Mission Blue Founder Sylvia Earle celebrating after swimming with blue sharks near Faial Island in the Azores. This area is an important deep-sea ecosystem, with species including whales and porpoises finding rich feeding grounds among the archipelago’s concealed seamounts. © Rolex/Reto Albertalli
Few explorers have captured the world’s imagination like Dr Sylvia Earle. Known as “Her Deepness,” the pioneering oceanographer has spent more than six decades beneath the waves. She has led over 100 expeditions, logging thousands of hours underwater, dedicating her life to understanding and protecting the planet’s oceans.
With over 250 publications and more than 100 national and international honours, Earle remains one of the world’s most influential voices in marine conservation.
Since 1982, Earle has been a Rolex Testimonee, a partnership reflecting a shared philosophy rooted in exploration, care, and respect for our natural world. Together, they champion the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, a programme dedicated to safeguarding the Earth’s most vital ecosystems. Today, with only eight per cent of the world’s oceans protected, the Initiative’s mission is more important than ever, supporting global efforts to protect at least 30 per cent of the seas by 2030.
INTO THE DEEP
Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee since 1982, pictured inside a Deep Worker submersible off the coast of Vancouver, Canada, as it emerges from the water. Earle believes that we can all come together to help reverse the damage already done to the marine world and safeguard it for future generations. © Courtesy of Sylvia Earle
Earle’s fascination with the ocean began in her childhood backyard in New Jersey, observing tadpoles in a pond. That curiosity evolved into a career of firsts. Armed with a PhD from Duke University, she initially focused on marine algae before gaining international acclaim in 1970 with the Tektite II mission.
During this mission, she lived and worked 50 feet beneath the surface with an all-female team of aquanauts in the US Virgin Islands. Their research into ocean life and the effects of living underwater on humans earned recognition at the White House, fuelling Earle’s advocacy for marine ecosystem protection worldwide.
Her achievements are legendary: she became the first female chief scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, set a world record for the deepest solo untethered dive (381 metres, 1979), and was awarded TIME Magazine’s first Hero for the Planet, the National Geographic Hubbard Medal, as well as honours from the Explorers Club and Royal Geographical Society.
EXPLORATION AND CONSERVATION
Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle, one of the most influential ocean advocates of our time, on Muir Beach in California. Photo: Rolex/Carles Carabí
In 2009, following her TED Prize win, Earle launched Mission Blue, creating a global network of Hope Spots focused on ecologically critical ocean areas vital to marine health. With support from Rolex since 2014, Hope Spots have grown from 50 to more than 160, spanning biodiverse regions such as the Galapagos Islands and the Azores.
Rolex also supports Mission Blue’s Champions, empowering local leaders to drive change in their respective marine environments. “Whether we are explorers or concerned citizens, we must save the planet for future generations,” Earle said—a vision mirrored in Rolex’s ongoing commitment to conservation.
Now in her ninth decade, Earle continues to inspire with lectures in over 80 countries, 34 honorary degrees, and her role as National Geographic Explorer At Large. In 2022, Rolex celebrated 40 years of partnership with the Testimonee—a milestone recognising a remarkable career and a shared mission: that exploration and stewardship go hand in hand.
“All of us, individually and collectively, need to respect nature and take care of it,” Earle stresses. “We must treat the ocean and the rest of our living planet like our lives depend on them—because they do.”
