Sylvia Earle’s decades-long commitment to exploring and protecting the ocean
Renowned oceanographer and marine biologist Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to ocean conservation.
Acclaimed oceanographer, marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer at Large Sylvia Earle has spent the better part of her life as a leading expert in ocean exploration and conservation. Since launching her career in the 1950s, she has worked tirelessly to inspire the world to rethink its relationship with the sea. “Treat the ocean as if your life depends on it,” Earle has said, “because it does.”
“The poet Auden said, ‘Thousands have lived without love. None without water.’ Ninety-seven percent of Earth’s water is ocean. No blue, no green. If you think the ocean isn’t important, imagine earth without it.”
Earle has led more than 100 underwater expeditions — including the first team of women aquanauts in 1970 — and has spent more than 7,000 hours underwater. She’s helped map the ocean floor and her latest venture to energize the public to better protect and steward its oceans, Mission Blue, is a continuation of more than seven decades of trailblazing efforts.
In 1970 Earle was initially rejected from partaking in the Tektite II sea floor exploration project, despite having logged more than 1,000 hours underwater at the time, because she was a woman. Project leaders reconsidered and Sylvia was designated to lead an all-woman team for a two week mission.
Operating from an underwater habitat off St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, her team spent more time submerged than their male counterparts. After surfacing, and once media buzz faded, the team returned to various professional paths. For Earle, this meant more time under the sea.
Nine years later she set the record for the world's deepest solo dive by walking on the sea floor, 1250 feet deep without a line to the surface, in the atmospheric diving suit, "JIM," an achievement that earned her the nickname "Her Deepness." The Library of Congress has referred to Earle as a “Living Legend” and she was recognized as Time magazine’s first “Hero for the Planet.”
She holds a master’s degree from Florida State University and a doctorate from Duke University along with 34 honorary degrees. Her extensive honors include the 2013 National Geographic Hubbard Medal, Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark and medals from the Explorers Club, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Lindbergh Foundation. In 2025, Earle received the high distinction of being named a Knight of the French Legion of Honor.
Earle is National Geographic’s Rosemary and Roger Enrico Chair for Ocean Exploration, founder of Mission Blue, SEAlliance and Deep Ocean Exploration and Research. She is also the Council Chair of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, was the first female chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a founding Ocean Elder.
As an Explorer in Residence, Earle initiated and spearheaded the five-year National Geographic Society Sustainable Seas Expeditions, orchestrating a collaboration across sectors. Working alongside the NOAA, NASA, the U.S. and Mexican Navies, the United States Geological Survey, the Department of the Interior, volunteer scientists, universities, public aquariums and research institutions, this series of expeditions collected baseline data from marine sanctuaries across the U.S., Mexico and Belize.
From 1998 to 2003, the Sustainable Seas team employed cutting-edge underwater technologies, through generous support from the Goldman Foundation and NOAA, to create a video and photography archive of the sanctuaries’ flora and fauna.
Despite having witnessed decades of marine decline — “Imagine in my lifetime 90% of the big fish have been killed. Most of the turtles, sharks, tunas and whales are way down in numbers” — Earle maintains a cautious optimism. “There’s still time, but not a lot, to turn things around,” she remarked upon receiving the 2009 TED Prize.
And after having authored more than 200 publications and lectured in 90 countries she continues her advocacy and conservation work through Mission Blue. The nonprofit organization primarily operates through partnership with conservation groups to identify “hope spots,” areas critical to ocean health, with the aim of securing their protection.
The organization pursues four strategic priorities: creation and expansion of the hope spot network, science and exploration, marine policy, and global mobilization.
Mission Blue has identified 166 hope spots to date, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, spanning an estimated 22 million square miles (58 million square kilometers) of ocean. The network includes the glass sponge reefs on Canada’s west coast, which were designated a marine protected area in 2017; South Africa’s Maputaland, which has expanded its UNESCO World Heritage site to create a transboundary conservation area with Mozambique; and most recently, Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. The Mission Blue expeditions continue to shed light on these critical ecosystems while building support for their protection, working toward the global target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
“The goal is to protect biodiversity, provide stability and resilience ... I wish you would use all means at your disposal: films, expeditions, the web, new submarines,” Earle has urged. “My wish is a big wish, but if we can make it happen, it can truly change the world and help ensure the survival of what actually is, as it turns out, my favorite species. That would be us.”
