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Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Series
Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans
Internationally known as the ambassador-at-large to the world's oceans, Sylvia Earle is the former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminsitration. Sea Change is at once the gripping adventure story of Earle's three decades of undersea exploration and an urgent plea for the preservation of the world's fragile and rapidly deterioating ocean ecosystems.
361 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
54 people are currently reading
1800 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia A. Earle
48 books256 followersSylvia A. Earle is an American oceanographer, aquanaut, and author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 26, 2019
Sylvia is an inspiring woman and has had some amazing experiences!! It makes me sad to know that things were already looking bad when this book was published and it’s only gotten worse. But her message is still one of striving to do what we can, whether as an individual or as a group, to protect or restore the animals and areas that are still here. It is still a very valid message and one that is being heralded louder and louder these days...perhaps the message will stop falling on so many deaf ears. Ignorance is a destructive force for the environment!
August 5, 2016
Sylvia Earle is a well-respected oceanographer, biologist, explorer, and policy maker. She has done great things with her life, and all along the way held everything in balance. Kids, grandkids, family memories...
Unfortunately for me, that's not why I bought the book. Still, I learned more about them than I did about the sea. This is an autobiography with a short chapter at the end pleading for a "sea change", but besides the ominous warnings that were not commonplace knowledge in 1995 sprinkled throughout the novel, it's really just a lot about her. Nothing wrong with that, but that's not why I bought the book.
Sylvia also admits what all marine scientists know these days: fisheries are inherently unsustainable and can never be sustainable. Yet she admits she enjoys seafood while calling herself an advocate for the ocean? "This is a sure way to harm the oceans I vowed to protect, but it's just so tasty!" I expected more resolve from someone with a PhD in her life's passion and a list of awards about as deep as she dives.
In summary: Sylvia is a great mouthpiece scientist who talks about stuff like a policymaker with a hint of scientist. The book is extremely well written, but it's mostly about her experiences and not conservation. If you're a casual reader wanting to read something on the development of marine biology techniques from 1950s-1995, by all means, grab this book.
If, like me, you're an aspiring marine scientist looking for inspiration from a badass woman who doubtless would be a wonderful conversationalist, you may want to avoid the book.
Unfortunately for me, that's not why I bought the book. Still, I learned more about them than I did about the sea. This is an autobiography with a short chapter at the end pleading for a "sea change", but besides the ominous warnings that were not commonplace knowledge in 1995 sprinkled throughout the novel, it's really just a lot about her. Nothing wrong with that, but that's not why I bought the book.
Sylvia also admits what all marine scientists know these days: fisheries are inherently unsustainable and can never be sustainable. Yet she admits she enjoys seafood while calling herself an advocate for the ocean? "This is a sure way to harm the oceans I vowed to protect, but it's just so tasty!" I expected more resolve from someone with a PhD in her life's passion and a list of awards about as deep as she dives.
In summary: Sylvia is a great mouthpiece scientist who talks about stuff like a policymaker with a hint of scientist. The book is extremely well written, but it's mostly about her experiences and not conservation. If you're a casual reader wanting to read something on the development of marine biology techniques from 1950s-1995, by all means, grab this book.
If, like me, you're an aspiring marine scientist looking for inspiration from a badass woman who doubtless would be a wonderful conversationalist, you may want to avoid the book.
May 19, 2013
Great book, very well written... if you love the sea/ocean PLEASE read this
July 29, 2024
tear-jerking, perspective-altering, earth-shattering and everyone should have to read it 🐙🦑🪼🦐🦞🦀🐡🐠🐟🐬🐳🐋🦈🌊🌏
October 18, 2013
PUSH THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION!!! I almost quit reading this book before it even started. But once I got through that and the first chapter things got a lot better. I just finished reading this book in October 2013, much of what she talks about occurred in the 40's, 50's and 60's with a smattering in the 70's and 80's so much of it is outdated at this point. I would love for her to do an update, a 2013 edition if you will. So much has changed since then, for better and worse. For example, she discusses changes seen in Caribbean corals that they only speculated had to do with temperature rise. Now it is an accepted and global fact. She also compares the oil spill in Prince William Sound to the spills during the first Gulf War. I would be interested to see what she says about what we now know about global warming and how she compares the Gulf of Mexico spill that occurred in 2010. She saw first hand the science of the ocean change. She saw first hand the massive destruction we wrought on the oceans during the last 60 or so years. I would love to see how she thinks things are going and how much further things have changed. Definitely read it, push through the slow bits but it is worth it.
