Under The Pole Conference

Founded in 2008 by Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout and Ghislain Bardout, a couple of explorers who turned their passion for the deep sea into a commitment and a way of life, Under The Pole is now an international leader in ocean exploration and conservation. For nearly 20 years, Under The Pole has been conducting scientific diving expeditions around the world, raising awareness among young people and the general public, and advocating for ocean conservation within institutional circles. All of our efforts share a common goal: to take active steps to preserve the ocean and its ecosystems.

Emmanuelle and Ghislain will share with the audience their experience as co-founders and co-directors of Under The Pole, a programme ing scientific deep-diving expeditions. In particular, they will discuss their latest expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, conducted from December 2025 to March 2026 in collaboration with the CNRS as part of the DeepLife scientific programme . The lecture will be followed by a book signing for their new book, *Sub Antarctica*, which chronicles this extraordinary adventure.

Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout

Co-founder and co-director of Under The Pole:  

Fascinated by the oceans since childhood, Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout trained to become a skipper and manage a sailing center at the École nationale de voile and Les Glénans. In 2004, she spent a year on an expedition alongside French explorer Jean-Louis Étienne, serving as a navigator and head of sailing activities, and later became first officer on a polar sailing vessel in Norway.

After a mission to the geographic North Pole, she founded Under The Pole in 2008 with her husband, Ghislain Bardout. As a rebreather diver on expeditions and captain of the WHY, Under The Pole’s sailboat, she co-directs programs in the field and from their base in Brittany, with a particular focus on education and conservation.

Ghislain Bardout

Co-founder and co-director of Under The Pole:  

Inspired by the great outdoors—particularly the mountains and the depths of the ocean—and driven by a passion for science fostered during his engineering studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Ghislain Bardout embarked on his exploration journey in 2006 alongside French explorer Jean-Louis Étienne. A passionate rebreather diver, endowed with great curiosity and concerned about the impact of human activity on our planet, Ghislain conceived the first “Under The Pole” expedition in 2007, together with his wife, Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout. Over the past fifteen years and through four ambitious programs, he has acquired cutting-edge expertise in deep-sea and polar scientific diving, while organizing and developing his expeditions, which focus on scientific discovery and raising public awareness.

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