Biology and environmental protection were on the agenda of the first conference for young divers organized on Saturday, November 28, 2015, by the French Federation of Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM). Hosted by Laurent Louchez, responsible for youth diving at the Technical Committee of the Nord Pas de Calais region, about a hundred people attended the event at the Pavillon Roux community hall in Douai, including more than 60 youths.
On this occasion, three speakers made the trip to the north of France:
– Ondine Eliot, creator of the blog www.passiondesrequins.fr/, who has been advocating for shark protection since she was 12 years old. She conducts debates in schools, from elementary to high school, with young people on the impact and necessity of protecting sharks worldwide. After talking about her passion for sharks and her joy in diving with them, she addressed the destruction caused by humans to this species and emphasized the need to preserve them to ensure the survival of other marine species.
– Christine Lacroix is the youth project manager for the National Commission for Underwater Biology and Environment. She is notably known for her participation in the International Children’s Diving Meetings (RIPE) of the FFESSM, and for organizing events for young people in the PACA region.
– Joan Spiess, renowned for his humorous drawings on environmental protection, through posters for the Port-Cros National Park, a book « All Ambassadors of Our Nature » published in 2013 by Turtle Prod, but also published in magazines such as Fluide Glacial or Spirou Magazine. He particularly wanted to emphasize the behavior of divers before, during, and after diving to help preserve the underwater environments.
Cover drawing made by Joan Spiess