February 11, 2012
Dr. Earle is one of the world's most respected biologists and oceanographers and wrote this book in 1995 about the oceans and her experiences therein. It is part autobiography, part description of underwater wonders and exploration, and part huge red warning sign about the dangers our oceans are facing, namely us. The very scary thing is when this book was written, currently 16 years ago, pollution, overfishing, and poor ecological practices were pushing our oceans closer to collapse. Now that a decade and a half have passed without respite, you can't help wonder how close we are to the brink. Highly recommended.
March 4, 2012
This is my favorite Sylvia Earle thing, I think. This book blew open my ideas about the ocean way back in the day, first of all by shooting to hell all the graphs I had to memorize for class about fisheries and maximum sustainable yield. But I look back on it now for the bigger picture it painted and how it nuanced my thinking about wildlife management, the sea, and environmental policy. The organization falters sometimes, but the message and the story are pretty important.
Plus...she was a female marine scientist logging hundreds of hours underwater at a time when such a thing made her a newspaper spectacle, so she's also sort of a personal hero.
Plus...she was a female marine scientist logging hundreds of hours underwater at a time when such a thing made her a newspaper spectacle, so she's also sort of a personal hero.
May 1, 2021
Sylvia Earle, a marine biologist and chief scientist of NOAA, talks about her life and experiences in underwater research and advocacy for the oceans
Some topics:
- The revolution of underwater technology. She talks about how most people are more interested and incline to go off of this planet to space than to explore the oceans on their own home. Even once interest is evoked, she talks about the challenges to building underwater equipment and safely diving including the immense pressure and lack of light.
- The fishing industry and how we are taking fish at a faster rate than populations can recover. She also talks about the challenges to fixing this including that some people rely on fish in their diet to survive and cannot afford to choose not to eat it, how the fishing mindset is "if we don't take it, someone else will"
- Oil spills. She talked about the struggle to efficient recover from an oil spill and how even though oil will break down eventually, when its in such a large quantity it doesn't always happen ideally. I like that she brought up how when they power washed areas of rocks, these areas actually had a worse recovery than the oily areas left untouched because some organisms had survived and natural weathering and tides eventually removed the oil; she says something about how the environment and the oceans has a power we will never have and never be able to imitate.
My thoughts:
- I loved reading this book. It took me awhile to get through, but every topic was so interesting.
- My favorite part was that I had learned about a lot of the topics she talked about; I was able to pick out vocabulary terms and concepts that had been taught in previous semesters and it was such a cool feeling to not just understanding the words on the page but how they fit into the larger picture. I sat there page after page astonished at my progress as a student and baffled (but also excited) that would I have the chance to meet Sylvia Earle I could actually hold an conversation with her. I wouldn't just be asking questions or letting her talk, but I understand enough about marine life and climate change and ecology to actually contribute to the conversation and that felt amazing. It really helped open my eyes up to the fact that I'm not just a student anymore, but that I'm becoming a scientist. Soooo exciting.
- This book also inspired me to go explore the oceans. I've been a bit intimidated and scare of the ocean, especially because so little of it has been explored. However, the way Earle described her diving/submarine experiences entranced me. The feeling of first breathing underwater, of marine organisms welcoming you into their home, of seeing organisms you've never imagined. I now really want to get my diving certification and to explore these unknown worlds.
Some topics:
- The revolution of underwater technology. She talks about how most people are more interested and incline to go off of this planet to space than to explore the oceans on their own home. Even once interest is evoked, she talks about the challenges to building underwater equipment and safely diving including the immense pressure and lack of light.
- The fishing industry and how we are taking fish at a faster rate than populations can recover. She also talks about the challenges to fixing this including that some people rely on fish in their diet to survive and cannot afford to choose not to eat it, how the fishing mindset is "if we don't take it, someone else will"
- Oil spills. She talked about the struggle to efficient recover from an oil spill and how even though oil will break down eventually, when its in such a large quantity it doesn't always happen ideally. I like that she brought up how when they power washed areas of rocks, these areas actually had a worse recovery than the oily areas left untouched because some organisms had survived and natural weathering and tides eventually removed the oil; she says something about how the environment and the oceans has a power we will never have and never be able to imitate.
My thoughts:
- I loved reading this book. It took me awhile to get through, but every topic was so interesting.
- My favorite part was that I had learned about a lot of the topics she talked about; I was able to pick out vocabulary terms and concepts that had been taught in previous semesters and it was such a cool feeling to not just understanding the words on the page but how they fit into the larger picture. I sat there page after page astonished at my progress as a student and baffled (but also excited) that would I have the chance to meet Sylvia Earle I could actually hold an conversation with her. I wouldn't just be asking questions or letting her talk, but I understand enough about marine life and climate change and ecology to actually contribute to the conversation and that felt amazing. It really helped open my eyes up to the fact that I'm not just a student anymore, but that I'm becoming a scientist. Soooo exciting.
