What exciting news! Jean-Michel Cousteau will be sailing aboard the Paul Gauguin on a few upcoming 10-night Society Islands and Tuamotus cruise. He will be aboard for three sailings: Jan 5, May 25, and June 29, 2011.

Jean-Michel Cousteau is the son of the iconic oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and a well-respected environmentalist and filmmaker himself.

When I was a child in the 1960s, I remember being so drawn to the program "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." My sister and I would pretend that we were searching the ocean floor for all the new and exciting creatures of the deep. Between Cousteau and "Flipper" we were all about the big, blue, ocean; only we lived in the northeast where it was not so blue and not so warm. But we did dream a lot and one of my favorite dreams was to work on Cousteau's ship, the Calypso, when I grew up.

Over the years, Jacques Cousteau delivered not only a chance to witness the various sea creatures in their own environment but encouraged us to think what pollution was doing to our oceans and ultimately to our eco-system. His son, Jean-Michel Cousteau, was very much involved with his father's pursuits and eventually produced not only his father's films "Cousteau: The First 75 Years," the award-winning "Cousteau's Amazon," and "Cousteau's Mississippi," he also produced 61 television specials including the admired "Cousteau's Rediscovery of the World. In 1973 he started Project Ocean Search, an educational field study program which organized scientists, divers and students for educational expeditions.

The m/s Paul Gauguin is a 332-passenger vessel that was specifically designed to sail the shallow seas of Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific, blending into the stunning natural beauty of the South Seas. It has won many accolades, including being named one of the world's top-rated luxury cruise ships by "Conde Nast Traveler" magazine.

From Paul Gauguin Cruises:

Join Mr. Cousteau as he sails with us on three cruises to the Society Islands & Tuamotus. Divers from all over the world flock to the Tuamotus, whose sparkling, transparent lagoons and colorful coral reefs are renowned for their world-class snorkeling and diving. As our special guest, Mr. Cousteau will offer a series of lectures with videos of his work in the world's oceans and accompany several dives from the ship.

It is not too late for the May and June sailings. If you are interested you want to reserve ASAP.

Patty Toppa is a travel consultant with Gadabout Travel. She can be reached at patty@cruisetraveltours.com or www.cruisetraveltours.com.