A LIFETIME OF DEDICATION

Across six decades of exploration, one pioneering oceanographer has changed how the world understands and protects the sea. From early curiosity at a backyard pond to record-setting dives and global conservation campaigns, her life’s work charts the evolution of marine science, technology and activism.

Living Underwater to Understand It

In 1970, she led a groundbreaking two-week mission that placed an all-women team in an underwater habitat roughly 15 meters beneath the surface in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The aquanauts conducted up to 12 hours of research dives each day, documenting marine life and assessing how continuous submersion affects the human body. Their return to shore drew unprecedented attention to ocean research and gave her a platform she has used ever since: turning exploration into advocacy.

Science, Records and Firsts

Armed with a doctorate in marine science and a fierce curiosity for the unnoticed and unknown, she began by studying algae—organisms that anchor ocean ecosystems and carbon cycles. Her research career grew into thousands of hours underwater and more than a hundred expeditions, yielding discoveries of new species and insights into the structure and resilience of marine communities.

She became the first woman to serve as chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and, in 1979, descended to a depth of 381 meters for the deepest solo untethered walk on the seafloor—a bold fusion of physiology, engineering and nerve that still stands as a milestone in human-ocean interaction.

Turning Exploration into Protection

Today, only a small fraction of the ocean—about 8 percent—is formally protected. Yet more than 100 nations have pledged to conserve at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, an ambitious target that demands science, technology and public will. In 2009, she launched a global initiative to meet that challenge: a network of “Hope Spots,” areas of exceptional ecological value identified for protection and local stewardship.

The model is elegantly simple: spotlight a crucial region, galvanize the people who depend on it, and equip them with the tools to safeguard it. Since that launch, the number of designated Hope Spots has more than tripled, stretching from the Azores to the Galápagos and beyond. The effort taps the power of community-led conservation while drawing on the latest mapping, monitoring and submersible technologies to document biodiversity in places where data were once sparse.

The Technology Beneath the Waves

Her career mirrors the evolution of ocean technology itself. From early SCUBA surveys to saturation living in underwater habitats, she has embraced tools that extend human presence at depth. Closed-circuit rebreathers, small crewed submersibles and advanced sensors have opened windows into rocky slopes, kelp forests and mesophotic zones—depths where sunlight fades but life proliferates. On recent expeditions, these technologies have enabled the search for deep-water kelp and other overlooked ecosystems that may hold keys to resilience in a warming ocean.

Science with a Human Voice

Recognition has followed: more than a hundred honors, dozens of honorary degrees and roles that bridge research and storytelling. She has lectured across continents and served as an explorer-at-large with leading scientific institutions, using every platform to make a simple, evidence-based case: we are tied to the ocean for oxygen, climate regulation, food and culture. Safeguarding its living fabric is not optional—it is survival.

Her message blends urgency with possibility. Protected areas, when effectively managed and supported by local communities, can restore fish populations, sequester carbon and preserve biodiversity. New data streams—from satellites to autonomous vehicles—give policymakers clearer pictures of where protections are most needed and how well they work. And the public, armed with knowledge and voice, can shift the political calculus for conservation.

The Work Ahead

The ocean is changing fast: warming waters, acidifying chemistry and dwindling oxygen levels are reshaping ecosystems in real time. Yet history shows that life in the sea is remarkably resilient when given space to recover. That is the wager behind the Hope Spots network and the broader 30×30 vision: protect enough of the ocean, in the right places, and the rest stands a chance.

What began with a backyard pond and a scientist’s eye has grown into a global movement that links exploration, technology and community action. The through-line is clear. Explore to learn. Learn to protect. Protect to ensure there is still something to explore—for the next dive, the next generation and the planet that depends on a living sea.