The Objectives

The motivation behind this kind of project is to get young people excited about science and engineering. In these days of challenging new economies, we are going to need engineers even more than we have before. We're also going to need people who understand the ocean, and therefore need projects like Life Amphibious to capture their attention.

Life Amphibious is a way of tackling environmental and climate change in a fun, provocative and scientific way. The objective is to inspire public environmental awareness by using technological innovation in a stimulating and adventurous way, echoing the mythical journeys of Homer's Odysseus and Julius Verne's Captain Nemo.

The project is also a registered activity of the global Clean Up the World campaign, which aims to inspire communities to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment. Held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, it mobilises an estimated 35 million people across 120 countries.


Underwater cameras will allow us to conduct subtidal biodiversity surveys by recording either time-lapse or continuous video. The submarines slow speed will also give us the potential to do some invasive marine species and marine pollution surveying. In addition, the expedition aims to contribute to the protection of two of Europe's most endangered marine species, the Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) and the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), as well as inform and educate the general public about their conservation. Only about 40 monk seals remain in the Ionian Sea, and now live in isolated coastal caves around Ithaca.

Environmental education will constitute a major part of Life Amphibious. Lloyd and Carolina will make frequent stops to communicate with local schools, social groups and individuals from the Ionian Islands. In addition, schools from around the world will be able to participate via live and interactive webcasts. Stimulating project presentations will help students acquire an awareness of their environment and its related problems and sensitivity to the global environment.