Mermaid at the coral bed: the reefs of Golfe-Juan
Every early morning Irène Crampes puts on a mask, grabs a snorkel and goes underwater off the shores of Golfe-Juan. She does not have a degree in biology — she has stubbornness, a partner and the habit of returning to the same underwater “beds” year after year. She maps colonies of reef-building corals, monitors their condition and looks for ways to help them survive an increasingly warm Mediterranean Sea. Between the Côte d’Azur and the Caribbean, Irène builds bridges with masks and fins, bringing local people and scientists together for one goal — to preserve the underwater gardens.
From curiosity to observation
Irène Crampes is self-taught, having fallen in love with the sea and its inhabitants. It all began with a simple question: what is happening to the underwater landscapes of her native coast, which are changing before our eyes. From casual observation she moved to systematic work — and today she regularly dives in the waters of Golfe-Juan, a small bay between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, known for its sandy beaches and clear water.
“I noticed last year patches of reef-building corals in this area,” she tells France 3 Côte d’Azur. “Because of the water temperature I wanted to check what condition they were in and whether they had suffered too much.” This is not idle curiosity: Mediterranean corals are under threat from warming, pollution and ocean acidification.
Mask, snorkel and the early hour
Irène’s method is simple and accessible to everyone: a mask, a snorkel and the early morning, when the sea is still calm. In a pair with her partner she swims over the colonies, recording their condition and signs of disease or bleaching. These observations become the basis of reports later used by local associations and researchers.
- Mapping the coral “patates” in the Golfe-Juan area
- Monitoring growth dynamics and colony survival
- Collecting information on pollutants and human impact
- Educational work via social media
These efforts do not go unnoticed. Alain Dental, head of a watersports company, takes his hat off to her persistence: “I admire her and am very glad there are people who continue to worry about the health of the seabed. Her motivation is a huge force; sometimes it even has to be restrained.”
A cleanup that turns into science
Together with the association Fonds Bleus, Irène takes part in regular clean-up campaigns of the Mediterranean Sea. But she went further than simply collecting waste. “I started using our clean-up outings to also record all the coral ‘patates’ that we come across in our area of activity,” she explains. That way each environmental sortie becomes a scientific observation, and the amount of rubbish collected becomes an indicator of the ecosystem’s health.
Removing rubbish is not enough — ways to restore colonies must be sought. “I don’t have a basic education as a biologist, but I assume there are strict rules defining what can and cannot be done. Our task is to find a long-term solution that will help corals reproduce, grow and recolonise the seabed,” she says. The goal is ambitious: it requires coordinated work by scientists, authorities and volunteers.
From Golfe-Juan to the Dominican Republic
The scale of the work grows each year. For several years now Irène has been returning to the Dominican Republic, where she met the ecologist Manuel Rodriguez Renondo, president of the Fundación Ecológica Maguá. Together they restore Caribbean coral reefs, which have been heavily damaged by tourist pressure and pollution.
“I wanted this island to be a paradise not only for tourists, but above all for local people,” she explains. “I aimed to teach them to better recognise their marine depths, which have been destroyed by a huge amount of waste.” She involves locals in creating underwater structures: these become artificial reefs and a home for fish and invertebrates.
Her contribution is recognised at an official level too. “Irène’s help and support were invaluable for our foundation. Thanks to her, our work progressed significantly faster,” says Manuel Rodriguez Renondo.
Corals on the frontline of warming
The problem of coral preservation is not only environmental but also social. The Mediterranean is experiencing one heatwave after another, and the colonies off the shores of the Côte d’Azur are on the frontline of climate change — along with beaches and towns whose familiar way of life is already being altered by warming. Irène insists that it is important not just to record the damage, but to seek ways to restore. She dreams of a coral nursery in Golfe-Juan, where young colonies would be grown and transplanted to damaged areas.
Irène Crampes’s story shows that an active civic stance can change the situation even without formal education. She shares knowledge on social media, speaks at meetings and calls on all those who care to join the observations — as once the coast learned to look differently at the fate of marine animals in captivity.
What anyone can do
- Join local environmental associations like Fonds Bleus
- Take part in underwater clean-ups, combining them with colony monitoring
- Report observed changes in the marine environment to scientists or volunteers
- Support organisations working on coral restoration with money or volunteer time
For residents of the Côte d’Azur the sea is not just a landscape but a living ecosystem that needs help. Irène Crampes and her like-minded colleagues show that anyone can become a “mermaid” of the underwater world.
— — —
Photo: Engin Akyurt / Pexels