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 Born with adventure in his blood, Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Yves Cousteau, the legendary "father" of SCUBA diving, started his underwater life practicing buddy-breathing (on scuba) with a family friend for his fourth birthday.
Always seeking the thrill of discovery, even as a child, he was part of the crew of his grandfather's storied ships, Calypso and Alcyone at the age of 12. Over the next 11 years he has been collecting priceless experiences during expeditions to exotic places. The combination of his fieldwork and a degree in environmental economics from Boston University has developed his strong belief that discipline can be the basis for innovative solutions that reconcile regional and global environmental problems with western market economies. A perfect example of such a resolution, he maintains, is the world wide growth of eco-tourism. "Take, for example, the Great White sharks in South Africa," he said. “These beautiful fish are protected and well respected in that part of the world mainly because an economic solution has permitted locals to make a living by preserving rather than killing. The future well-being of our planet rests in our convincing people that the environment is worth saving."
It is with this thought that he set out to show what could be done in the business world. He joined Seventh Generation, a leading environmental products development company, where he successfully spearheaded new product development and new business projects. Having proven his skills in business, he decided to return to his deep-rooted family passion for exploration. He has joined his father, Jean-Michel, and Deep Ocean Odyssey, as the third generation to carry on the tradition of adventure and exploration in the deep ocean, pioneered by his grandfather more than half a century ago.
During the misnamed “year of the shark” Fabien joined forces with National Geographic Society to create a special entitled “Attacks of the Mystery Shark” which aired worldwide covering the mystery surrounding the incidence in Mattawan New Jersey (1916). This significant event has been widely suggested as the background that fuelled Peter Benchley’s now infamous movie “Jaws” from which our view of the oceans has never recovered.
Recently he co-launched Deep Blue Productions, which is working on numerous projects related to exploration and environmental awareness thru television and other media. The most recent and innovative production in the documentary world is a one hour special on white shark cognition entitled “The Mind of a Demon” scheduled to air on CBS (USA) prime-time on June 28th 2006 and world wide soon after.
Currently Fabien has partnered up with his father, Jean Michel Cousteau, to complete a six one-hour series scheduled to air on PBS in 2006. Topics range from the Grey whale migration of the west coast of the Americas to the magical coral spawning of the Caribbean to diving with squadrons of goliath groupers to the ghost ships of the Great Lakes.
Fabien is an active mentor in the Covenant House Mentor Program, which trains and places business people with disadvantaged, and aspiring young professionals. An active writer, he is currently working on a children’s book series and has chronicled his experiences for an upcoming book.
During his “down-time” Fabien is working on designing and building and Oceans Educational Institute as part of the complete renovation of Governors Island in New York City. This promises to be the biggest land based renovation project in the last century of NYC’s history and is designed to be the model for environmental consciousness.
Fabien shares his time between France and the United States and when not conducting fieldwork he is riding the planet on a wind surfer or cross-country bike.
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