Also known as Her Deepness and Queen of the Deep, Dr. Sylvia Earle has devoted most of her life to the deep wonders of the ocean. Born in Gibbstown, New Jersey, she was raised by parents to have a fascination with nature as a whole. When she and her family moved to Clearwater, Florida at the age of 13, her love of nature increased while living near the Gulf of Mexico and her parents encouraged this enthusiasm. Earle’s exceptional nature as a student earned her many scholarships to Florida State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Botany in 1955. Soon after, she received both her Masters of Arts degree in Botany in 1956 and Ph. D. degree in 1966 from Duke University.

Dr. Earle’s exploration with the ocean has been quite extensive. She took part in the government-funded Tektite II Project in 1970, where she and four other women dove 50 feet below the surface and lived in an underwater chamber for two weeks. She also made scientific missions during the 1970s that took her to such places as the Galapagos Islands, the waters near Panama, China, the Bahamas, and the Indian Ocean. In 1977, Dr. Earle, along with photographer Al Giddings, did a documentary film entitled “Gentle Giants of the Pacific,” which was about the journeys of the great sperm whales. This expedition took her from Hawaii to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Bermuda, and Alaska. Dr. Earle made history in 1979 when she was the first living human being to freely dive at a depth of 1,250 feet below the surface.

Along with her exploration of the ocean, Dr. Earle’s career led her to become the first woman to serve as chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1990. She currently is President and CEO of Deep Ocean Engineering, a company she started with engineer Graham Hawkes in the 1980s. She also is an explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society.

Dr. Earle has given countless speeches about undersea research. One of the many acknowledgements includes being a recipient of the FSU “Grad Made Good” Award.