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The Incredible Woman Trying to Save the Ocean before It’s Too Late
An iconic scientist’s race against time
“When I was a kid, we thought the ocean was too big to fail. Now we know better.” — American Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
On a sailing trip around the Bahamas back in 2018, my partner and I had a chance to do some snorkeling around the many reefs in the area.
Before we arrived, I was super excited about the opportunity. I hadn’t done much snorkeling before, and I was picturing the breathtaking scenes I’d witnessed on TV and in National Geographic magazines.
Colorful reefs and countless schools of tropical fish danced in my head as I got my snorkel gear on, anticipating what was sure to be an amazing sight. But when I jumped in the turquoise water, this paradise was nowhere to be found. And it wasn’t just the first time we snorkeled, either. No matter where the ship anchored, the visions in my head didn’t match what I was seeing in real life. Reality was much different.
Rather than the impressive coral cities of all shapes, sizes, and colors, we saw a bed of dull grey-white below us. In some places, it looked like a pile of rubble, like everything that had once been there had just crumbled.
