For Oliver Steeds, exploration has never been about conquest or personal acclaim. It is about curiosity put into action, and about discovering new knowledge that can serve the world at a moment when it matters most.
An explorer, investigative journalist, and founder of Nekton, Oliver sits at the intersection of discovery, storytelling, and ocean protection. In conversation with Kensington Expeditions, he reflects on the journeys that shaped him, the urgency facing our oceans, and why meaningful exploration today must go hand in hand with responsibility.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we speak, Oliver is in London, but his focus is firmly on the horizon. 2026 marks a significant milestone for Nekton, ten years since its first expedition to Bermuda, and a moment of reflection on what exploration can achieve when it is directed with intent.
What excites him most is not only Nekton’s next technical diving expeditions into the Coral Triangle, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, but also a turning point in global ocean governance. The High Seas Treaty, coming into force, represents a rare moment of collective progress for the protection of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
“These are depths and ecosystems that remain profoundly underexplored,” Oliver explains, referring to the mesophotic zone, a twilight realm beyond recreational scuba limits. “We are still discovering what lives there, and what role it plays in supporting life across the planet.”
DEFINING EXPLORATION
Today, for Oliver, exploration is the discovery of new knowledge for the common good. It exploration is driven by exploitation, it is conquest. It is not enough to reach remote places or document what is found. What matters is how those discoveries are communicated and how they are translated into long-term value for society. Exploration, in his view, rests on three pillars: discovery, storytelling, and action. Without all three, knowledge risks remaining inaccessible or ineffective. At a personal level, he believes exploration is not reserved for professionals alone.
Curiosity is the starting point. He shares: ‘Curiosity isn’t just a fleeting thought. It’s a force. It’s what compels us to step beyond comfort, beyond assumptions, beyond the edge of the map. It challenges the status quo and says: “There’s more to know. There’s more that must be done. Curiosity is the beginning of every discovery, every invention, every movement that has ever shaped history… the moment you stop being curious, you stop exploring”.
EARLY INFLUENCES
Oliver’s path toward exploration began early. A solo journey to Romania at sixteen opened his eyes to the power of immersion. Family connections to expeditions nurtured a sense of wonder. Later, his first expedition in Mongolia challenged him to think more deeply about what exploration should contribute to society. Yet it was beneath the ocean’s surface where this philosophy truly crystallized. During Nekton’s early missions, piloting submersibles and descending into rarely visited zones, Oliver experienced what it meant to discover something genuinely new. These encounters helped identify previously unknown ecosystems and reinforced his belief that exploration must serve a broader purpose.
ORIGINS OF NEKTON
Oliver’s decision to found Nekton emerged from a moment of stark contrast. While reporting on the impacts of industrial fishing, he dived in Scottish waters where a small, protected area teemed with life, while the surrounding seabed lay barren and scarred. It became clear that protection was impossible without understanding. The ocean is the least known, yet most critical, component of Earth’s life-support system. Nekton was founded to change that equation, to accelerate discovery so that protection could follow.
POWER OF IMMERSION
Just as astronauts describe the Overview effect after witnessing the fragility of Earth from space, Oliver believes we all may experience an innerview effect that occurs when humans descend beneath the ocean’s surface. Leaving the safe cradle of our atmosphere and entering a physiologically hostile environment creates a distinct cognitive shift, he believes. Whether it’s a child taking a single breath to peer into a rockpool, a free diver, SCUBA divers, submersible pilots or scientists experiencing first contact with a new species, an ocean encounter shifts our perspective. “The Inneriew offers a surmise of life’s infinitive possibilities and our inextricable place with them – a deep belonging”, he says.
For those drawn to exploration with purpose, there are opportunities to go beyond observation and engage more deeply. Select clients may be able to witness active research, support ocean discovery, or engage directly with the work of Oliver Steeds and Nekton through bespoke opportunities, subject to timing and availability.
