SOS MEDITERRANEE / Charles Thiefaine
During Rotation 45 aboard the Ocean Viking (January–February 2026), photographer Tess Barthes turned her lens toward one of the most silent yet decisive roles on deck: the lookout.
The lookout is the crew member tasked with continuously scanning the sea surface and horizon to detect boats in distress.
In her video reflection, she describes stepping onto the helideck, binoculars in hand, scanning an immense horizon where concentration is absolute and every wave matters.
The task demands technical precision, but also deep emotional presence: those barely perceptible shapes in the water could be someone’s family, someone’s life.
This sustained attention creates an almost meditative state, where breathing slows and awareness sharpens.
A moment of distraction can mean losing sight of a fragile boat swallowed by wind and rough seas.
French photographer Tess Barthes says “The voice you hear is Nejma, our intercultural facilitator on board. I used her words to explore the inner experience of the lookout, where seeing is not enough.”
One must truly look, searching for signs of life and reading the stories hidden in the distance, recognising that what appears as a dot on the horizon is a human being who must be seen as such.
