Surfacing Secrets podcast - Explore the Ocean. Know the Planet
Podcast series with Balad’EAU & How to Protect the Ocean
Ocean data from ONC observatories is helping to unlock the secrets of the deep and bring them to the surface. Uncover mysteries from the most unexplored part of our planet, the ocean, through the podcast series, 'Surfacing Secrets: Explore the Ocean. Know the Planet’.
This collaborative series is produced by two Canadian podcast channels, hosted by two marine biologists and science communicators, — ‘Balad’EAU’ with Lyne Morissette and ‘How to Protect the Ocean’ with Andrew Lewin — and is available in respective narrative and extended interview formats.
Featuring ONC’s people, partners, and sounds, the series shares the stories and the science, technology, and soundscapes captured by ONC’s world-leading ocean observatories. Launching mid-way through the UN Ocean Decade (2021-2030), this series celebrates wonders of our blue planet, and shares how ONC is advancing ocean observing to support research for a sustainable ocean future.
Subscribe to How to Protect the Ocean and Balad’EAU so you don’t miss an episode.
Surfacing Secrets | Episode 1: Mavericks and visionaries
In episode 1 of Surfacing Secrets, Canadian podcasters Balad’EAU and How to Protect the Ocean team up to share the origins of Ocean Networks Canada’s world-leading observatory network. Mavericks and visionaries takes us back to the late 1990s, when a group of bold ocean scientists dreamed the impossible—real-time seafloor observatories that could transform how we understand our planet. Meet some of the visionary pioneers behind this movement.
- Kate Moran, ONC President & CEO, an ocean engineer with a mission to know the ocean.
- John Delaney, oceanographer and early architect of cabled observatories.
- Benoît Pirenne, ONC corporate innovation and technology officer, who helped turn bold ideas into technical reality.
This episode explores the roots of ONC, the early scientific breakthroughs, and the data-driven legacy that continues to protect communities, support global science, and spark ocean innovation.
Surfacing Secrets | Episode 2: Ocean expeditions
In episode 2 of Surfacing Secrets, podcasters from Balad’EAU and How to Protect the Ocean take you on an unforgettable journey into the depths of the ocean. Ocean expeditions heads offshore with the team behind ONC’s deep-sea observatories to learn what it takes to install and maintain technology kilometres below the surface.
Join us as we discuss the difficulties of deploying sensors in the ocean— and why, despite covering 70% of our planet, so little of the ocean has been explored. From remote ship-based operations to ROV recoveries and surprise encounters with marine life, to the teamwork that’s essential to these missions. You’ll hear exclusive insights from:
- Meghan Paulson, ONC executive director of observatory operations
- Dirk Brussow, ONC director of observatory physical operations
- Josh Tetarenko, director of ROV operations at CanPac Marine, a Canadian marine services company
We also highlight the role of women working in the field, how those numbers are changing, and why hands-on careers in ocean tech are still incredibly rewarding. This is a look at the real, behind-the-scenes work of ocean exploration—equal parts technical, unpredictable, and inspiring.
