biodiversity.
Aboard the Vanguard – Suzuki, specially equipped for collecting marine DNA samples, Justine Camus (left), OceanoScientific Expeditions Coordinator, ensures that the peristaltic pump is working properly, while Léa Griboval writes down the metadata and Elisabeth Lieutaud makes sure that the RIB follows a straight course along the Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Site transect.
Photo OceanoScientific
The OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expedition 2025 made a stopover in the beautiful bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer thanks to the support of the municipal team led by Dr. Christophe Trojani (Mayor), who is committed not only to preserve the environment, but also to learn more about the marine biodiversity with an unprecedented scientific precision.
Photo OceanoScientific
Collecting eDNA samples along the coastline of the Région Sud (Departments 06 - 83 - 13) offers the privilege of navigating in exceptional locations, such as here along the point that closes the Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer just before the Cap of Nice.
Photo OceanoScientific
During the collection of eDNA samples at the Villefranche-sur-Mer Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Site (MBSS 05), Claudie Khokhlov (center, at the helm), Municipal Councilor for Local and Community Life and Water Sports in Villefranche-sur-Mer, joined Yvan Griboval and Justine Camus on board. Photo OceanoScientific
Before starting to collect eDNA samples aboard the Vanguard - Suzuki, here at the Cannes - La Bocca Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Site (MBSS 13), the team led by Justine Camus (right) is getting ready while still moored to the Lagoon 570 LOVE THE OCEAN, which serves as the floating base for all OceanoScientific Expeditions. Photo OceanoScientific
This image of marine DNA collection illustrates the concentration of the crew of the Vanguard - Suzuki as part of the OceanoScientific Expedition. Extreme rigor allows for comparison of data collected from one year to the next, thereby scientifically verifying how coastal marine biodiversity evolves over time... Photo OceanoScientific
Wednesday 9 July 2025
An exceptional contribution to the study of climate
The circumnavigator Frédéric Switala - also director of META Yachts Services in Port Navy Service, in charge of preparing the Lagoon 570 catamaran LOVE THE OCEAN - took part in La Longue Route 2024-2025, inspired by Bernard Moitessier's story (La Longue Route - Arthaud). Thus, he completed a circumnavigation of the globe via the three capes from and to the Pôle Nautisme of Port Saint Louis du Rhône in 194 days of solo sailing aboard MAN OF WAR, a 47-foot (14.30-meter) monohull designed by German Frers and built in Australia in 1985.
While sailing in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties, below the 40th parallel South, Frédéric Switala collected 43 surface seawater samples meant to be analyzed by Professors Gilles Reverdin and Claire Waelbroeck (LOCEAN). The scientific results will be compared with those obtained from the 120 samples collected by Yvan Griboval in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as part of the OceanoScientific Around the World Expedition 2016-2017, as well as during a solo circumnavigation from Monaco to Monaco, which was the subject of a scientific publication in the journal La Météorologie - May 2020.
On the Port Navy Service dockyard, in front of the monohull MAN OF WAR, built in Australia forty years ago, Frédéric Switala (on the right) hands Yvan Griboval the 43 surface seawater samples collected below the 40th parallel South, under the three great capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Cape Horn. Photo OceanoScientific
To embark on La Longue Route in the manner of Bernard Moitessier, but to put the blinker to the left after Cape Horn to return home - whereas the famous solo sailor continued his 1968-1969 solo round-the-world voyage to French Polynesia - is quite an achievement. Nothing less! This is what Frédéric Switala accomplished between 15 September 2024 and 1st April 2025.
Frédéric Switala benefited from the assistance of Christian Dumard (Marine Weather Intelligence), not only to advise him on his navigation options, but above all to avoid confrontation with sea and wind conditions that would have threatened the integrity of the Man/Vessel pairing in maritime zones where no outside assistance is possible.
