This film records the journey undertaken by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, marine explorer of international repute, his twenty-four-member team, and an NFB film crew. Working from the Calypso, a converted minesweeper transformed into a sophisticated oceanographic vessel, the team uses a helicopter, a diving saucer, inflatable boats and scuba-diving equipment to explore the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of the world's richest fishing areas. They discover shipwrecks, film icebergs, visit wildlife sanctuaries where man is still an alien presence, and observe such endangered species as the beluga whale, humpback whale and harp seal. There is a fascinating sequence showing Calypso divers freeing a calf whale entrapped in a fishing net.