OceanX is an ocean exploration initiative founded by Mark Dalio and Ray Dalio, founder of investment firm Bridgewater Associates, an initiative by Dalio Philanthropies,^[1] OceanX is a “mission to explore the ocean and bring it back to the world.^[2] OceanX combines science, technology and media^[3] to explore and raise awareness for the oceans and “create a community engaged with protecting them.”^[4] The initiative also supports and facilitates ocean research for scientists, science institutions, media companies and philanthropy partners.^[5]

MV Alucia

OceanX’s marine research vessel, the MV Alucia, is a 56-meter research and exploration vessel utilized in the organization’s research and filming expeditions. The vessel is outfitted with two deep-sea submersibles (Triton Submersibles models 3300/3 – named Nadir – and the Deep Rover 2), both rated for a maximum depth of 1,000 meters; an A-star helicopter and helipad; dry and wet science labs; 8K RED cameras, low-light submersible cameras and custom underwater camera housings; and a media room.^[6]

OceanX Media

OceanX Media (formerly Alucia Productions) is the media production arm of OceanX.^[7] OceanX Media worked with the BBC Earth on the nature documentary series Blue Planet II, taking BBC Studios on nine missions that contributed to four episodes of the series,^[8][9] including Episode 2, The Deep, in which OceanX and BBC conducted the first-ever deep-sea submersible dives to the Antarctic seafloor.^[10][11] The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.^[12] A video from the dive won the Webby Award in Social: Education and Discovery in 2019.^[13] The video was directed by OceanX Media Creative Director Mark Dalio.^[14]

Alongside BBC Earth, OceanX Media co-produced Oceans: Our Blue Planet, the Giant Screen companion film to Blue Planet II.^[15][16] The film is sponsored by Microsoft.^[17]

OceanX Media content has also been featured in media outlets including Mashable,^[11] Business Insider,^[18] Scientific American,^[19] Earther,^[20] and Discovery Channel Canada.^[21]

Accomplishments

OceanX missions and missions aboard the MV Alucia have been responsible for:

• Capturing the first-ever footage of the Giant Squid^[22]
• Exploring the Australian barrier reef with Sir David Attenborough for the Emmy Award-winning series Great Barrier Reef ^[22]
• Exploring the ocean’s blue holes for the Emmy Award-winning series Years of Living Dangerously^[23]
• Discovery of the wreckage of Air France Flight 447^[24]
• Discovery of the Baltic Sea anomaly in the Gulf of Bothnia in June 2011
• Discovery of the Jaguar catshark^[2]
• Discovery of over 180 new species of bioluminescent fish^[25]
• The first-ever open-water test of Orpheus, a deep-sea drone prototype developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to explore the oceanographic hadal zone and Saturn’s moon Europa.^[18][26] 

Partners

In addition to its internal science and media operations, OceanX partners with several media, science and philanthropy organizations to facilitate and support their ocean research.^[27] Partners include the American Museum of Natural History, BBC Studios, filmmaker James Cameron, photographer Paul Nicklen, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, explorer Sylvia Earle,^[5] and scientists Edith Widder^[19] and Samantha Joye.^[20]

OceanX co-created the #OurBluePlanet digital initiative with BBC Earth with the goal of getting 1 billion people talking about the oceans.^[28][29]

In 2018, OceanX partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to commit $185 million over four years to ocean exploration and protection efforts.^[30]

References