In collaboration with the OceanoScientific association, Frédéric Switala wanted his personal adventure in a rarely visited maritime zone, but of major importance for the study of climate, to serve to better understand the causes and consequences of climate change. This was also Yvan Griboval's objective when he was the first, besides being solo, to collect scientific data at the Air-Sea interface from West to East in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, sailing without CO2 emission, as part of the OceanoScientific Around the World Expedition 2016-2017. On this occasion, Yvan Griboval collected surface seawater samples every twelve hours for 60 days below the 40th parallel South, which were then analyzed by Professor Gilles Reverdin, at that time CNRS Research Director at the Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat - Expérimentations et Approches Numériques - LOCEAN (UMR 7159 CNRS - IRD - MNHN - Sorbonne Université).
The 43 surface seawater samples collected have been precisely identified, and the geographical coordinates of collection have been recorded, along with the precise universal time of collection. This is essential if the results of the analyses carried out on these samples are to be compared with other scientific data. Photo OceanoScientific
Now retired, Gilles Reverdin will nevertheless be working on the 2024-2025 samples with his colleague Claire Walebroeck, CNRS Research Director, who joined the LOCEAN laboratory in 2020. She works specifically on the links between climate change and ocean circulation on different time scales.
To the question: "What will Frédéric Switala's samples be used for?", Gilles Reverdin replies: "These samples (salinity and water isotopes) will complete LOCEAN's database regarding the Southern Ocean "water isotope", which has been enriched since 2017 by several one-off expeditions, in particular those to the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula, the ASTROLABE rotations south of Tasmania and the OISO campaigns in the Southwest Indian Ocean. These peri-Antarctic samplings, including the ones from Yvan Griboval's OceanoScientific Expedition, have the advantage of offering a vision that we lack.
The aim is to identify salinity evolution in the southern sector and, in particular, to separate the contribution of melting pack ice (which has accelerated in recent years) from that of melting continental ice (from glacier shelves, in particular, and icebergs breaking off from them). The respective shares and fate of this freshwater remain to be clarified, and isotopic data (in addition to salinity data) are helping to answer these questions.
The comparison between the data collected by analyzing samples from the OceanoScientific Around the World Expedition 2016-2017 and those we will obtain eight years later thanks to Frédéric Switala's circumnavigation, should be instructive. We will have the results in the course of next year".
"While the analyses and studies of these samples are being carried out within the LOCEAN laboratory, they also fall within the international framework of SCOR's WG 171 (MASIS). The results of these analyses will then be made available to the international scientific community on the dedicated platform of the SEANOE - Sea Scientific Open data Publication website."
Self-portrait of Frédéric Switala aboard MAN OF WAR in the Roaring Forties, after the passage of a cold front offering a brief sequence of sunshine in an Ocean of gray. Photo Frédéric Switala
With sail combinations adapted to the wind strength and sea conditions (here in scissor), MAN OF WAR took advantage of too-short periods of full downwind to head directly east towards Cape Horn. Photo Frédéric Switala
One of the most recognizable photos is of the monohull's wake on the long, several-meter-high swell of the Deep South, which is sometimes peaceful, often aggressive and downright hostile when the low-pressure area is deep and the sailor and his ship are more than ever “little things” in the middle of nowhere. Photo Frédéric Switala
Two exceptions stand out in this image taken in the Tasman Sea, southwest of New Zealand: the flat calm, surprising at these high latitudes, but increasingly frequent due to accelerating climate change; and the number of albatrosses posed to watch Frédéric Switala pass by, whom they regard neither as a predator nor as an intruder. Just another animal. Photo Frédéric Switala
Wednesday 25 June 2025
A marine sponge to fight cancer
The Lagoon 570 catamaran LOVE THE OCEAN made a short stopover in the port of Nice, after being back on sea on Wednesday 18th June at the Pôle nautisme of Port Saint Louis du Rhône, after several weeks of maintenance at Port Navy Service, which has all the necessary skills. The purpose of this stopover was to hold a conference for the Mutuelles du Soleil members on a topical theme of this Year of the Sea 2025: "The Ocean is our future". The OceanoScientific association highlighted just how useful sponges (Porifera) can be for human health. The OceanoScientific Porifera Corse Expedition 2024 and the work of Professor Christian Siatka (DNA School of Nîmes) were discussed.
