Renovators Or Restorers?

Supported by Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative, Under The Pole's collaboration with Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Luiz Rocha continues to bear fruits of their research C leading to new perspectives in our role as Earth's stewards

- JONATHAN HO

FOUNDED BY Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout in 2007, Under The Pole (UTP) was set up to push the boundaries of ocean exploration through a series of expeditions to improve knowledge and awareness of the oceans and assist in their preservation.

By means of ski trekking and scuba diving in one of the toughest climates on the planet, the inaugural expedition, Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex in 2010, was to learn about the submerged areas of the Arctic.

Using specialist equipment including Rolex Deepsea watches, the unprecedented 45-day adventure, which featured 51 dives in extreme conditions, was a remarkable success. Since then, the expedition has grown, setting off from the Arctic with divers and scientists sailing to French Polynesia by way of the Pacific Ocean, exploring ecosystems and completing research in marine biology, polar systems and diver physiology. Their research required more than 1,000 dives over 60 metres deep; gathering at least 6,000 coral samples – creating the world’s largest collection of mesophotic corals and making history by obtaining samples at 172 metres.

With the support of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, the expedition series returned to the poles in 2022 with the Under The Pole – Deeplife series. In Svalbard, the team completed 107 dives in subzero temperatures. The extremity of the expedition paid off and they discovered the world’s first marine animal forest in the Arctic. The second Deeplife mission took place in the Canary Islands, where the team undertook a comprehensive investigation of animal forests comprising black corals. They identified a new genus of amphipod hidden amongst the fronds of coral and later achieved their deepest-ever dive off the coast of El Hierro, down to 200 metres.