Ms. Earle received  scholarships  to attend Florida State University  where she received a bachelor’s  degree in marine botany in 1955.   In 1966 she earned a doctorate from Duke University in the same field.   In 1964 Dr. Earle began her career as a professional diver and explorer.   She joined the  International Indian Ocean Expedition  in their study of the waters off the western coast of Africa.  She made dives to around 165 feet to collect plants and animals for study.  In the next several years she explored oceans all over the planet.

In 1970 the U. S. government was conducting a program to research the effects on humans of living under the sea for extended periods (Tektite II).  As an avid diver and experienced researcher,  Dr. Earle became part of this research program.   She led a team of the only women who  had ever participated  in such an effort.   The experiment proved that women could function as well as men in challenging circumstances.  NASA opened their astronaut training program to women as a result of this work.

In 1979 Dr. Earle set a record  for the deepest untethered  solo dive by a human.   This took place off the coast of Hawaii.   She wore a Jim suit,  a pressurized one-atmosphere garment which was very bulky and awkward.  A submersible carried her down to 1,250 feet below the surface where she released her tether and explored for two and a half hours.
 
 

In 1981  Dr. Earle  started a  business  called  Deep Ocean Engineering  which  builds small submarines for underwater exploration.  She has helped to design machines which can  reach 35,000 feet, the deepest ocean depth known.

In 1991 she was appointed chief scientist of NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).   She was the first woman to hold this post.   In this capacity she was very active  in the lawsuits  involving the Exxon Valdez oil spill.   She also  was one  of the first scientists to dive in the  Persian Gulf after Iraq’s troops sabotaged the  oil wells there and caused such mass destruction.   Discouraged that the agency was not giving appropriate priority to environmental problems,  she left this post in 1992.   However, during her short stint she increased the agency’s power to fight for cleaner environments.
 

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By this time diving had become an integral part of her life.  She had spent more than six tthousand hours underwater by 1992. she believes  that on her  own she can  do more good than by working  through an  organization.   She works constantly to establish marine sanctuaries and to raise the public's awareness of the ocean realm.  She has been a vocal critic of the government's lack of funding for ocean studies,  and in 1999 she played a key role in the government's decision to double the budget of the U. S. National Marine Sanctuaries.

Since 1998 she has been an explorer-in-residence for the National Geographic Society.  In this  capacity  her  favorite  task  is  working  as  project  director  of the  Sustainable Seas Expeditions. The mission of this group is to explore and document the geology and creatures in the deepest waters of the oceans.

Throughout her career Dr. Earle has been a research fellow or a researcher at several national universities.   She has authored or co-authored  many books  and publications  on the ocean environment and its importance to mankind.  She has also worked closely with Al Giddings on numerous  occasions,  helping him  in his filming of  ocean  environments  to bring these eco- systems into the homes of millions of American viewers.  (See biography on Al Giddings.)

Dr. Earle is an excellent example of an interdisciplinary success story.  By combining her love of botany with scuba diving, she has added to the knowledge of the world.  In her work with her engineering firm,  she has made  it possible  for countless  scientists  to study  the underwater realm in a way that was once impossible. By working jointly in film production of the underwater environment, she has helped to educate millions of people about the importance of the marine realm.  See Interdisciplinary Approach.