Philippine Tatler – August 2019

Deep

Thinker

Marine biologist and explorer

Sylvia earle has studied the

sea and its creatures for more

than 50 years. Now she’s

campaigning for a new wave

of marine parks

by oliver gileS

On a hot, breezy morning in September 1979, the

oceanographer Sylvia Earle donned an armoured diving

suit, was strapped to the front of a small submarine, and

dropped into the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaiian island

of Oahu. A few metres down, the thunder of the surf

and squawking of the seagulls had disappeared. At 100

metres the light started to fade. By 200 metres it was

almost pitch black. At an incredible 381 metres, the sub

hit the seabed with a clunk and Earle untethered herself

and stepped into the darkness.

For many this would have been a nightmare. But

for Earle, this record-breaking dive into the unknown

was the culmination of a long-held dream—a dream to

explore the oceans from balmy shallows to icy depths,

from whitewashed poles to colourful coral reefs. “I

want to explore everywhere, everywhere, everywhere,”

says Earle with a laugh. And explore she has. Over

the course of her career, Earle has led more than 100

scientific expeditions, clocked more than 7,500 hours

underwater and, among other roles, held the position

of chief scientist at the US National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration.

Now, at the age of 83, Earle is leading what may be

her most ambitious project yet—to secure protection

for 30 per cent of the world’s seas by 2030 through

her foundation, Mission Blue. “With Mission Blue,

we didn’t want to have one more NGO that would be

like a competitor of all the others, but rather, one that

would serve as a gathering place and be a connector,”

says Earle. “A constituency, a voice for the ocean: that’s

what this really is. So we have more than 200 partners,

and we encourage individuals and communities around

the world to identify places in the ocean that they’re

willing to work for, to improve, places that are in need

of care—Hope Spots.”

Suggestions for Hope Spots have flooded in from

around the globe and, in the 10 years since Mission

Blue was founded, more than 100 have been selected PhotograPhy: rolex/ben haSSett (Portrait); david doubilet (earle underWater)

LIfE / Philanthropy

62 philippine tatler. august 2019