- This book also inspired me to go explore the oceans. I've been a bit intimidated and scare of the ocean, especially because so little of it has been explored. However, the way Earle described her diving/submarine experiences entranced me. The feeling of first breathing underwater, of marine organisms welcoming you into their home, of seeing organisms you've never imagined. I now really want to get my diving certification and to explore these unknown worlds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2018
A good naturalist's account of a life spent around the oceans. Lots of interesting personal history including Earle's own attraction to the ocean, love of diving, and quest for deeper means of diving to explore more of the ocean. Many parallels to space and the divergence in oceanic exploration (which did not receive much government funding) from space exploration. Personal story is all the more impressive for a woman in her era (anecdote about a renowned explorer criticizing her for time spent underwater 'because she's a mother' - to which she asks what about the men who are fathers?). Many scientific and personal anecdotes illustrating that the oceans are in crisis and have changed noticeably during single human lifetimes.
Lessons about oceanic ecosystems and human impact - most notably about food chains. It's not environmentally healthy for us to take from the top of food chains given the amount of matter that has to compound up the chain to that level - eating tuna and swordfish is the equivalent of eating panthers/tigers.
Some hope for marine protected areas.
Lessons about oceanic ecosystems and human impact - most notably about food chains. It's not environmentally healthy for us to take from the top of food chains given the amount of matter that has to compound up the chain to that level - eating tuna and swordfish is the equivalent of eating panthers/tigers.
Some hope for marine protected areas.
March 15, 2019
It reads as a call to action, an inspiration to devise creative solutions, and a reminder of the things we were facing and are still facing today. It provokes thought and contemplation about the everyday impacts that are seemingly harmless at first glance but actually have great (unintended) consequences. Dr Earle is truly an inspiration and a conservation hero and her book along with the others I've read in the past few months have truly inspired me to forge my own path towards making the world a better place. We need oceans, herons, deserts, mountains, frogs, wolves, algae, and everything in between because it makes for healthy ecosystems but also for the pure sake of existence. Ocean and land ecosystems are intricate and removing a part throws the whole system helter skelter. Dr Earle eloquently explains this, complete with her personal stories (which I really enjoyed!), and it's lessons everyone would do well to learn.
October 11, 2019
I'm glad I loved this book as much as I thought it was. Earle is, of course, an absolutely outstanding and unrivalled voice on marine conservation, and in Sea Change she inspires, educates, reflects on her love and passion for the oceans, and urgently calls to action, all in equal parts. This book should be essential reading for any environmentalist, and anyone who's day to day life impacts the health of our oceans (which, really, is everybody.) Despite its age, this book feels completely current and as painfully urgent today as the year it was written. This book will make you totally fall in love with our incredible oceans and everyone and thing that lives in it, break your heart over the devastation that humans are wreaking on it, and inspire you to go and do something - whether that's protest, vote for change-makers, give business and tourism to marine protection parks, or stop eating precious sea life such as lobster and swordfish. Simply an excellent read.
May 30, 2021
Reread this book after almost 25 years! Bought this in 1996-97 when I was in Muscat and diving and snorkeling every Friday.
When I pulled it off the shelf the other day and blew the dust off, I wondered if any of the desert sand from Oman’s Rub' al Khali (the empty quarter) was part of that puff of dust :)
Sylvia Earle is one of my heroes - and if I had been a smarter student (way back when) I’d probably have followed my passion for the waters and made a life in marine science. Alas!
25 years on and the problems she mentions in her book have only gotten worse. The oceans and all the life within needs healing.
Check out the documentary ’Mission Blue’ on Netflix - it’s a 2014 documentary - a bit dated but still as relevant.
When I pulled it off the shelf the other day and blew the dust off, I wondered if any of the desert sand from Oman’s Rub' al Khali (the empty quarter) was part of that puff of dust :)
Sylvia Earle is one of my heroes - and if I had been a smarter student (way back when) I’d probably have followed my passion for the waters and made a life in marine science. Alas!
25 years on and the problems she mentions in her book have only gotten worse. The oceans and all the life within needs healing.
Check out the documentary ’Mission Blue’ on Netflix - it’s a 2014 documentary - a bit dated but still as relevant.
March 21, 2025
I found Sea Change to be a great book overall, though I didn’t expect so much focus on Sylvia Earle’s personal life—it caught me by surprise and at times felt a bit slow. But still, her passion for the ocean really comes through, and she explains the importance of the ocean in a clear, thoughtful way. Even if some parts dragged, I still came away with a much better understanding of how vital the ocean is to life on Earth, and why it’s so important to protect it. Definitely worth reading for anyone interested in the ocean and conservation.
