Tribute to Albert Falco, Cousteau’s second-in-command

©Direction de la Communication / Michael Alesi

A ceremony was held on 27 October, in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, to pay tribute to Albert Falco (1927–2012), second-in-command to Jacques Cousteau and the first oceanaut. The Prince’s Palace decided to honour his memory by creating an artificial reef submerged to a depth of 18 metres in the Larvotto Reserve.

During the ceremony, which was attended by Maryvonne Falco, wife of the late Albert Falco, H.E. Mr Pierre Dartout, the Minister of State, Céline Caron-Dagioni, the Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, and key project stakeholders, the Sovereign Prince completed an underwater dive to officially open the reef, and unveiled a commemorative plaque on the South Sea Wall at the Larvotto Resort.

The reef comprises seven printed modules which have been assembled together. It is three metres tall and three metres wide, and weighs more than 10 tonnes. It was designed by Pierre Frolla, in partnership with the Department of the Environment and 3D printing company Xtree, and installed in the Larvotto Reserve by Prodive.

The reef is made from a concrete which is inert in the marine environment. Its rough surface, enhanced using 3D printing technology, encourages marine species to settle.

©DEEU / Greg Lecoeur

The reef’s design includes many cavities which vary in depth and size, including a small cave approximately 1 metre in height and 60 centimetres wide.

The entire structure has been conceived to provide a suitable habitat for a number of mobile species, including fish, crustaceans, moray eels and octopuses.