By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis There are powerful meanings in the stories we share about our personal experiences in vastness of the ocean wilderness. Every scuba diver is a storyteller, sharing personal experiences of encounters with the beautiful underwater world, a place many people will never see for …

Words by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis It has been almost a year now since I have had the opportunity to explore beneath the surface of the sea; and like many of you, I have stayed where it has been the safest, in the comforts of my home in …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis The newest findings are clear: our relationship with the natural world needs to be re-evaluated and then fixed. Not only are we navigating challenging times as we suffer through the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, but we are witnessing the destruction of nature on …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis There is an inner galaxy of alien looking organisms on our own planet. Just night dive in open water with a bright light and witness for yourself the water column coming alive with all different forms of gelatinous plants and animals: plankton. It …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Holly Lohuis Leaders from around the world gathered in San Francisco this past month in the largest climate event ever held in the United States and I was very proud to be a part of this Global Climate Action Summit. It was very inspiring to …

Far beneath the waves, glistening under the new moon, the mood strikes right for two fish in love. Swimming side by side and holding tails, seahorses engage in a ritual of love that is both fascinating and magical. Seahorses, named for their “horse-like” head, are actually fish despite their …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau Three flights from Santa Barbara, California, to Barbados, followed by a 45 minute single propeller plane ride to Union Island, a brisk 20-minute boat ride across the southern Caribbean’s turquoise water to a lush green mountain rising steadily from a seemingly endless ocean, I finally …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau Twenty fourteen is a special year for Ocean Futures Society – this year we are celebrating our 15th anniversary: 15 years of ocean advocacy through our award-winning films and educational programs that teach and inspire us all to protect our ocean planet.  These past 15 …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jaclyn Mandoske If there is one thing we know from the history of life on Earth, it is that the oceans are resilient and relentless. Nearly four billion years ago the first raindrops fell from our cooling planet, accumulating in low basins and forming …

Text by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jaclyn Mandoske Ten million people of the Pacific Island Nations are calling – and we have yet to answer their plea. Like the canary in the coalmine, thousands of drowning islands in the Pacific are telling us that something dangerous is happening. As ocean …

First Published in DIVER Volume 38 Issue 5 By Phil Nuytten The problem: A swillion, or so, years ago, we humans were designed (or evolved, or left here by aliens – please substitute your desired flavour) to function best under a fairly rigid set of specifications. These specs include …

A third generation of diving’s famous family follows in the footsteps of pioneering grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau  ByJean-Michel Cousteau As a proud father, I always look forward to watching the accomplishments of my children and these past two months of May and June proved to be an amazing milestone for …

ByJean-Michel Cousteau and Jaclyn Mandoske Gaze across the glistening sea and watch as the sun’s rays glimmer and bounce off the ocean waves. Water covers more than two-thirds of our planet, and yet the world below the surface of the world’s oceans is still mysterious to us – from …

ByJean-Michel Cousteau The sea is not a silent world. There are songs in the ocean that must be heard. Some are just whispers, but meaningful ones. Listen to the diverse repertoire of sounds and songs as you dive beneath the surface of the sea.  The haunting calls of the …

Together, we can steer it clear of a collision course with extinction! By Jean-Michel Couteau   Through my regular column I am pleased to share with you vital information on the state of the oceans – waves of hope coupled  with much work that needs to be done to …

  By Jean-Michel Cousteau The Cousteau name is forever linked with the ocean and so it is also necessarily linked to a ship run by a team that keeps the vessel and the adventure going. This remains true even without a ship. The team comprises a wide-range of devoted …

  By Jean-Michel Cousteau If you’ve ever walked along a pristine, white sand beach in the tropics you most likely have a parrotfish to thank for that experience. Many species of this fish, of which there are about 80, make their home in the busy ‘urban’ world of tropical …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau Far beneath the waves, glistening under the new moon, the mood strikes right for two fishes in love. Swimming side by side and holding tails, seahorses engage in a ritual of love that is both fascinating and magical. Seahorses, named for their “horse-like” head, are actually …

DIVER salutes Ron Taylor, diver, pioneer underwater filmmaker and champion of our ocean world Read tributes below and add yours to the comments The world diving community has lost a charter member with the death September 9 of Australian underwater filmmaker Ron Taylor, at age 78. In partnership with …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau The biological clock of the Pacific Northwest is set to the rhythm of the ebb and flow of five different species of Pacific salmon: Chinook, Chum, Coho, Sockeye and Pink. Preparing to spawn, adult salmon travel upstream from the open ocean along coastal rivers and streams. …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau Beginnings are always a time for renewal and optimism and the debut of 2010 is a good time to consider what we are faced with that concerns the ocean and the environment. The meetings on climate change in Copenhagen must now result in global policy change, …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau I have traveled most of my life and have seen changes in the sea that no one, not even my brilliant father, could have predicted.  Jacques Cousteau, however, did point the direction on many things—the danger of nuclear waste, overfishing, habitat destruction, even the high cost …

By Phil Nuytten In the summer of 1986, Jacques Yves Cousteau was in Vancouver, BC, accompanied by his son and producer, Jean-Michel. They were in the city to take part in Expo ’86, an international exposition that was attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors from all parts of …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau Imagine you have just returned from a life-changing dive trip to an absolutely magnificent island chain surrounded by the most beautiful reefs you have ever seen. Immersion in this candy store of luscious treats has given you a deep connection to the miraculous wonder of life …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau It will take years, maybe even decades, before we know the full impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but we will begin to get a sense of just how far-reaching its effects are as the first round of wintering migratory birds makes their way through …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau It’s often called ‘The Law of Unintended Consequences’. The simple explanation for this law is when we do something we believe is good or helpful but there is a counter, unexpected reaction that is not always so good. That is exactly the case with human sunscreens …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau It is widely accepted scientific knowledge that climate change has drastically accelerated rates of ice melt all over the planet, contributing to sea level rise.  This is only part of the story, however. Like the visible part of an iceberg, it represents only a small part of …

By Jean-Michel Cousteau

 The ocean’s supreme hunter cleaves through the sea in dauntless pursuit of his prey. At the top of the food chain, he fears no other species. Using cunning and relentless force, he tracks his quarry, which can only feebly resist. He has one mission and one …