Actor and Antarctic ambassador Javier Bardem climbing up the slopes at Spigot Peak with mountains and glaciers at Orne harbor in the background at Gerlache Strait in the Antarctic. Greenpeace is conducting submarine-based research of the seafloor to identify Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, which will strengthen the case for the largest protected area on the planet, an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
Just days after Greenpeace released rare footage of the Antarctic seafloor, Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem has dived in a two-person submarine to visit this remote location and call for the creation of a vast Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
After a two-hour dive to the seabed, at a depth of almost 900ft, near the Antarctic Peninsula, Javier Bardem described the ‘overwhelming variety of colors and life’ in the Antarctic. ‘It is an incredibly important mission to go down and document these species in all their colorful existence and to prove the importance of protecting this unique ocean,’ said Bardem.
Actor Javier Bardem looking at chinstrap penguins while arriving to King George Island in the Antarctic to join Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise in a expedition in support of the largest protected area on Earth, an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
Actor and Antarctic ambassadors Javier Bardem next to a Chinstrap penguin at Spigot Peak at Gerlache Strait in the Antarctic. Greenpeace is conducting submarine-based research of the seafloor to identify Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, which will strengthen the case for the largest protected area on the planet, an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
Actors and Antarctic ambassadors Javier and Carlos Bardem going out in a Greenpeace inflatable from the ship Arctic Sunrise to Orne harbor in the Gerlache Strait. Greenpeace is conducting submarine-based research of the seafloor to identify Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, which will strengthen the case for the largest protected area on the planet, an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
A submarine being launched from Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise outside the coast off Brabant Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctic.
Greenpeace is conducting research of the seafloor to identify Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, which will strengthen the case for the largest protected area on the planet, an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.
Greenpeace is on a three-month expedition to the Antarctic to carry out scientific research, including seafloor submarine dives and sampling for plastic pollution, to highlight the urgent need for the creation of a 700,000 square mile Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary to safeguard species like whales and penguins.
Javier Bardem continued:
As soon as we reached the seafloor, I was completely amazed by the overwhelming variety of colors and life all around us. I’m not a biologist, but to find a pink, yellow and green world of corals and sponges at the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean was a real surprise to me.
It was a very relaxed experience, even though I’d expected to become more nervous, as we dived into the deep. It is really impressive to witness the scientific research that is done on this expedition first-hand and I’m just very grateful to be allowed one dive in between the many others where a real Antarctic biologist is in the passenger seat!
To me, an experience like this shows exactly why we need to show respect as human beings. It is an incredibly important mission to go down and document these species in all their colorful existence to prove the importance of protecting a unique ocean that also feeds all the bigger animals in the Antarctic.
John Hocevar, a Greenpeace US marine biologist who piloted the submarine, said:
Being in a two-person submarine with Javier Bardem was awesome. He was a very relaxed passenger, especially considering this was his first dive. He seemed completely awestruck by the whole experience and so was I.
Actor and Antarctic ambassador Javier Bardem and submarine pilot John Hocevar coming up the the surface after exploring the Antarctic seafloor on around 270 meters depth in Charlotte Bay off the Gerlache Strait. Greenpeace is on a three-month expedition to the Antarctic to carry out scientific research, including seafloor submarine dives and sampling for plastic pollution, to highlight the urgent need for the creation of a 1.8 million square kilometre Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary to safeguard species like whales and penguins.
Actor and Antarctic ambassador Javier Bardem and submarine pilot John Hocevar from Greenpeace USA sitting in a submarine being launched from Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise exploring the Antarctic seafloor on around 270 meters depth in Charlotte Bay off the Gerlache Strait. Greenpeace is on a three-month expedition to the Antarctic to carry out scientific research, including seafloor submarine dives and sampling for plastic pollution, to highlight the urgent need for the creation of a 1.8 million square kilometre Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary to safeguard species like whales and penguins.
The proposal for an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary has been submitted by the EU and will be considered when the Antarctic Ocean Commission next convenes, in October 2018.
Key findings from the footage gathered from the submarine dives will be shared with the Commission to establish localized protections as well as to strengthen this and other upcoming proposals for marine protection in the Antarctic.
The petition to create an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary has already gathered over half a million signatures globally: http://protecttheantarctic.org
