Éric Demay is a French cetologist. From 1992 to 1995, he founded and chaired the Dolphy Observatory in France, dedicated to observing, studying and protecting the female dolphin Dolphy. He founded TURSIOPS in 1993. He has worked with dolphins since his first encounters in Bunbury, Australia, in 1991. He is the author of books on dolphins and whales published in France and Germany. In 1992, he studied the sleep of a wild dolphin. His work has been featured in television programmes including Ushuaïa, La Marche du siècle, Écolo 6 and Plein les yeux, as well as news broadcasts and Australian and Japanese television.

In 1992, in Australia, his special relationship with wild dolphins gave him the opportunity to work as an animal carer at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury, associated with Murdoch University. His role involved attracting dolphins close to the beach to facilitate interactions with people. He paid particular attention to Sarana, a female dolphin whose first calf died prematurely. For several days, he was the only person authorised to enter the water in Koombana Bay, where he cared for her during her bereavement. This experience was documented by WTV Perth.

In Bunbury, he learned the fundamental principles of respecting cetaceans: people are guests in the marine world. His journey continued to Monkey Mia, where he assisted the rangers during feeding sessions and observed new behaviours in the company of the female dolphins Nicky and Puck. He later worked in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, caring for captive dolphins and providing enrichment. He did not train them, believing that cetaceans should not be subjected to human domination.

In France, from 1992 to 1995, he was employed by GECEM, the Groupe d’Études des Cétacés de Méditerranée, to monitor, protect and study the female dolphin Dolphy in Collioure. He lived alongside her around the clock for almost three years, gathering extensive information about wild cetacean behaviour. He was involved in the development of a European legal text prohibiting people from touching a wild dolphin, introducing ethical and health rules for these encounters.

In 1996, he directed his first documentary, “Homme et dauphin : mode d’emploi”, with Jean-Marc Barr, the actor from The Big Blue. The 26-minute film won first prize at the International Illkirch Festival in 1997. It was filmed in France with Dolphy, a female dolphin; in Spain with captive dolphins in Barcelona and Cadaqués; in Florida with US Navy dolphins and Richard O’Barry, formerly Flipper’s trainer; in Australia in Bunbury, Monkey Mia and Coral Bay; and in the Bahamas with spotted dolphins. The documentary addresses the problems of captivity. In 1999, he directed “Tant qu’il y aura des dauphins”, a 52-minute documentary produced by K Productions.

In 2012, on his first day in the Hurghada area of the Red Sea, Laura, a female dolphin, offered him a piece of coral. When he returned in October, the male dolphin Lino offered him another piece. Eric Demay decided to begin photo-identifying dolphins in the region. In 2013, he began collaborating with the Dolphin Watch Alliance and Angela Ziltener on the scientific study of dolphins around Hurghada, and with the NGO HEPCA on protecting the Red Sea.