Doctor Isabelle Mus-Veteau, Research Director for the CNRS and the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire - IPMC, based in Sophia Antipolis, was the guest of honor at the conference. She presented the result of more than ten years of research, proving the ability of a molecule from an endemic Mediterranean sponge: Haliclona mucosa - collected in less than thirty meters depth in the Rade de Villefranche-sur-Mer - to significantly increase the positive effects of chemotherapy on cancer cells. Thus, decisively increasing patients' chances of recovery. Professor Stéphane Azoulay (Côte d'Azur Université) was able to chemically synthesize this molecule. So, if Isabelle Mus-Veteau and Stéphane Azoulay have the necessary funds to carry out a further eight to ten years of scientific work, they could create a medicinal product that would help cure millions of patients suffering from various forms of cancer. The Haliclona mucosa from Villefranche-sur-Mer is truly a magic sponge!
Some of the guests from Mutuelles du Soleil came on board LOVE THE OCEAN to continue their discussions with Yvan Griboval, President of the OceanoScientific association and Director of its eponymous expeditions which highlight the rich marine biodiversity of the Southern Region's coastline. Photo OceanoScientific
From left to right: Doctor Isabelle Mus-Veteau from the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire - IPMC; Yvan Griboval; Justine Camus, Professional diver and Coordinator of the OceanoScientific Expeditions, including the OceanoScientific Porifera Corse Expedition 2024. Photo OceanoScientific
The endemic sponge of the Mediterranean collected in less than thirty meters depth in the harbor
of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Haliclona mucosa, rich in a molecule of great interest capable of reinforcing
the therapeutic efficiency of chemotherapies. Photo Dominique Horst - DORIS.FFESSM.FR
The Lagoon 570 catamaran LOVE THE OCEAN made a three-day stopover in Nice to meet some of the members of Mutuelles du Soleil, with the logo of SpyGen on its bow. SpyGen is the leader in the study of marine environmental DNA (eDNA) and a major partner of the OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Région Sud Expedition 2025, due to start in July. Photo OceanoScientific
Thanks to its 2,000 watts of solar panels, the Lagoon 570 catamaran LOVE THE OCEAN sails with total energy autonomy, without ever needing to recharge its batteries in port. Photo OceanoScientific
All maintenance operations on the Lagoon 570 catamaran LOVE THE OCEAN are carried out at Port Navy Service in Port Saint Louis du Rhône, one of the few French Mediterranean spots able to land/launch large catamarans. Photo OceanoScientific
Thursday 12 June 2025
118 ambassadors for a sustainable Ocean
On Sunday 8th June, thanks to financial support of the Région Sud, the OceanoScientific association contributed to the organisation of La Grande Parade pour l'Océan - OCEAN WONDERS, which was both a celebration of the World Oceans Day 2025 and the nautical event preceding the opening of the third United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3, scheduled for 9:00 AM the following morning. Three separate fleets made the show in the Baie des Anges: in Antibes, Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer, for a total of 118 vessels that paraded as ambassadors for a sustainable ocean. It should be noted that this exceptional event could not have been organised without the crucial technical assistance of the Yacht Club de Monaco and the strong experience of Thierry Leret.
ALBA is the first 100% hydrogen-powered training ship. It is operated by the Lycée Maritime et Aquacole de Bastia, directed by Julien Cometto. Its arrival in Monaco and then Nice marked its first crossing between Corsica and the mainland, with a crew of high school students. A perfectly successful premiere! Photo: OceanoScientific
Nice showcased 18 vessels under 38 meters and nine between 42 and 98 meters. The first group included the unmissable TARA, ENERGY OBSERVER, LA GOELETTE 7e CONTINENT and BLUE PANDA. But there was also ALBA, the brand-new training ship of the Lycée Maritime et Aquacole de Bastia, which has the unique feature of being powered entirely by hydrogen. Among the largest vessels, the Spanish ODÓN DE BUEN, probably the most modern oceanographic vessel in Europe, which has just been commissioned, was particularly noteworthy. And while the Portuguese four-masted SANTA MARIA MANUELA embarking the Oceano Azul Foundation team and Jean-Louis Étienne's PERSEVERANCE attracted a lot of attention, it was the majestic 98-meter Norwegian three-masted ship STATSRAAD LEHMKUHL that brought this astonishing nautical parade to a close, witnessed by the President of the French Republic and his guests coming from Monaco aboard the THALASSA, the flagship of the French oceanographic fleet.
