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When we count America’s greatest women explorers, most people tend to look everywhere but down. Think of Sally Ride, the first woman from the United States to fly in space, or Jane Goodall, whose study of wild chimpanzees is considered some of the most important research in history. Astronautics and primatology grip us by the throat and heart. Few images capture collective “oohs” and “ahs” more than rocket flames at liftoff or the adorable faces of our chimp cousins and other apes in the forests.
“When divers and submersibles go underwater, onlookers hear a ‘plunk’ and see ripples in the water,” said 88-year-old oceanographer Sylvia Earle, the first woman to serve as chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and world record holder for the deepest untethered walk on the ocean floor. “What they’re not seeing is this vast and magical universe that human existence depends on. The ocean is 97% of the biosphere. If we don’t take care of the ocean, nothing else matters in the end,” she warned.
While not known as widely as Ride and Goodall, Earle has been recognized as a Living Legend by the Library of Congress and was anointed Time magazine’s first Hero for the Planet. She even has a nickname: Her Deepness.
Fifteen years ago, Earle founded Mission Blue, which aims to grow a network of protected marine areas, and she continues leading efforts across the globe to conserve the ocean. In October, she traveled from her home in Oakland, California, to speak and conduct research in New York, Montana, Los Angeles, Iceland, the Cayman Islands and Mozambique — the last two stops included plenty of diving. In November, she headed to Spain and Switzerland, and in February 2024, Earle is planning a return to the Galapagos Islands, a place where she has examined marine life since 1966 on more than 30 expeditions.
With that grueling schedule, she doesn’t just leave her strength and endurance to chance. CNN asked her to share her lessons for nurturing and maintaining her health, and it turns out her wisdom is applicable to any effort that requires outsize stamina — whether you’re trying to get fit, eat better or save the sea.
This conversation has been condensed for length and clarity.
CNN: You’ve logged more than 7,500 hours underwater and have at least another 100 hours planned by mid-2024. How do you prepare for the demands on your body?
Sylvia Earle: Run through airports. Lift heavy suitcases. Put them in the overhead. (Earle laughed.) I don’t have a specific routine. I’ve never seen the inside of a gym, I don’t think. The world is where I exercise.
CNN: What do you do?
Earle: I like to garden. It’s such a joy to watch zucchini squash grow from a tiny little seed to this monster green thing that is really good to eat. Just being in touch with nature.
CNN: You mentioned growing your own vegetables. What do you eat?
Earle: I’m a vegetarian. I do sometimes have dairy-based products, but in general, I try to be mindful about what I take in because it becomes a part of me. I want to be here for the long haul.
CNN: Have you always been a vegetarian?
Earle: When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, we ate fish. We didn’t eat a lot of it, but we’d go to the Jersey Shore and eat flounder, crabs, oysters and clams.
CNN: What changed for you?
Earle: There are several reasons that I choose not to include any wildlife, sea life, on my menu. I know too much, about who they are. I have respect for them. I have respect for myself. And I don’t know what they’ve been eating. It’s an ethical choice and a health choice. There’s a scientifically sound reason, too: We need to treasure wild animals in the sea because of their role in maintaining the planet. The ocean governs climate. The ocean shapes planetary chemistry. It’s a horrible thought: If we lose all the rainforests, it would be a tragedy, but we could get by, if the ocean is intact. But the ocean is not intact today. Half of the coral reefs are gone.
CNN: You began exploring the ocean in the 1950s, and its condition has only gotten worse. How do you fill your emotional well so you’re able to keep up the fight?
Earle: I try to recharge my mind and spirit by being tuned in to the world outside where humans tend to focus their time. My family is mainly California-based, but I also have family in Canada and Florida.
CNN: How important are human connections to you, with friends and family?
Earle: My parents were always there for me. They loved me no matter what. I still have that kind of backing from my kids and grandkids. It’s unconditional. It’s that sense of, “We love you no matter what.” I love the company of others, but I also like being alone. I’ve spent a fair amount of time deep in the ocean by myself in little one-person subs going down like 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) beneath the surface. People say, “Aren’t you lonely?” I find that perplexing because you’re never alone. On Earth, life is everywhere, and we’re a part of it. I’m a part of it.
CNN: But people are feeling lonely in this country. US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy announced in May that we’re grappling with a loneliness epidemic. It seems to me that you’re talking about the importance of having a positive mindset. Is that right?
Earle: Sometimes, if I’m feeling woe is me, or woe is the world, I go outside. I find reason for hope. There are miracles all around us. You see little flowers popping up where it seems so unlikely. You can get so tangled up and so focused on things that surround us every day that you forget that life is a miracle. Imagine the alternative. Imagine if you weren’t alive. I wish I could just wave a magic wand and get people to see how remarkable it is that life exists, that humans exist, with the capacity to wonder.
CNN: Do you consider curiosity essential to your vitality?
Earle: Yes, not just for me, for everybody. Diving has everything to do with mindset. You just have to have the willingness to let go a bit. There are any number of people who will say, “You cannot do this. You’re too tall. You’re too short. You’re too old. You’re too young. Your skin is the wrong color. You speak the wrong language.” I mean, the skeptics abound.
CNN: In addition to diving, you’ve started three companies to fuel ocean exploration and conservation. When do you sleep?
Earle: I do try to get some good solid hours of sleep. Eight is great. Seven is OK. Six, you know, that’ll do. I thought I could get by on much less, but I realize that giving your body a chance to reboot and recover from doing all the things that you do is important.
CNN: Is your age a factor in your work, either in how much time you spend in the water or in your role within Mission Blue?
Earle: I don’t want to think about the fact that I’m at the age that I am. I just want to keep going and doing what needs to be done.
Allison Gilbert is an author and Emmy award-winning journalist. Follow her at @agilbertwriter.