Thierry Birles Is Bringing Marine Research Aboard Luxury Yachts
Bringing marine research to luxury yachts, Thierry Birles facilitates vital scientific expeditions for ocean conservation and understanding.
New Delhi [India], June 17: When people hear the word “yacht”, images of lavish parties or luxurious cruises immediately come to mind. Very few would associate yachts with scientific research or academic pursuit. Until people like Thierry Birles came along, who bring marine biologists on yachts, allowing them to carefully collect water samples that will contribute to vital research on declining coral populations. "The oceans hold our future," Birles says. "And those of us with access to these waters have a responsibility to open them up to science."
The Transition from Maritime Concerns to Marine Science
Thierry Birles did not start his career with environmental aspirations, having spent years advising top shipping companies before joining the classic yacht circuit. His regular presence at prestigious regattas, combined with his maritime industry connections, gave him unique access to a network of wealthy vessel owners. "I noticed this need," Birles explains. "On one side, we had these magnificent vessels sitting idle for most of the year. On the other hand, brilliant scientists are struggling to secure even a few days at sea due to prohibitive costs." The typical oceanographic research vessel can cost upwards of $50,000 per day to operate, and this prohibitive cost practically places extended research missions beyond the reach of many scientific institutions.
The realisation came during a conversation with a marine biologist at an event in late 2023, where Birles met a struggling marine biologist who spent two years trying to secure funding for just three days at sea. As chance would have it, Birles knew dozens of yacht owners who were using their vessels barely three weeks annually while still paying full maintenance and crew costs.
Matching the Need to the Proper Resource
By early 2024, Thierry Birles had begun exploring his connections to create a service connecting scientists with yacht owners willing to donate vessel time. The concept was not entirely new, as organisations like Yachts for Science had been working since 2019, but what Birles brought to the mix was an insider's understanding of both worlds and the diplomatic skills to navigate them.
In the first half of 2025 alone, Birles has facilitated partnerships that have led to over 45 research expeditions aboard private vessels, ranging from 24-meter sailing yachts to 65-meter motor yachts. The research work ranged from tracking white sharks in the Mediterranean to studying black coral reefs in Indonesia. Researchers actually benefited from the experience and knowledge of the crew who manned the yachts, as they were able to give insights about observed migratory patterns, specific behaviour of aquatic organisms, and the best areas to conduct long-term research.
An Unexpected Benefit from the Partnership: Ecological Awareness
Initially, Thierry Birles had merely hoped to provide a much-needed service to researchers to help with efforts to know more about the sea, but little did he know that the entire exercise would progress to include ecological awareness. "The oceans cover 71% of our planet, yet we've mapped less than 20% of the sea floor. We know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our own oceans," Birles mentions. "If we're going to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable resource management, we need data. And to get data, we need access."
With research vessel shortages showing no signs of abating and scientific funding remaining constrained, Birles sees more substance in his role. "This isn't charity," Birles insists. "It's a collaboration. The yacht owners I work with aren't just donating time and resources; they're contributing to our understanding of the most important ecosystem on Earth."
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