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INFLUENCE THE BIG INTERVIEW

Jean-Michel Cousteau on never slowing down

In the private dining space of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands’ Summer Pavilion, legendary ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau sits down with Elite Traveler ’s Samantha Coles to discuss his incredible career and how he hopes to make an impact on future decision makers

“I started diving when I was seven years old,” Jean-Michel Cousteau tells me as we sip on tea and icedco ff ee, taking a break from the blazing Maldivian sun. “There were no regulations in those days. I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to the world at a time where there was no cell phone, no computer — and television was pretty basic. We had no connection like we have now. And I’ve been traveling all my life. Thanks to my mother and father, we were constantly going to di ff erent places, most of the time by boat.” Things have changed quite a bit since then; Cousteau tells me about a diving experience where he was 30 ft beneath the surface and, with a cable attached to the boat that was then connected to a hotel’s communication system, he was able to answer questions while he was underwater. “I was answering people in Japan and Canada at the same time.” This innate drive for exploration and pushing

Fari Islands resort a few days ago. Growing up spending such a huge amount of time at sea has had a profound impact on the 86-year-old: “I was going in the ocean all the time — sometimes before school — it hashadane ff ect on the rest of my life. I am so honored to be able to do that; I have been diving for 78 years. This morning I was diving, and I am looking forward to diving tomorrow morning.” Cousteau recalls a sailing trip to New York City with his father and a cameraman as they were fi lming a documentary. “My father was talking to me about expeditions. Suddenly, he turned his head to me and said ‘It is you, Jean-Michel, you will carry on the fl ame of my faith.’ And ever since then, I have never stopped because I have a mission. I was already in that environment; learning, involved in fi lm production… and since then, I have never stopped, and I never will.” And that fl ame is certainly burning — Cousteau is visiting the resort for the Ambassadors of the Environment program. The educational initiative promotes environmental awareness and stewardship; hands-on learning experiences are combined with scienti fi c explanations to inform participants about the environment. The program champions the importance of understanding ecosystems, as Cousteau explains: “Ocean exploration is critical; there are millions of species that we don’t know exist. There are dozens that we do know but we don’t understand their behavior or what they depend upon.” The Ambassadors of the Environment program aims to inspire individuals to appreciate and actively participate in preserving the natural world, and is especially aimed at younger people. “After decades of exploring and meeting scientists, I decided that I wanted to have a program to share with young people — the future decision makers. The future generations will have all the information and decision power to protect what we all depend upon. If you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.” The Ambassadors of the Environment program at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands is the fi rst in the Asia-Paci fi c region (the program is exclusive to the hotel brand and is available at select resorts around the world, including The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua; The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara — each program is tailored to the location’s natural environment).

boundaries is perhaps in Cousteau’s blood. His father, Jacques Cousteau, was a French naval o ffi cer, oceanographer and fi lmmaker; he co-invented the fi rst successful open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing equipment, called the Aqua-Lung, which assisted him in creating some of the fi rst underwater documentaries. Cousteau tells me that he would go diving in the mornings before school and that he has been diving every morning since arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, “The future generations will have all the information and decision power to protect what we all depend upon. If you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.”

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Photos Christopher Cypert