JUDY WOODRUFF: Marine biologist Sylvia Earle
has spent more than four decades at the forefront
of ocean exploration.
And, at 83, she shows no signs of slowing
down.
Earle was the first female chief scientist
of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and was named Hero of the
Planet in 1998 by "TIME" magazine.
In tonight's Brief But Spectacular, she reflects
on her passion for the ocean and the planet.
SYLVIA EARLE, Marine Biologist: The ocean
got my attention when I was about 3 years
old.
A wave sneaked up behind me and knocked me
off my feet.
And my mother, kind of the mother of all mothers,
instead of racing out to take me out of the
ocean forever, saw the big smile on my face
and let me run back in.
And I have been running back in ever since.
Two words of instruction, breathe naturally,
and over the side, I went.
It took a few seconds, no more, before I felt
like I belonged there.
Four decades ago, I had a chance to do some
research.
NARRATOR: There is a new tool in the sea.
It can withstand pressure up to 2,000 feet.
Dr. Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist.
Her question, can scientists use the JIM suit
for dives over 1,000 feet?
If successful, she will be the first woman
to walk the seafloor beyond 1,000 feet.
SYLVIA EARLE: We cooked up this idea of going
on the nose of the submarine, like the ornament
on the hood of a car, together down to the
bottom of the ocean, and then I would step
off at the maximum depth we could go, which
turned out to be about 400 meters, 1,250 feet.
Creatures with lights down the side, they
looked like little ocean liners.
There are various kinds of jellies and crustaceans
and little squids and the fish.
It's like diving into a galaxy of these lights.
What's hard is getting people to understand
why the ocean matters to them.
If the ocean dried up tomorrow, life would
also dry up.
That's where most of the action on Earth is.
It's 97 percent of the water on Earth.
They should know that, with every breath they
take, every drop of water they drink, the
ocean is touching them.
You should treat the ocean as if your life
depends on it, because it does.
My name is Sylvia Earle, and this is my Brief
But Spectacular take on why the ocean matters
to all of us.
JUDY WOODRUFF: She's amazing.
And you can find additional Brief But Spectacular
episodes on our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.