April 7, 2022
it took me like 3 months to finish this book. It was definitely interesting at some parts and I think it would be interesting to someone else, but it’s just things that I’ve heard already. The descriptions of the ocean and the descriptions of pollution were easy to read, but a lot of it is just biographical information or political information about environmental policy, and it’s easier for me to take that in if it’s in video format.
March 1, 2020
It's a good book to read if you are not a biologist. If you are, it feels that it doesn't go deep enough.
If you are a biologist, the first part of the book is for you, if you don't care to read about a few technical details, well, a lot of technical details.
I mean, it was a good book, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to or as much as I hoped.
If you are a biologist, the first part of the book is for you, if you don't care to read about a few technical details, well, a lot of technical details.
I mean, it was a good book, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to or as much as I hoped.
May 31, 2020
A must read for anyone concerned about climate change and ocean health. A compelling story and survey of both Ms. Earle's career and the expanding knowledge of ocean health up to the publication date (1995). Syliva Earle writes with clarity, compassion and urgency. It's horrifying how little has changed except the exponential destruction of our ecosystems.
April 3, 2021
A very good book about our environment, the wildlife in the sea and our impact on the world. There is a great balancce between personal story's and experiences and the current environmental issue and how we can still fix it. Definitely inspiring.
January 14, 2020
I love the ocean I always wanted to protect them and Sylvia Earle is literally my real life hero so I couldn’t not love this book with all my heart
July 12, 2020
A message of warning, and pioneer for empowering women in the scientific community.
October 24, 2020
Such a powerful message. Eye opening.
April 20, 2021
An important and enjoyable read if a bit dated. Would love a sequel.
September 1, 2021
This book is amazing Sylvia Earle is my hero and this is a must read if you love the ocean and the beach this book is written beautifully must read
September 13, 2023
Whilst the content is dense in parts, it is an ode to the ocean and its treasures. Sobering that it is a 1995 edition and we have plundered rather than protected.
Team Rachel Carson and beyond!
Team Rachel Carson and beyond!
January 7, 2025
Part memoir part call-to-action, a solid read both on the life of Sylvia Earle, as well as well-written and accessible information on the decline and overall health of the ocean ecosystem.
November 4, 2025
The message was okay but it could’ve been shorter. It started to drag near the end and didn’t provide much that I didn’t already know. Not bad, but not great either.
March 12, 2021
This book was written beautifully by someone who so clearly loves the wonders of our planet. While marketed as a instructor for how to save our planet, this book is more of a journey to understanding the beauty and intricacies of nature, and how our species is destroying it. Ultimately an autobiography, Earle takes us through her life with passion and unyielding devotion, which she also bestows on her readers through her eloquent and descriptive writing.
However, be warned. If you’re interesting in this book to learn more about marine biology or conservation efforts in detail, something else may be better suited. If you’re interested in the EVOLUTION of marine biology and conservation seen through the eyes of one of its pioneers, then snag this ASAP.
However, be warned. If you’re interesting in this book to learn more about marine biology or conservation efforts in detail, something else may be better suited. If you’re interested in the EVOLUTION of marine biology and conservation seen through the eyes of one of its pioneers, then snag this ASAP.
February 10, 2009
Sylvia Earle is one of the most gifted and determined ocean scientists of our time. That comes through clearly in this book, along with a host of interesting facts about how the history of the oceans and how human's wasteful habits are sadly affecting them to detrimental ends. But I confess that the book did not hold my interest in some sections. Maybe I'm just not interested enough in backroom science dealings, but for me Earle goes too deeply into her funding processes and inter-personal relationships. I'd rather she stay with the sea. When she does, she's brilliant. I'd recommend the book to anyone eager to learn about oceanography and marine biology.
see more of my reviews and writing at www.jaimalyogis.com
see more of my reviews and writing at www.jaimalyogis.com
June 22, 2008
sylvia earle is a childhood hero (i finally got to see her speak recently!) and this book is worth my childhood veneration. she, of course, speaks in a more hopeful voice than i think is accurate as she is attempting to make change - but she still paints a pretty ugly picture in terms of overall ocean health. she takes human consumption to task pretty hardcore for such a mainstream author and longtime high level government science/policy official.
January 29, 2008
I have been carrying this book around with me for years - and not many books have traveled with me through all my moves. Dr Earle's experiences as a female oceanographer & marine biologist is not only facinating but is inspiring. The changes she has seen in the oceans in her career are also very thought provoking.
May 12, 2009
I wouldn't normally have picked this up, but I read it in prep for an interview with Sylvia Earle. It was an eye-opener, even though the book was written more than a decade ago. I daresay not a lot has changed in terms of the ocean's overall health, and thanks to Earle's lucidity, my complacency has deserted me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews