Meet the marine mammals with Espace Mer

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.

Gaspard Bollengier, a native of Lyon, arrived at Espace mer in 2001 to take a level 1 diving course gaspard Bollengier first studied sports at university before branching off into sports organization management.

"I came back to do my internships at Espace Mer; I then worked there as a seasonal worker and went to the Maldives for two months during the winter".
He validated his master's degree, passed all the diving levels in Hyères, before following the training courses and obtaining the 1st then 2nd degree diving state certificates and a captain's diploma. First job as an instructor? "I went to work for 10 months in Paris where we dive in pits. He returned to Espace Mer, was hired on a permanent contract in 2013 and joined the company as an associate in 2017.

Gaspard likes family hikes "I live in La Garde, we often walk in the massif of the Colle noire". He appreciates "the calm and the environment. We are lucky to be in a region that is not too built up and where the environment is well preserved".

What about work?

What I like is to share the pleasure of people who are amazed. It's very gratifying and it makes things easier and more enjoyable.

It is also very satisfying, during the baptisms, to succeed in making someone who was not at ease gain confidence and who, suddenly, can enjoy the moment.

For him, the National Park Spirit brand :

First of all, it's a guarantee of quality for people. We realize that more and more people know what a national park is, but for the vast majority, Port-Cros National Park is the island. So there is undoubtedly an educational need, and we plan to increase this awareness.