Philippine Tatler – August 2019

(vip2019) #1

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
Free download pdf