The Deep Blue

Rolex and National Geographic embark on the next chapter of their Perpetual Planet Expeditions with a two-year series of ocean expeditions, from the polar seas to tropical reefs, uniting scientists, explorers and local communities to better understand and protect Earth's most vital and vulnerable ecosystem

- By Annabel Tan

The ocean may cover more than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface, but it remains one of the planet's least unexplored frontiers. Rolex and the National Geographic Society are casting a spotlight on this vast and vital ecosystem with a new series of groundbreaking expeditions. Announced this June, the series of Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions mark the latest chapter in a two-year collaboration between the two institutions—and one that blends cutting-edge science, local knowledge, and a shared commitment to protecting the planet's most critical environments.

Spanning two years and covering all five ocean basins, this next wave of Perpetual Planet Expeditions will document rapid environmental changes in some of the world's most remote and vulnerable marine regions, defining the implications for the people and wildlife that depend on them, and underscoring just how critical the ocean is to life on Earth. From the polar seas to the tropics, and from the shoreline to the deepest trenches, teams of National Geographic Explorers, scientists and local community members will work side by side to uncover the state of the ocean and offer data-driven, locally informed solutions.

The insights gained from these expeditions aim not only to deepen scientific understanding but also to inform policy and galvanise conservation on a global scale.