THE TEAM

UTP expeditions have already assembled 150 crew members and 130 partner companies and research institutes. Heading this group is a couple that has made a career and way of life from their passion for exploring.
A FAMILY OF ADVENTURERS
THE LEADERS OF UNDER THE POLE EXPEDITIONS
Ghislain BARDOUT • 37 years old
Initiator and Director of Under The Pole expeditions
A graduate of the Lausanne Polytechnic School in energy engineering, a specialist in deep polar diving and an undersea cameraman
Emmanuelle PÉRIÉ-BARDOUT • 38 year old
Co-Initiator and Co-Director of Under The Pole expeditions
A skipper with a degree from the French National School of Sailing and a specialist in polar regions
Biography
In 2006, Ghislain wholeheartedly chose to embark on the undersea exploration and adventure of the polar regions.
Attracted to the sea and mountains, he started as a climbing enthusiast and moved to diving. His passion for this activity quickly led him to teach it and to diversify his skills in both technical and professional diving. During his studies, he worked in close collaboration, as a logistics and technical manager, with Jean-Louis Étienne. While there, he organized a diving campaign at the North Pole in 2007 that involved an undersea robot and six divers.
Next, he designed an undersea exploration project with the goal of creating a totally new photographic and cinematographic eyewitness report on the undersea world of the ice caps in the most painstakingly accurate way possible. It was called "Deep Sea Under The Pole by Rolex". During the editing of this modern adventure, he decided to become an entrepreneur to concretize his dream.
In Spring of 2010, at the end of the polar night, and after three years of preparation, he, seven crew members and a Siberian husky were dropped at a spot 76 km from the North Pole. After a 45-day experience of life on the ice caps, it was punishing for both men and material, with 51 dives under extreme conditions, the adventure – a first – ended as a remarkable success. It gave rise to unique and spectacular images of the undersea ice caps that would be seen worldwide, images that were a tribute to a dream world that is being destroyed by global warming.
After this first success, he began work, in 2011, on the development of the "Under The Pole" undersea exploration program. Welcomed by Roland Jourdain, an ocean racer, Ghislain established a base at Concarneau for launching a major new expedition: "Under The Pole II • 2014-2015" (Discovery Greenland). In 2013, he and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout purchased the WHY, an impressive 19.5-meter-long aluminum schooner, as an itinerant base camp, dedicated to diving and polar exploration.
In January 2014, the ship departed for Greenland, thanks to the combined efforts of some hundred crew members and collaborators, as well as more than 80 partner companies and research institutes. The expedition was officially backed by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. In July 2014, after four months of increasingly deeper dives, he achieved a first for the Polar region in northern Greenland by going beyond the 100 meter limit using a rebreather. At the end of a winter on the ice caps, he repeated the exploit in April 2015 with dives beyond 100 meters under the ice. In 2015, after 21 months of Polar immersion, the expedition returned to France at the end of a pioneering adventure. Since then, Ghislain and his team have been working on Under The Pole III • 2017-2020.
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Biography
A former member of Jean-Louis Étienne's team, Emmanuelle shares leadership of the Under The Pole program with Ghislain. As the WHY skipper, she directs expedition communication and enjoys keeping records, especially in writing, of regions not yet explored.
A sea and cetaceans enthusiast since childhood, she boarded the Grace O'Malley school schooner for six months when she was just thirteen. In 2000, she studied at the Les Glénans sailing school and later entered the French National Sailing School where she attained the highest level in cruise training. In parallel to her work as a manager on Penfret Island - where she supervises 200 interns and 50 instructors - she participates in ocean races in a Mini 6.50.
After meeting Jean-Louis Étienne, she embarked for Clipperton as a sailor and co-manager of nautical activities. After her return to France, she worked as a diving instructor before leaving for a year and a half of polar navigation between Norway and Spitsbergen as first mate of Olivier Pitras' Southern Star. In 2007, she joined Jean-Louis Étienne once again for an expedition, this time on a flying ship: a dirigible. During this expedition, she reached the Geographic North Pole for the first time in 2008.
She then joined Ghislain to prepare Deepsea Under the Pole by Rolex. In 2010, she was the only woman on the ice caps team, where she went on dives and took care of communication and their dog Kayak. Since then, she dedicates herself full time to promoting their work and the new expedition: Under The Pole II • 2014-2015 (Discovery Greenland).
Ghislain BARDOUT • 37 years old
Initiator and Director of Under The Pole expeditions
A graduate of the Lausanne Polytechnic School in energy engineering, a specialist in deep polar diving and an undersea cameraman
Biography
In 2006, Ghislain wholeheartedly chose to embark on the undersea exploration and adventure of the polar regions.
