Two weeks ago, I’d never heard of Sylvia Earle. Now, she’s fast becoming my new hero.
It was only when I was flicking through Netflix that I came across Mission Blue. It tells Sylvia’s story, starting out as a young marine biologist in 1960s America. She began scuba diving and studying the ocean back when there were very few signs of human destruction. “No one at this time imagined we could do anything to harm it” she explains.
Sylvia went on to become the first female chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an American government organisation for monitoring the oceans and atmosphere. In 1998, she given the role of National Geographic explorer-in-residence – all while bringing up three children. At the age of 79, she’s now regarded as one of the most legendary marine biologists of all time.
She’s dedicated her life to exploring the ocean – and now she’s determined to save them.
In just 50 years, overfishing has killed off 90 per cent of the ocean’s top predators including sharks, bluefin tuna, swordfish, marlin, and king mackerel. Half the coral reefs in the world are dead. As Sylvia points out, “No ocean, no life. No ocean, no us.”
Roughly 12 per cent of the land on earth is now under protection, while only three per cent of the ocean is. Sylvia’s aim is create Hope Spots (like national parks, but for the ocean) to stop us from destroying it for good.
“Just because you can’t see any changes to the surface of the sea, doesn’t mean it’s not happening underneath”
But what makes this film different to any other ‘save the ocean’ documentary? It works because it focuses around Sylvia’s life. She’s an interesting character in her own right.
On her first conservation mission to the Indian Ocean, the newspaper headlines read: ‘Sylvia Sails Away With 70 Men, But She Expects No Problems’.
This was 1960s America after all. Scientists weren’t famous. Women didn’t run environmental projects, let alone hold prestigious positions at NOAA. Yet Sylvia shot to fame. She was beautiful, powerful, strong willed. A true pioneer not only for marine conservation but for ambitious women.
She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Two years after she was awarded the position of chief scientist at NOAA, she resigned because the committee refused to let her speak her mind on important fishing policies.
As you follow Sylvia’s life, you can’t help but begin to sympathise with her cause. You see things how she has seen them from thousands of hours spent studying the ocean – and how quickly we need to act to stop the oceans from dying forever.
I didn’t realise exactly how crucial the environment was to human survival until I watched Mission Blue. “Just because you can’t see any changes to the surface of the sea, doesn’t mean it’s not happening underneath,” says Sylvia. And she’s right.
If there’s one film you should watch this week, make it Mission Blue.
Watch the trailer below or the full film on Netflix now. All photos courtesy of Mission Blue.