In the summer of 1964, marine biologist Sylvia Earle was the only woman among the 70 or so crew members on board the National Science Foundation's research vessel Anton Bruun.
A part of the International Indian Ocean Expedition, the six-week scientific voyage was the beginning of her underwater odyssey.
In 1970, Earle led the first all-female aquanaut team in Tektite II's Mission 6 conducted off the coast of the US Virgin Islands. The research lab and habitat on the ocean floor allowed the study of marine life without having to surface.
"When I first began exploring the ocean, it was a much healthier place," she said. "Now, about half the coral reefs, globally, are gone. In some places more than 80, 90% are gone. And 90% of the sharks are gone. But 10% of the sharks and half of the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape. That is cause for hope."
Armed with a PhD from Duke University and 30 honorary degrees, Earle, among her many prestigious positions, was formerly chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research. She has also been a Rolex Testimonee since 1982.
Sylvia Earle has been a Rolex Testimonee since 1982.
Above all, she is a pioneer of ocean exploration for six decades. Changes in the marine environment has made her place a priority on ocean conservation.
After winning the 2009 TED prize for her "vision to spark global change", the American oceanographer and explorer launched the Mission Blue initiative, which aims at creating a global network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), called Hope Spots.
Critical to the health of the ocean, these areas may be significant for their biodiversity, or home to endemic, rare or endangered species. In addition, local communities may rely on a healthy marine environment of the Hope Spots for their livelihoods.
Mission Blue empowers local people to make change, and subsequently create a global wave of community support for ocean conservation.
Sylvia Earle addresses young volunteers before a beach clean-up on Long Island in the Seychelles.
This is implemented by the nomination of a Hope Spot by individuals, local governments or community organisations, followed by assessment of the applications by a team at Mission Blue, and then put to the Hope Spot Council, comprising marine scientists and policy experts. Today, the number of Hope Spots has increased to 163, covering more than 57.5 million square kilometres of the world's oceans.
These MPAs include the Azores Archipelago, Cocos-Galápagos Swimway, Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, Malpelo Island and the recently-launched Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands.
On the importance of taking action to preserve the ocean, Earle said: "We are facing maybe the most important time in human history. We have a choice about the future, armed with technologies that did not exist until, right about now. Knowledge that has been acquired during my lifetime about the ocean, about who we are, where we come from, that perspective about the danger that we are now in, is cause for hope."
Previously championing exploration for the sake of discovery, Rolex has moved to protecting the planet, which is reinforced by its Perpetual Planet Initiative launched in 2019.
Malpelo Island Hope Spot is home to an extraordinary ecosystem of fish, marine mammals, reptiles and corals.
Today, this initiative supports a wide range of ongoing projects in the field of conservation across all the planet's landscapes, mainly focusing in ocean conservation, wilderness protection and the preservation of the living world.
Rolex joined forces with Mission Blue in 2014, and has supported its efforts to help protect 30% the world's seas by 2030, following the target for safeguarding ocean health recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Earle believes that everyone can contribute to ocean conservation.
"Imagine if everybody just started every day with the idea of, 'What can my personal choices do to make a difference?'. And working with others, how can I make the 21st century, the time that, far into the future, our descendants will look back on and say this was the time when people acted to secure an enduring future for life on Earth. Protect the ocean as if your life depends on it, because it does," she said.
An adult humpback whale swimming in Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia.
Ocean exploration and conservation pioneer Sylvia Earle.
