Heritage on board Le Brigantin

Philippe Bernardi, from Hyero, has been passionate about diving and freediving since his teenage years. He holds a BTS and a degree from the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers and started his professional life as an engineer in industrial electronics.

He joined the Espace Mer diving center in 1986, created 2 years earlier by Patrick and Béatrice Despinois, and became an active member, then the president in 1991. He will remain as such for eight years.

At the same time as his professional life, he also passed his state diving certificates, 1st and 2nd degree. "I loved my job, but I wanted to be adventurous, to live outdoors... without a tie! But at the time, sport was not considered a serious profession. He took out loans and became a partner in 2000. He took over the reins of the company in 2007. A risk-taker? Philippe Bernardi moderates "It was a great period, everything was to be done... We lived the golden age here!

Today Espace Mer welcomes 5,000 "diving" clients per year and 4,000 for other activities (snorkeling, kayak-paddle and boat trips) that have been developed progressively over the past 12 years.

The four shareholders are salaried year-round and the center employs about fifteen seasonal workers between April and October.

I have no regrets, the most beautiful satisfaction is to enjoy the activity that we love; we are in one of the most beautiful places in the world with an exceptional wealth of wrecks nearby ... but it is 7 days a week and the regulatory aspect is heavy.

The Port-Cros National Park, for him :

It is first of all a philosophy. And what I like is when the philosophy leads to concrete action. This is the case with the Esprit Parc National product offer. But I think we are either in the spirit or we are not! For my part, I have always been very attached, as a professional, to be a field interlocutor for the National Park, because we work in nature on a daily basis, and we can witness its state and its evolution.

Originally from Vendée, the young captain of the Brigantin arrived in Hyères in 2001 to dive:

I immediately liked the energy of the area, which I found magnificent, and the atmosphere of Espace Mer where I boarded the Brigantin, which was the emblematic boat of the diving club. He is the one who made me want to do this job.

He spent a season as a helper on board the Hoëdic, a 27-meter tuna boat based in Le Lavandou. It was decided that he wanted to become a captain, and he left to train in Les Sables d'Olonne.

At 25 years old, he graduated and was back for the 2007 season at the helm of Hoëdic..

And one day, in Port-Cros, I see Fleur de Lampaul at anchor!

Stéphane jumped into the water to admire this famous Breton heritage boat. The crew sympathized with him and offered him to join them for the return trip to Lorient.

He will embark and, as a crew member, will stay on board for a year and a half.

We worked for the Nicolas Hulot Foundation, the Conservatoire du Littoral, with WWF we participated in the counting of cetaceans in the Pelagos sanctuary, with the PIM project for the small islands of the Mediterranean, we went to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia... it was a great adventure.

But Stéphane has not forgotten the Brigantine, which is no longer suitable for diving. "I had acquired the experience, so I thought about how to give it a new life. He bought the boat in 2011, had masts made and rigged it as a ketch.

The idea? To propose sea trips to discover the islands and meet the cetaceans. With a principle:

We take few people and we really care!

Stéphane joined Espace Mer in 2015 and diversified its activities.