La Pérouse Expedition
From more than 5,000 meters, the depth passes abruptly to just a few dozen metres: this is Mont La Pérouse, an underwater mountain, 160 km northwest of Reunion Island, born from the entrails of the Earth and whose size is comparable to that of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. This geological structure is well known to Reunionese longliners who regularly carry out miraculous fishing operations there. However, for oceanographers, the area remains a real enigma. With Blancpain's support, Laurent Ballesta together with local researchers and part of his Gombessa team led an expedition in November 2019 to study, characterize and illustrate the exceptional biodiversity of the La Pérouse Seamount.