Education

As the first grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Fabien spent his early years aboard his famous grandfather’s ships, Calypso and Alcyone, and started scuba diving at the age of four.

Fabien spent years studying sharks, and from 2000 to 2002, he was an Explorer-at-Large for National Geographic and collaborated on a TV special aimed at changing public conceptions about sharks called Attack of the Mystery Shark. From 2003 to 2006, he produced the documentary Mind of a Demon, which aired on CBS. With the help of a large crew, Fabien created a 14-foot, 1,200-pound, lifelike shark submarine called “Troy” that enabled him to immerse himself inside the shark world, providing viewers with a rare view of the mysterious and often misunderstood creatures.

From 2006 to 2010, Fabien worked on the PBS series Ocean Adventures with his father, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and sister, Céline. The show was inspired by his grandfather’s famous 1978 PBS series, The Cousteau Odyssey. In the following years, and as a member of multiple cause-driven and charitable boards, Fabien worked with local communities and children worldwide to help restore local water ecosystems and educate the public about these endangered habitats.

In 2014, Fabien and his team of aquanauts embarked on Mission 31, the longest science expedition to take place at Aquarius, the world’s only underwater marine laboratory, in Florida. Fabien’s Mission 31 broke new ground in ocean exploration and honored the 50th anniversary of his grandfather’s original underwater living experiment, Continental Shelf Station II, by going deeper, further, and lasting one day longer--all while broadcasting the mission live on multiple channels. The mission helped educate and expose the world to the adventure and mystique of our blue planet. Early in 2016, he founded the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center (FCOLC) non-profit to fulfill his dream of creating a vehicle for positive change in the world. FCOLC initiatives include a Coral Reef Resilience Program, Beach Clean Ups, a Sea Turtle and Ocean Discovery Educational Curriculum Program and other ocean conservation programs.

Fabien is also the co-founder, board chair and chief oceanic explorer of the foundation currently at work on designing and building PROTEUS™, the world’s first “International Space Station of the Ocean.” The undertaking of a private-sector social enterprise, PROTEUS™ will be a state-of-the-art, modular, sustainable underwater habitat, observatory and research platform for scientists, innovators, and global customers that will change the way we explore and relate to the ocean. A collaborative global platform for researchers, academics, government agencies, and corporations to advance Ocean science, PROTEUS™ will provide a transformative setting to enable significant advancements in climate solutions, renewable energy, future medicines and cures, and sustainable food sources.

Fabien is an Explorers Club Member and a WWF Ocean Witness. He is also a Board Member of River Keepers and the Sea Keepers Science Council and has been recently named Honorary Advisor to the NGO Committee Sustainable Development-NY. He has received several awards including Travel & Leisure’s 2022 Global Vision Award, the United Nations NEXUS Global Goals Award for Excellence and Leadership, the David Attenborough Excellence in Filmmaking Award, Golden Eagle Award, Beneath The Sea Diver of The Year award, a World Team “Pioneer For The Planet” Award, and the Peter Benchley Lifetime Award. He is a judge for the ISS (International Super Yacht Society) Awards and creator of the ISS Fabien Cousteau BLUE Award.