Attracted to the sea and mountains, he started as a climbing enthusiast and moved to diving. His passion for this activity quickly led him to teach it and to diversify his skills in both technical and professional diving. During his studies, he worked in close collaboration, as a logistics and technical manager, with Jean-Louis Étienne. While there, he organized a diving campaign at the North Pole in 2007 that involved an undersea robot and six divers.
Next, he designed an undersea exploration project with the goal of creating a totally new photographic and cinematographic eyewitness report on the undersea world of the ice caps in the most painstakingly accurate way possible. It was called "Deep Sea Under The Pole by Rolex". During the editing of this modern adventure, he decided to become an entrepreneur to concretize his dream.
In Spring of 2010, at the end of the polar night, and after three years of preparation, he, seven crew members and a Siberian husky were dropped at a spot 76 km from the North Pole. After a 45-day experience of life on the ice caps, it was punishing for both men and material, with 51 dives under extreme conditions, the adventure – a first – ended as a remarkable success. It gave rise to unique and spectacular images of the undersea ice caps that would be seen worldwide, images that were a tribute to a dream world that is being destroyed by global warming.
After this first success, he began work, in 2011, on the development of the "Under The Pole" undersea exploration program. Welcomed by Roland Jourdain, an ocean racer, Ghislain established a base at Concarneau for launching a major new expedition: "Under The Pole II • 2014-2015" (Discovery Greenland). In 2013, he and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout purchased the WHY, an impressive 19.5-meter-long aluminum schooner, as an itinerant base camp, dedicated to diving and polar exploration.
In January 2014, the ship departed for Greenland, thanks to the combined efforts of some hundred crew members and collaborators, as well as more than 80 partner companies and research institutes. The expedition was officially backed by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. In July 2014, after four months of increasingly deeper dives, he achieved a first for the Polar region in northern Greenland by going beyond the 100 meter limit using a rebreather. At the end of a winter on the ice caps, he repeated the exploit in April 2015 with dives beyond 100 meters under the ice. In 2015, after 21 months of Polar immersion, the expedition returned to France at the end of a pioneering adventure. Since then, Ghislain and his team have been working on Under The Pole III • 2017-2020.
.
Emmanuelle PÉRIÉ-BARDOUT • 38 year old
Co-Initiator and Co-Director of Under The Pole expeditions
A skipper with a degree from the French National School of Sailing and a specialist in polar regions
Biography
A former member of Jean-Louis Étienne's team, Emmanuelle shares leadership of the Under The Pole program with Ghislain. As the WHY skipper, she directs expedition communication and enjoys keeping records, especially in writing, of regions not yet explored.
A sea and cetaceans enthusiast since childhood, she boarded the Grace O'Malley school schooner for six months when she was just thirteen. In 2000, she studied at the Les Glénans sailing school and later entered the French National Sailing School where she attained the highest level in cruise training. In parallel to her work as a manager on Penfret Island - where she supervises 200 interns and 50 instructors - she participates in ocean races in a Mini 6.50.
After meeting Jean-Louis Étienne, she embarked for Clipperton as a sailor and co-manager of nautical activities. After her return to France, she worked as a diving instructor before leaving for a year and a half of polar navigation between Norway and Spitsbergen as first mate of Olivier Pitras' Southern Star. In 2007, she joined Jean-Louis Étienne once again for an expedition, this time on a flying ship: a dirigible. During this expedition, she reached the Geographic North Pole for the first time in 2008.
She then joined Ghislain to prepare Deepsea Under the Pole by Rolex. In 2010, she was the only woman on the ice caps team, where she went on dives and took care of communication and their dog Kayak. Since then, she dedicates herself full time to promoting their work and the new expedition: Under The Pole II • 2014-2015 (Discovery Greenland).
Robin BARDOUT
Robin, the son of Manue and Ghislain, has been fascinated, since a very young age, by dogs and naturally became the co-manager of French Inuit Dog. His obsession with early rising helps part of the team avoid laying too long in bed. His good nature and playfulness set the pace for a day on board.
Kayak • 8 years old
Already on board UTP I and II, Kayak is our mascot and our companion in adventure.
Born on February 8, 2009, this Siberian husky’s real name in Amarok Ermak Kayak. He was born at Quimper among the “Amarok” (“spirit of the wolf’ in the Inuit language), part of a pack of 80 other sled dogs. Kayak loves snow and cold, is full of energy and is quite the charmer. He was with us for Under The Pole I • 2010 (Deep Sea Under The Pole by Rolex), which led to his nickname of “French Inuit Dog”!
