About this talk
Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

Why you should listen to her:
Sylvia Earle, called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress and "Hero for the Planet" by Time, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration.

Earle’s work has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. Earle has led more than 50 expeditions worldwide involving more than 6,000 hours underwater. As captain of the first all-female team to live underwater, she and her fellow scientists received a ticker-tape parade and White House reception upon their return to the surface. In 1979, Sylvia Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. In the 1980s she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies with engineer Graham Hawkes to design and build undersea vehicles that allow scientists to work at previously inaccessible depths. In the early 1990s, Dr. Earle served as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. At present she is explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society.

Sylvia Earle is a dedicated advocate for the world’s oceans and the creatures that live in them. Her voice speaks with wonder and amazement at the glory of the oceans and with urgency to awaken the public from its ignorance about the role the oceans plays in all of our lives and the importance of maintaining their health.

"We've got to somehow stabilize our connection to nature so that in 50 years from now, 500 years, 5,000 years from now there will still be a wild system and respect for what it takes to sustain us."
Sylvia Earle

Very good talk.

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

If you're not familiar with the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks, prepare to be delighted. TED brings together some of the brightest minds of our time, once a year, to give "the talk of their lifetime" in under 18 minutes.

Every year 3 individuals are chosen for the TED prize. In addition to receiving $100,000, they are granted one wish to change the world. These wishes have lead to amazingly successful collaborative efforts. Sylvia Earle was a TED prize recipient of this year's conference (held earlier this month). She is a renowned oceanographer and "ambassador for the worlds oceans".

She's not the worlds most eloquent orator, but I think she's pretty badass. Also, somewhere in this video there's a 2 second clip of a whale shark, which I would argue, is the most badass of all sharks. Take that, great white, you showoff.