On the occasion of World Oceans Day (June 8, 2017), Blancpain has just released Laurent's latest film which makes the link between the Gombessa II and Gombessa IV expeditions. Gombessa II was the expedition that you joined in Fakarava in the context of the Blancpain Diving Experience, and Gombessa IV is taking place right now, again in Fakarava, and focuses on the feeding behavior of the grey reef sharks. The work shown in the short film has been funded with the money from the first BOC limited edition watch.
An important aspect for Blancpain is that this film shows the work that has been done with the first BOC limited edition funds. More specifically, half of the EUR 250'000 were used in 2016 to fund the preparatory mission, which allowed to develop and validate the scientific protocols and observation techniques, while the other half is added to a full funding from the regular Blancpain Ocean Commitment program for this year's large expedition (Gombessa 4). As always, a few months after the expedition, a full documentary film will be produced by ARTE TV channel.
Within the framework of the Gombessa II expedition in 2014, Laurent Ballesta's team travelled to the southern pass of Fakarava atoll in French Polynesia to study the annual reproduction of camouflage groupers. During that expedition, researchers were surprised to note an unusual density of grey reef sharks totaling up to 700 individuals, the largest density of this species ever observed. The team was equally surprised to note their hunting behavior which seemed coordinated.
To build on these observations and better understand the ecology and behavior of the grey reef sharks Blancpain decided to award the additional EUR 250'000 donation linked to the first limited edition Blancpain Ocean Commitment watch to Ballesta and his team. Half of the donation funded the Gombessa IV Genesis intermediate project, which took place in June-July 2016, and allowed the development and validation of novel scientific protocols and observation techniques. The second half of the donation, added to a full expedition funding from the regular Blancpain Ocean Commitment program, is currently being used for the largest Gombessa expedition so far, Gombessa IV. Stay tuned for the documentary film which will be released from ARTE TV channel in early 2018.
In the meantime and on the occasion of the World Oceans Day, Blancpain invites you to discover the exclusive Gombessa IV Genesis 26-minute film featuring unique footage of the sharks' nocturnal activity during this exceptional gathering. You can view it by clicking on the link below.
Thanks.