Dr. Sylvia Earle - Diving Deep to Protect the Ocean

Born: August 30, 1935, Gibbstown, Greenwich Township, New Jersey, U.S.A

Sylvia Earle is a renowned ocean explorer and scientist dedicated to protecting the ocean, named Time’s first Hero for the Planet in 1998.

Born August 30, 1935, in Gibbstown, New Jersey, Sylvia Earle grew up exploring nature and learning to care for living things. As a young girl, she lived on a small farm near Camden, where she often went into the woods to explore. Her parents encouraged her curiosity and respect for life. When she was 12, her family moved to Dunedin, Florida. There, living by the water, Sylvia spent her time exploring salt marshes and seagrass beds. These early adventures sparked her lifelong love of the ocean.

Sylvia studied botany, the science of plants, at Florida State University and graduated in 1955. That same year, she began graduate school at Duke University. There, she earned her master’s degree and later a Ph.D. in 1966. Her research focused on marine algae and plants that live in the ocean. She collected over 20,000 algae samples during her studies. Sylvia also learned to dive using SCUBA gear and became a pioneer in deep-sea diving. Her love for the underwater world only grew stronger.

Throughout her career, Sylvia explored the ocean in ways few people ever had. She worked as a researcher and became a leader in ocean science. In the 1960s, she worked at Cape Haze Marine Laboratories and Harvard University. In 1970, she led the first all-female team of “aquanauts” during the Tektite II project. This team lived and worked in an underwater habitat for two weeks, 50 feet below the surface near St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They studied coral reefs and saw the effects of pollution on ocean life. At a time when women were rarely seen in science fields, Sylvia’s leadership made history.

Sylvia’s love of the ocean took her all over the world. She explored places like the Galápagos Islands, the Bahamas, and China. She also worked with National Geographic to make books and films about the ocean. Her goal was to help others understand why the ocean matters and why we need to protect it. In 1979, she made a record-breaking untethered dive to a depth of 1,250 feet in a special diving suit. No one had gone that deep alone before.

In the early 1980s, Sylvia helped start two companies with her third husband, engineer Graham Hawkes. These companies designed underwater vehicles, including the Deep Rover. This submersible can dive as deep as 3,000 feet. Sylvia wanted to help scientists explore parts of the ocean that had never been seen before.

She also worked to shape ocean policy. Sylvia served on the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere from 1980 to 1984. Then, from 1990 to 1992, she became the chief scientist at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the first woman to hold that position. In 1998, she was named National Geographic’s first female “Explorer in Residence.”

Throughout her career, Sylvia Earle wrote more than 100 scientific papers and several books. Some of her most famous works include Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans (1994) and The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Oceans Are One (2009). Her writing and films help people understand that what happens to the ocean affects all life on Earth.

In 2009, Sylvia started Mission Blue, a global project to protect parts of the ocean called Hope Spots. These are areas rich with marine life that need protection. Thanks to her efforts, over 100 marine protected areas now exist, covering more than 2 million square miles.

Sylvia Earle has spent more than 7,000 hours underwater. Her nickname, “Her Deepness,” honors her record-setting dives and deep love for the sea. She is a true ocean hero, someone who explores, teaches, and protects our planet’s blue heart.

References:
Brandman, Mariana. “Sylvia Earle.” Sylvia Earle Biography, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-earle.
“Sylvia Earle.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 11 July 2025, www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Earle.

Keywords:
Science, Innovation, Perseverance, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Repair the World – Tikkun Olam, STEAM

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Sylvia Earle Artworks