Victorien Erussard has closed the fantastic chapter of the ENERGY OBSERVER saga 2017-2024, opening a new one that began in Nice on Friday 6 May, with the aim of sailing until 2033. This involves major international projects with three new ships: EO1, EO2 and EO3. Photo OceanoScientific
A few years ago, Roland Jourdain abandoned carbon in his ocean racing prototypes to demonstrate that natural fibers, such as linen, can be used to build high-performance sailing boats, such as his catamaran WE EXPLORE. Photo OceanoScientific
The iconic ship of the second United Nations Ocean Conference held in Lisbon in 2022, the Portuguese four-masted ship SANTA MARIA MANUELA, embarking the Oceano Azul Foundation team, was one of the most beautiful ships to parade among the largest vessels present in Monaco and Nice. Photo OceanoScientific
The strong easterly breeze enabled STS BODRUM - built in 2001 thanks to contributions from the people of Bodrum (Turkey) under the direction of the Bodrum and Carian Culture, Art and Promotion Foundation (BOSAV) - to mainly navigate with its sail during La Grande Parade pour l'Océan, bearing the face of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Photo OceanoScientific
The crowd gathered on the Promenade des Anglais watched the parade of large ships. Here on the left is the SANTA MARIA MANUELA (Portugal) and the PALINURO ex-COMMANDANT LOUIS RICHARD, a three-masted schooner built in 1934 in France by Dubigeon for the Société des Pêches Malouines. Nowadays, it is a training ship for the Italian Navy. Photo OceanoScientific
Antibes welcomed 67 of the most beautiful classic sailing boats that regularly line up at the start of major Mediterranean competitions for the 30th edition of Les Voiles d'Antibes, perfectly organized by Yann Joannon and Jérôme Bikard. This elegant armada competed in the World Oceans Day Regatta.
Divided into several classes, the 67 competitors in the 30th edition of Les Voiles d'Antibes put on a spectacular show at the foot of the ramparts with a south-westerly wind, while at the other end of the Baie des Anges, a strong easterly wind was blowing.
Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
TUIGA, the superb 1909 Fife design owned by the Yacht Club de Monaco, flew the World Oceans Day 2025 flag alongside the 66 other competitors in the 30th edition of Les Voiles d'Antibes. Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
A gentle breeze and stunning sailboats create images that never cease to amaze! Here, the fleet returns from the Lérins Islands to the finish line, located in front of the ramparts of Antibes. Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
Imported from the East Coast of the United States – based on an idea by Bruno Troublé, long-time organiser of the Louis Vuitton Cup, a prelude to the America's Cup - the classic P-Class sailing boats designed in 1902 by American architect Nathanael Herreshoff are uniquely elegant. Four boats now race on the classic Mediterranean circuit. Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
In Villefranche-sur-Mer, Joël Carrillo, President of the Association des Bateliers Plaisanciers de Villefranche-sur-Mer (Villefranche-sur-Mer Recreational Boat Owners Association) and Christophe Trojani, Mayor, brought together 23 traditional boats and a guest of honour: TORNADE, the Round Yawl of Martinique skippered by Christophe Dédé.
