On a sea floor that looks like a sandy mud bottom, that at first glance might appear to be sand and mud, when you look closely and sit there as I do for a while and just wait, all sorts of creatures show themselves, with little heads popping out of the sand. It is a metropolis. Sylvia Earle bottomcloselycreature share on social
Santa Monica Bay is less polluted today than when I first moved to the area in the 1970s, because actions have been taken to avoid putting some of the noxious materials into the sea. I think people are more aware than they once were, the air is cleaner, water generally is, in spite of the fact that there are more people. Sylvia Earle 1970sactionair share on social
I love my Force Fins, which are the kind of fins Special Forces use and really are adapted from the fins of fish. They're very efficient. They are so beautiful, a pair is in the Museum of Modern Art. The set I have are ruby red. I call them my ruby flippers. Sylvia Earle adaptartbeautiful share on social
If you think the ocean isn't important, imagine Earth without it. Mars comes to mind. No ocean, no life support system. Sylvia Earle earthimagineimportant Change image and share on social
I'm friends with James Cameron. We've spent time together over the years because he is a diver and explorer and in his heart of hearts a biologist. We run into each other at scientific conferences. Sylvia Earle biologistcameronconference Change image and share on social
Nearly all of the major kinds of life, divisions of life, phyla of animals, occur in the sea. Only about half of them can make it to land or freshwater. Sylvia Earle animaldivisionfreshwater Change image and share on social
If we could magically transport ourselves back to the young Earth, when it was only a billion years old or two billion years old or three billion years old or four billion years old, we wouldn't be able to survive. We would have a hard time surviving if we were transported to the time when dinosaurs were around. Sylvia Earle backbilliondinosaur share on social
Hold up a mirror and ask yourself what you are capable of doing, and what you really care about. Then take the initiative - don't wait for someone else to ask you to act. Sylvia Earle actcapablecare Change image and share on social
Ocean acidification - the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is turning the oceans increasingly acid - is a slow but accelerating impact with consequences that will greatly overshadow all the oil spills put together. The warming trend that is CO2-related will overshadow all the oil spills that have ever occurred put together. Sylvia Earle accelerateacidacidification share on social
I have heard endlessly that fish are so resilient that there is no way that you could exterminate a species. We are learning otherwise. Sylvia Earle endlesslyexterminatefish Change image and share on social