Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, marine botanist, ecologist, and writer. A pioneering aquanaut and marine explorer, Earle made her first scuba dive at 17. She has since set the women’s depth record for solo diving (1,000 meters/3,281 feet) and logged more than 6,000 diving hours—feats that garnered her the moniker “Her Deepness.” The author of five books and numerous scientific and popular articles, Earle tirelessly calls for the preservation and exploration of the world’s marine ecosystems.

“If we have a hope of really understanding our place in nature and of carving out a place for ourselves that is sustainable, it’s primarily because of the new level of communication,” says Earle. “It used to be, ‘What you don’t have in your mind, you have on your shelf.’ But now we have the Web.”