When there is no wind – often in the Baie des Anges – the rowing boat LAISSA ANNA from Villefranche-sur-Mer, owned by the association chaired by Rita Moreilhon, gallops merrily along as soon as the breeze picks up... Photo ABPV
The strong breeze on Pentecost Sunday did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crews of the Pointus boats in the Rade de Villefranche-sur-Mer, mobilised by the Association des Bateliers Plaisanciers (Association of Pleasure Boat Operators) and by the Mayor, Christophe Trojani, himself at the helm of the Pointu BOUBOU Ier, which was launched by his grandfather. Photo ABPV
TORNADE, the Round Yawl of Martinique, put on a spectacular show in the harbour of Villefranche-sur-Mer, in conditions reminiscent of the regattas held in the trade winds of the Caribbean. Photo ABPV
Wednesday 28 May 2025
Mobilising as many persons as possible, especially young people!
Ahead of the third United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3 Nice-Monaco 2025, awareness-raising operations have been stepped up at a rapid pace, with the aim of mobilising as many people as possible, especially children from elementary schools, the main target of the philanthropic association of general interest OceanoScientific, with over 400 persons reached in two months!
Cécile d'Estais, General Delegate, and Justine Camus, Coordinator of the OceanoScientific Expeditions, have had a busy spring: on April 3rd in Nice, mobilisation of 64 students from the Magnan Professional High School; April 25 & 26 in La Seyne-sur-Mer, participation in the MARE NOSTRUM show organised by the Rotary Club Toulon Levant Liberté, which allowed to raise awareness among 57 children from local schools, and to broadcast the 26-minute documentary TÉMOINS DE MÉDITERRANÉE to the general public; May 13 in Nice, meeting with 60 pupils from the elementary school of the Institution Stanislas; on the morning of May 25, at "Mon École", the elementary school of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a dynamic exchange with 25 pupils who were very aware of the marine environment of their coastline; in the afternoon, 21 pupils from Jean Piaget, an elementary school of Nice, were learning the importance of the Ocean its biodiversity at the École Départementale de la Mer Jean-Pierre Dick, run with enthusiasm and efficiency by Olivier Heuleu.
Our outreach operations will now start again in September, after the UNOC3 sequence (June 2nd to 14th) and the third OceanoScientific eDNA Mediterranean Southern Region Expedition aiming to collect environmental DNA on 45 Marine Biodiversity Sentinel Sites (MBSS) between Menton and Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Justine Camus, Coordinator of the OceanoScientific Expeditions and in charge of the eDNA collections, which enable to inventory the marine biodiversity of France's Mediterranean shores - thanks to sequencing carried out by the SpyGen company - took advantage of the MARE NOSTRUM show to try and get children to recognize the most common fish species of the French Mediterranean coast. There is still work to be done.... Photo OceanoScientific
Cécile d'Estais, General Delegate of the OceanoScientific association, introduces elementary school pupils to activities designed to help them learn more about the wonders of the Ocean, of which the Mediterranean Sea is a jewel. Photo OceanoScientific
Don't be fooled if you think that 9 to 11 years old are confused when we talk about DNA to evoke environmental DNA (eDNA), which is essential for inventorying the fish species of a coastal site. But let's be honest, TV series help us to introduce the subject (Thanks HPI TV Serie!). Photo OceanoScientific
Justine Camus always devotes a part of her OceanoScientific intervention to the importance of the Ocean for the life of Humanity on the Planet, whether we live by the sea or in the mountains. The Ocean is our Future, let's preserve it! Photo OceanoScientific
Surprising as it may seem, it is not the 12 to 17 years old who feel most concerned by climate change and the environmental threats that are increasingly weighing on humankind. They have other interests and concerns. It's urgent that we let their teenage years pass – we will find them later, guaranteed... Photo OceanoScientific
Under the tent, sheltered from the sun whose rays are getting stronger every year, Cécile d'Estais explains to the children that when they go swimming at the beach, they are not at home, but in an environment where over thirty different species of fish live in large families that need to be respected. Photo OceanoScientific
Wednesday 26 March 2025
Awareness-raising from 7 to 77 years old
As the third United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3 Nice-Monaco 2025 approaches, interest in the marine environment is growing among schools and decision-maker networks, as well as among the general public. This is an opportunity for the OceanoScientific association to develop its outreach activities with its priority target: pupils in elementary classes, as well as with adults, in particular by evoking the results of the OceanoScientific Expeditions. Recently, Cécile d'Estais and Justine Camus visited 25 pupils in the Elementary School Bornala - Louis Fiori in Nice, then two classes with a total of 45 pupils in the Elementary school Marinoni in Beaulieu-sur-Mer to raise their awareness. On his side, Yvan Griboval held a conference to some 30 members of the Rotary Club Cannes, who were captivated by the positive messages conveyed on this occasion, whether discussing the state of health of the Mediterranean coastal fauna, or the "Nice Agreements" which will undoubtedly bring UNOC3 to a close at the end of the day on Friday 13 June, marking the first major step towards regulating the "High Seas" - which cover 40% of the Planet surface.
