OUR VISION

Founded in 2002, Pacifique is a Swiss non-profit organization that transforms the ocean into a learning ground. Aboard our sailboats, we conduct unique expeditions where science, art, and socio-educational projects intersect. More than just an organization, we bridge the gap between land and sea.

Our Goals

For over 20 years, Pacifique has been charting its course across the world’s oceans. A Geneva-based organization recognized for its public utility, we do not just sail: we give meaning to the journey.

Our mission is encapsulated in three verbs that guide every mile traveled:

Discover the unknown, by bringing our crews closer to fragile and fascinating ecosystems.
Share knowledge, by fostering dialogue between scientific rigor, artistic creativity, and the youth’s thirst for learning.
Commit to the planet, by transforming our sailboats into observation platforms dedicated to biodiversity.

Youth at Sea

Science

Art

THE OCEAN AS SCHOOL AND LABORATORY

In 2021 begins the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). This initiative, decided in 2017 by the United Nations, aims to mobilize the scientific community, policymakers, businesses, and civil society around a common program of research and technological innovation.

A proclamation that highlights the importance of preserving the oceans for future generations and in which scientific and awareness programs conducted aboard the sailboats Fleur de Passion and the Mauritius.

This decade highlights the importance of citizen science, defined as “science conducted by citizens who are not professional scientists,” an effort in which Pacifique has strived to participate since its creation.

Rationale

Pacifique frames its actions within a global context that makes it increasingly urgent to better understand the human impact on oceans, an ecosystem still largely unknown despite its vital importance to humanity.

0 %

habitable marine areas remain poorly understood in terms of biodiversity, and thus management

0 million

marine species remain scientifically unknown

million km₂ of the seabed remain in total and permanent darkness

people have only explored the deepest point of the oceans, while 12 have walked on the Moon

of the seabed is mapped in high resolution

History

2002

Founding of Pacifique in Geneva. The objective is clear: to create a space for freedom and reintegration on the water.

2003 - 2009

Acquisition of our flagship vessel, a former minelayer, and the launch of six years of colossal restoration in Marseille. This participatory project transforms the warship into a vessel of peace. The adventure was hailed by IUCN at the Barcelona Congress and crowned with a christening in the presence of Albert Falco, legendary captain of the Calypso.

2009 - 2014

Under the patronage of UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Pacifique conducts in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic, Red Sea and Caribbean aboard Fleur de Passion a first long-term expedition, The Changing Oceans Expedition, during which it carries out various scientific programs in partnership with different academic institutions or international NGOs.

2015 - 2019

Aboard Fleur de Passion and with the support of the Canton of Geneva, Pacifique conducts its second large-scale expedition, The Ocean Mapping Expedition, a 4-year circumnavigation in the wake of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan some 500 years later.

2020 - 2024

New 4-year expedition, this time in the Arctic. Through its pioneering program “Arctic Change”, conducted in collaboration with the University of Geneva and Prof. Daniel McGinnis, the expedition’s main objective was to monitor greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and surface waters, in a region particularly vulnerable to global warming.

2026 - Present

Towards a New Odyssey A new chapter is being written. Behind the scenes, the excitement is palpable: we are actively preparing our next major expedition.