OceanX

Last updated
OceanX
OceanX
Company type Nonprofit
Industry
Founded2016 [1]
Founders Ray Dalio and Mark Dalio
Headquarters
United States
Key people
OwnerDalio Philanthopies
Number of employees
250+ (2025)
Website oceanx.org

OceanX is a nonprofit ocean exploration initiative founded in 2016 by billionaire investor Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, and his son, Mark Dalio. [3]

Contents

OceanX is led by co-CEOs Mark Dalio and Vincent Pieribone, who assumed their roles in 2022. [4] Mark Dalio, also the organization’s Creative Director since its inception, is a filmmaker and former associate producer at National Geographic, where he developed a passion for ocean storytelling. [5] His vision for OceanX emphasizes vivid cinematography to inspire global audiences, drawing from his experience producing content like the Emmy-nominated Oceans: Our Blue Planet. [6]

Vincent Pieribone, co-CEO and Chief Scientist, is a professor of cellular and molecular physiology and neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine and a fellow at the John B. Pierce Laboratory. [7] With over 15 years of ocean research experience, Pieribone specializes in bioluminescence and brain activity measurement using marine-derived proteins, and he has led global expeditions and founded pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies. [5] Pieribone joined OceanX as Vice Chairman in 2016 before becoming co-CEO. [4]

Vessels

OceanX's first vessel was the MV Alucia, a 56-meter research and exploration vessel purchased in 2011. [8] The ship was outfitted with two deep-sea submersibles, a helipad, laboratories, and media facilities.

In 2021, the Alucia was sold and replaced [9] by OceanX's flagship 87-meter OceanXplorer, a former oil exploration ship previously named Volstad Surveyor. The OceanXplorer is equipped with submersibles, laboratories, and media facilities to support its mission of mapping uncharted ocean areas, studying marine life, and sharing discoveries through captivating storytelling. [10] OceanX collaborates with leading scientific institutions, media entities, and philanthropy partners, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Geographic Society, and BBC Studios. [11]

OceanX Media

OceanX Media (formerly Alucia Productions) is the media production arm of OceanX. [12] OceanX Media worked with BBC Earth on the nature documentary series Blue Planet II , taking BBC Studios on nine missions that contributed to four episodes of the series, [13] [14] including Episode 2, The Deep, in which OceanX and the BBC conducted the first ever deep-sea submersible dives to the Antarctic seafloor. [15] [16] The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program. [17] A video from the dive won the Webby Award in Social: Education and Discovery in 2019. [18] This video was directed by OceanX Media Creative Director Mark Dalio. [19]

Alongside BBC Earth, OceanX Media co-produced Oceans: Our Blue Planet, the Giant Screen companion film to Blue Planet II. [20] [21] The film is sponsored by Microsoft. [22]

OceanX Media content has also been featured in media outlets including Mashable, [16] Business Insider, [23] Scientific American, [24] Earther, [25] Discovery Channel Canada, [26] and National Geographic.

Accomplishments

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

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. [30] Its partners include the American Museum of Natural History, BBC Studios, filmmaker James Cameron, photographer Paul Nicklen, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, explorer Sylvia Earle, [31] and scientists Edith Widder [24] and Samantha Joye. [25]

OceanX co-created the #OurBluePlanet digital initiative with BBC Earth with the goal of getting 1 billion people talking about the oceans. [32] [33]

In 2018, OceanX partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to commit $185 million over four years to ocean exploration and protection efforts. [34]

References

  1. ↑ "OceanXplorer: On board the billionaire's research vessel". Euro News. February 11, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  2. ↑ "OceanX scientist urges caution in oil and gas exploration off Namibian coast". Namibia. March 6, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ Schlossberg, Tatiana (5 June 2018). "Ray Dalio, James Cameron launch OceanX". CNBC. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Vincent Pieribone - OceanX". LinkedIn. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Team". OceanX. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "With OceanX, Mark Dalio is bringing Hollywood filmmaking to ocean research and education". Tatler Asia. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "Our Team". OceanX Science. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  8. ↑ Limb, Lottie (11 February 2024). "Ocean Xplorer: On board the billionaire's research vessel broadcasting from the deep sea". Euro News.
  9. ↑ "OceanXplorer: Inside the unique expedition yacht unlike anything else afloat". www.boatinternational.com. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  10. ↑ "OceanX: What is this billionaire-backed ship doing in the deep?". Euronews. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  11. ↑ "Michael R. Bloomberg and Ray Dalio's OceanX Announce Over $185 Million for New Partnership". Bloomberg Philanthropies. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  12. ↑ "OceanX Media". Vimeo. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  13. ↑ "Inside the 'Blue Planet II' Dive Into the Deep Sea". Oceans. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  14. ↑ Schultz, Abby. "Mark Dalio and OceanX Combine Science and Storytelling". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  15. ↑ "OceanX Goes 3,000 Feet Under Antarctic Waters". ROAM. 2019-02-13. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  16. 1 2 Freedman, Andrew (2018-03-08). "Antarctica's seafloor is teeming with life, rare submersible footage shows". Mashable.
  17. ↑ Blue Planet II - IMDb , retrieved 2019-04-02
  18. ↑ "The Deepest Dive in Antarctica Reveals a Sea Floor Teeming With Life – OceanX & BBC Earth -- The Webby Awards" . Retrieved 2019-05-15.[ permanent dead link ]
  19. ↑ "OceanX's Video Wins Best Video in Social: Education and Discovery Category in the 23rd Annual Webby Awards". PRWeb. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  20. ↑ "Postcards from the Deep Ocean by a Veteran Filmmaker". Goop. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  21. ↑ Centre, Ontario Science. "Discover a spectacular world of life beneath the waves at the Ontario Science Centre with Oceans: Our Blue Planet". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  22. ↑ "Microsoft to Sponsor Oceans: Our Blue Planet, the Newest Film from BBC Earth, Giant Screen Films and OceanX Media". Giant Screen Cinema Association. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  23. 1 2 Brueck, Hilary. "NASA is testing a new submarine that will hunt for undiscovered sea life — and scientists eventually want it to look for aliens on Europa". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  24. 1 2 Saplakoglu, Yasemin. "Submersibles Peer into the Greatest Living Light Show on Earth [Video]". Scientific American. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  25. 1 2 Funes, Yessenia (30 March 2018). "This Badass Woman Explores the Deep Sea to Help Us Save It". Earther. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  26. ↑ "Daily Planet | Science News and Video Clips". Discovery. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  27. ↑ "The Final Frontier...with Mark Dalio from OceanX". www.superyachttimes.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  28. ↑ National Geographic (2016-11-03), What Blue Holes Have to Say About Climate Change | Years of Living Dangerously , retrieved 2019-04-02
  29. ↑ Kaufman, Mark (March 2019). "NASA dropped a space exploration robot into Cape Cod's waters to reach the darkest unknowns". Mashable. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  30. ↑ Huddleston, Tom Jr. (2018-06-05). "Ray Dalio, James Cameron launch OceanX". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  31. ↑ OceanX. "Announcing the Launch of OceanX, a Bold New Mission to Explore the Ocean and Bring it Back to the World". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  32. ↑ "Our Blue Planet | BBC Earth". Our Blue Planet. Retrieved 2019-04-02.[ permanent dead link ]
  33. ↑ "BBC #OurBluePlanet (@OurBluePlanet) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  34. ↑ "Michael R. Bloomberg and Ray Dalio's OceanX Announce Over $185 Million for New Partnership to Increase Ocean Exploration and Protection". Bloomberg Philanthropies. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-04-02.

External Sites

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.