Justine Camus, Coordinator of the OceanoScientific Expeditions and in charge of the eDNA collections, which enable to inventory the marine biodiversity of France's Mediterranean shores - thanks to sequencing carried out by the SpyGen company - invites pupils from Marinoni elementary school in Beaulieu-sur-Mer to recognize the most common fish species along our coasts.
Photo OceanoScientific
Cécile d'Estais, General Delegate of the OceanoScientific association, explains our activities to pupils from Bornala - Louis Fiori elementary school in Nice, and our objective to learn more about the Ocean to better preserve its biodiversity.
Photo OceanoScientific
Yvan Griboval (standing on the left), President of the OceanoScientific association, held a conference in Cannes to some 30 members of the Rotary Club, in the presence of Yves Boyer, District Governor, and Jean-Louis Matout (standing on the right), Secretary of the Rotary Club of Cannes. Photo OceanoScientific
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolitan Area, officially launched on March 6 at Pointe Rauba-Capeu, where the #ILoveNice logo is displayed, the countdown of the last 100 days before the third United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3 - co-organized by France and Costa Rica on behalf of the United Nations. Photo OceanoScientific
Wednesday 26 February 2025
Heading towards the United Nations Ocean Conference
Whether in Paris on February 13 for an after-work conference held in the premises of EXCO "Business fertilizer", following the invitation of Pierre d'Agrain, or in Nice on Tuesday 25 February at the Lycée Albert Calmette directed by Gaëlle Frontoni, the presentation of the OceanoScientific Expeditions gives pride of place to the third United Nations Ocean Conference - UNOC3 Nice & Monaco, orchestrated by Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, the French President's Special Envoy in charge of this event. Indeed, there is nothing more practical than UNOC3 to mobilize a wide audience, from business leaders to secondary school pupils, to the importance of a healthy and virtuous exploitation of the Ocean and its marvelous resources for the benefit of Humanity. The aim is to ensure that the planet's eight billion people, soon to be nine billion, can live in the best possible conditions. As Yvan Griboval, President of OceanoScientific, repeats often: "It is not the Planet that is in danger, but the Humanity that inhabits it today. The good news is that we have our destiny in our hands. It is up to us to know what we want for future generations. Let's preserve the Ocean, which is our greatest asset for the future..."
A group of secondary school pupils from the Lycée Albert Calmette in Nice, involved in the "Oceans 2025" academic project, attended a conference given by the team of the OceanoScientific association, based in Nice. With the high school teacher & librarian: Valérie Bertolo on the far right of the picture, Justine Camus, OceanoScientific Expeditions Coordinator on the far left, Yvan Griboval, President, in the center and Cécile d'Estais, General Delegate, taking the photo. Photo OceanoScientific
The secondary school pupils from the Lycée Albert Calmette in Nice, involved in the "Oceans 2025" academic project, are representing three countries: Monaco, Sweden and Japan, with very different maritime issues, but with one constant: the importance of the Ocean in our lives as inhabitants of the Earth. Photo OceanoScientific
After-work conference in Paris on February 13 in the premises of EXCO "Business fertilizer", at the initiative of Philippe de Boucaud, OceanoScientific Board Member, and following the invitation of Pierre d'Agrain, EXCO Partner. Photo OceanoScientific