These days, when most people think of submarines, they probably think of the Titan disaster of 2023. The submersible suffered a catastrophic collapse 3,500 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean while attempting to reach the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board.
The tragedy significantly dampened American interest in submersibles and actually increased fear of exploring the dark depths of the ocean, leading to an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and forcing the research company OceanGate to cease operations.
But eminent ocean conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle—the first person to walk independently on the deep seafloor, living underwater for seven months as part of a research project—is trying to change that notion.
Her company, DOER Marine, which designs submersibles, is developing a new class of submersible. The submarine, named Honu after the Hawaiian word for "turtle," will make its maiden dive in French Polynesia later this year and will be capable of carrying three passengers to a depth of 1,000 meters for eight hours at a time.
Earl is adamant that deep-diving in a submarine is "safer than flying in an airplane," provided the companies are "certified by agencies that are committed to your safety—unlike that little submarine that tragically didn't return from its voyage to the Titanic.".
Dr. Sylvia Earle has been a leader in ocean conservation for decades. She says it's never too late to start diving (Getty).
When it comes to submersibles, many people think of the Titan disaster. Earle aims to change that perception with his new class of submersibles (PA Media).
In an extensive interview with the publication The Independent A 90-year-old deep-sea research expert discusses her connection to the ocean and what humanity can do to combat threats to our health.
Earle made history as the first woman to hold the position of chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1990, and was also one of four women who lived underwater as part of the Tektite II experiment in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1970.
But it all started on a beach in southern New Jersey. It was there that she first fell in love with the water, a passion that intensified later, while diving in Florida.
«"I first encountered the ocean when I was three years old," Earl recalls. "My parents were on a family vacation at the Jersey Shore. And I remember hearing the sound of the ocean for the first time, the waves crashing on the shore, and smelling a scent I'd never noticed before.".
Sylvia Earle is a scuba diver on Tetiaroa Atoll in French Polynesia. Earle has been spending time in the ocean since she was three years old. (Sylvia Earle).
She still dives in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Texas and Louisiana.
There, about 80 feet below the ocean's surface, lies a coral reef teeming with life.
«"Diving is something almost anyone can do," Earle said. "Her mother waited until she was 81 before trying it.".
«"So if you're 81, it's not too late. If you're 91, it's not too late. If you're alive, it's not too late," she explained. "And if diving isn't your thing, get in a submarine.".
This image, provided by DOER Marine, shows the submersible Honu. The submarine's maiden dive will take place in French Polynesia later this year. (Sylvia Earle).
Despite significant advances in rocketry that will one day allow humans to reach Mars and the farthest reaches of the solar system, submersibles remain the gateway to the ocean's largely unexplored depths.
Although more than 70 percent of the planet's surface is made up of water, scientists have only explored 0.0001 percent of the deep ocean, leaving many unsolved mysteries concerning much of life on Earth.
This is why conservation is so important, Earl emphasizes.
«"The ocean is alive, but we humans are trying so hard to change that, extracting life from the ocean and selling it or consuming it, not realizing that the value of living fish far exceeds the value of dead ones when half of them are already gone," she said.
In this January 2016 photo taken in Long Beach, California, whale watchers look out over the Pacific Ocean. Scientists have only explored 0.0001 percent of the ocean's depths (AFP/Getty).
Human greed has led to the loss of approximately half of the coral reef ecosystems that keep the oceans healthy.
«"It's just depressing to think how terribly effective one species—that is, us—has been at destroying the very foundation of life that is essential to our existence," Earle said.
New threats emerge every month. The Trump administration is taking steps to open protected waters to deep-sea mining near American Samoa, weaken protections for Pacific marine monuments that support tourism, and approve a $5 billion oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Divers swim around a coral reef in Key West, Florida, in July 2023. The coral reef is the largest in the continental United States and supports marine life. (AFP/Getty).
Environmental activists and conservationists say these actions will harm some of our most beloved marine species, such as humpback whales and green sea turtles, as well as those we rely on for food.
The health of the oceans is crucial to the survival of the Earth. First, the oceans produce most of the oxygen we need to breathe. Second, the oceans serve as a vital carbon sink, absorbing much of the pollutants we emit into the atmosphere and causing global warming.
Earl noted that the energy industry has threatened that balance, as only 3 percent of the ocean is protected.
«"We've gotten too carried away. We're dangerously close to sliding in the wrong direction," she warned.
«"But the good news is that children are growing up knowing we have problems. But they also know there are solutions, and that under their leadership, under our leadership right now, we as a species have the best chance to shape the world we want, not just the world we have," Earl added.