Yachting Art Magazine

On 7 and 8 June, as part of UNOC3 in Nice, the French Federation for Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM) is organising a unique conference entitled One Health Underwater, exploring the interactions between immersion in the marine environment, mental well-being and environmental commitment.

The meeting was held on Thursday 5 June in the immersive La Baleine Pavilion, set up on the site of the United Nations Ocean Conference. Led by Dr Frédéric Di Meglio, president of the FFESSM, and Vincent Maran, national sustainable development manager, the conference brought together testimonials from divers, scientific observations and perspectives on mental health.

Participants discussed the impact of the ocean on emotional balance. According to the speakers, underwater experiences—from observing a grouper to encountering a dolphin—can have positive effects on stress and overall mental health. This part of the conference was labelled ‘Let's talk about mental health!’ by the Ministry of Health.

At the same time, the FFESSM highlighted the role played by divers as daily observers of the state of the marine environment. Thanks to their continuous presence in mainland France and overseas, they document changes in habitats, the emergence of new species, bleaching episodes and signs of local pollution.

On the weekend of 7 and 8 June, following on from this exchange, FFESSM teams continued their awareness-raising activities among the public gathered in Nice. Their intervention is part of SDG 14 on ocean conservation, one of the central themes of UNOC3.

The conference ended with a screening of the film La mer en commun, narrated by Jean-Marc Barr, which pays tribute to the collective memory and beauty of the underwater world.