ExplorersBio

Sylvia Earle

Oceanographer

Explorer-in-Residence

At habitat's hemispheric window Dr. Earle shows algae to an engineer.

Photograph by Bates Littlehales

Photograph by Becky Hale

Sylvia Earle, called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and the first "Hero for the Planet," is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist. She also is executive director for corporate and nonprofit organizations, including the Aspen Institute, the Conservation Fund, American Rivers, Mote Marine Laboratory, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Rutgers Institute for Marine Science, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and Ocean Conservancy.

Former chief scientist of NOAA, Earle is founder of the Mission Blue Foundation and chair of the Advisory Council for the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. She has a B.S. from Florida State University, an M.S. and a Ph.D. from Duke University, and 15 honorary degrees. She has authored more than 150 scientific, technical, and popular publications, lectured in more than 60 countries, and appeared in hundreds of television productions.

Earle is the author of many books on the ocean, including Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans and, most recently, Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas, with Linda K. Glover. Earle has led more than 60 expeditions and logged more than 6,000 hours underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970 and setting a record for solo diving to a depth of 1,000 meters. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.

Honors include the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, inclusion in the National Women's Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Achievement, and medals from the Explorers Club, the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, the Lindbergh Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, Sigma Xi, Barnard College, the New England Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium, the Society of Women Geographers, and the National Parks Conservation Association.

Follow @sylviaearle on Twitter

Inside National Geographic Magazine

Gulf Memories

Sylvia Earle remembers a healthier gulf.

News

Sylvia Earle to Judge at 2012 Google Science Fair

Like a school science fair, entrants submit their idea, perform their experiments and then present the results. What sets this event apart is the worldwide participation, world-renowned judges, and life-changing prizes.

Education

Explorers Recommend

Explorers recommend fiction and non-fiction books for children, young adults, and students.

Kids

Nat Geo E-Team

What are Sylvia Earle and the rest of the National Geographic Explorers up to? Meet the E-Team and learn about their projects in this interactive mural.
Interview With Sylvia

Ocean explorer Sylvia Earle talks about growing up and what she was like as a kid.

In Their Words

I hope for your help to explore and protect the wild ocean in ways that will restore the health and, in so doing, secure hope for humankind. Health to the ocean means health for us.

—Sylvia Earle

Videos

Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer

NG Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle recalls her fascinating encounter with a whale.

Audio

Listen to Sylvia Earle

Hear an interview with Earle on National Geographic Weekend.

00:11:00 Sylvia Earle

National Geographic Explorer in Residence Sylvia Earle has been deeper undersea than any other woman. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, field scientist, and an inspiration to women around the world. She recently received the Royal Geographic Society’s 2011 Patron’s Medal. Boyd talks to Earle about some of her early dives in the Jim Suit.