Fabien Cousteau aims to break grandfather's 30-day record living undersea

Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Burda Media

Fabien Cousteau aims to break grandfather's 30-day record living undersea
(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Burda Media)

Talk about living up to the family name.

Fabien Cousteau, the 46-year-old grandson of legendary oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will dive on Sunday, with the goal of remaining in an underwater laboratory called Aquarius for 31 days. That amount of time would break Cousteau's grandfather's record, set in 1963 when he lived, along with a half-dozen others, in an undersea lab near the Port of Sudan, reports Reuters.

Don't get me wrong: This is a very cool attempt. The younger Cousteau says he will use the experience not as a stunt, but as a platform to advance science and research. He hopes to Skype into classrooms around the world to talk about oceanography, and his team will spend the extended stay monitoring the effects of living in such conditions. But come on: Aquarius is reportedly outfitted with air conditioning, wireless Internet, and portholes so that the scientists can enjoy "a 24-hour view of the surrounding marine life."

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Something tells me Jacques-Yves Cousteau was not enjoying Netflix binge-sessions during his downtime back in 1963. But hey, it's for science, right? So, good luck, Fabien!

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.