Tom BARDOUT
He is the WHY‘s little cabin boy.

The Under The Pole II Team Greenland, 2015
EXPLORATION ENTHUSIASTS
THE PERMANENT TEAM
The multidisciplinary expedition team includes divers, sailors, mountaineers, engineers, mechanics, cameramen, soundmen, directors, photographers, biologists, doctors and scientists.
Sylvain PUJOLLE
•
Technical & Engineering
Engineering degree from Arts et Métiers
National Diving Qualification, Rebreather
He discovered diving at the age of twelve, in books by Cousteau. As an aeronautical engineer and a diving professional, he has traveled from Les Glénans in Brittany to New Caledonia. With a passion for applying technology to exploration, he joined UTP for the 2015 Greenland winter and takes care of all technical support for the expedition.
Stéphane FRÉMOND
•
Executive director
DEA of Geography
Geographer by training, Stéphane has followed a curriculum between metropolis and the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mayotte, Reunion). In the early 2000s he launched with a team of passionate an Adventure Film Festival, which he has chaired for over 10 years. At the same time, he created and managed for ten years an agency specialized in event organization. Passionate about adventure, exploration, travel and discovery, he joined the permanent team of Under The Pole in January 2018.
Erwan MARIVINT
•
Partnerships & Logistics
Environmental Engineer
Master’s in Arctic Studies
N4 diver, class 1B
Growing up watching Nicolas Hulot’s documentaries and reading Jean-Louis Étienne’s tales, Erwan developed a taste for adventure and environmental protection.
Passionate about vast spaces, he specialized in polar regions during his university studies.
After an internship in Alaska, then another in the dynamic meteorology laboratory at the École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, he found his calling. Erwan joined the Under The Pole family in early 2016.
Tony SIEGFRIEDT
•
Administration
Bachelor in Administration Business management
Free diving
Born in St. Pierre and Miquelon, Tony has always known the sea through a family among the last lighthouse keepers. After few years in Canada, he joined Brittany, charmed by this region. Passionate about hiking and free diving, hard to do not like it. He joined the Under The Pole adventure in April 2018, bringing his administrative skills to a team of explorers who fascinate him and join his values.
Jérémy FAUCHET
•
Science & Education
Diploma from the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM)
Master in Sciences de la Mer et du Littoral (SML)
Master’s Degree in Communication in Organizations, specialized in Expertise et Gestion des Environnements Littoraux (EGEL)
N3 diver, class 1B, rebreather
From a very young age, Jérémy knew what he wanted to do. He loved going on adventures, exploring, discovering and studying what he saw. After discovering submarine diving at the age of ten, a passion was born. This sensation of weightlessness, of freedom, of lightness and this impression of entering in a world where everything remains to be discovered, a place without human traces.
At 26 years old, Jérémy is a marine biologist at Under The Pole. His desire to cross the seabed led him to work in Indonesia on coral reefs, and in Guadeloupe on the study of sharks. Today, its mission is to build and coordinate scientific and educational programs. He also joins the team as a rebreather diver.
Franck GAZZOLA
•
Photography & International Business Development
Masters Degree in International Purchasing
Adventure | Travel | Lifestyle Photographer
GUE Rec3
After spending 13 years living an international corporate life in different parts of the World, Franck decided to follow his passion for the Ocean and Photography: he became a full time professional Adventure|Travel|Lifestyle Photographer shooting anywhere between -40m underwater, in the big waves, in a helicopter or up to 6000m on top of a mountain.
Franck has spent the last 6 years in Australia, his life turned towards the Ocean. He is the Director of the Frothers Gallery, an Ocean imagery gallery based in Sydney.
Franck joined Under The Pole II as a Photographer during the wintering in Groenland in 2015. He fell in love with the exploration and joined the permanent Team of Under The Pole in 2017. He is in charge of Under The Pole’s imagery, leading the Team, and in charge of the Business Development, including with international markets.
Great adventures are built with great teams.
CLOSE COLLABORATION
Frédéric NASRINFAR
•
Lawyer and Legal Expert
Grégoire CHÉRON
•
Press Officer and Agent
Agence Zeppelin
•
Bruno and Julien
Victor RAULT
•
Movie & Editing


The Under The Pole Project
Presentation
The team
The boat
The base at Concarneau
Under The Pole I • 2010
Under The Pole II • 2014-2015
Media impact
Press Book

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