About Briggs Cloutier - What We Were Making | Peter Cloutier

Briggs Cloutier

Hey everyone. My name is Briggs Cloutier. I am eighteen years old and am currently attending the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Growing up, water was a constant presence in my life. My earliest memories of swimming, fishing, and snorkeling come from East Timor or Timor-Leste, where I developed a love for the ocean. Later on, in Angola, my father and I spent every weekend surfing, big-game fishing, or free-diving. My most recent posting was in Mozambique, where I’ve been able to explore the depths of the ocean and witness some of the most amazing marine animals. From scuba diving with sea turtles in Ponta de Ouro, to encountering manta rays in Zavora, to swimming with whale sharks in Tofinho, and finally, observing resident leopard sharks in Pomene, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have interacted with these incredible creatures. Together with my father, we have captured hours of video footage, studying these majestic creatures to better understand their behaviors and motivations. I am currently a freshman at UCSC and am studying Marine Biology and competing on the Men’s Swimming Team. The pacific coast is a new environment for me, and I look forward to learning more about the ecosystems and animals that make up the environment here in the following years. If you want to reach out to me with any questions on inquiries you can email me at briggs@whatweweremaking.com!

Here’s my own YouTube surf videos that I’ve done on the side: https://www.youtube.com/@briggscloutier4039

My speciality of all these Mozambican specialities is the spotted eagle ray. While they live in most tropical waters regardless of geography, they remain difficult to interact with and difficult to see with regularity. My dad and I have found some interesting habits and I hope to undertake more appropriate scientific research after high school to put our observations and hypotheses to the test. Until then, it’ll be just videos and photographs.

This is why my sister and I originally created Rays Unlimited, and now Sea NC. All marine megafauna, including manta and eagle rays, are some of the most fascinating and perhaps least understood animals in our oceans today. Often caught in nets or even deliberately fished for in some areas, their numbers are depleting. Organizations like the Marine Megafauna Foundation are not only researching these rays and sharks, but raising awareness about their conservation, and putting science to policy. It is our goal, my sister’s and mine I should say, to do what we can – NOW – to help these organizations advance their mission, and have some fun with the things we love to do in the process. We’d love to hear from you and learn more about what interests you. Email me and let me know!