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.
Outreach 2025
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 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