099 | The Joyous Wonder of the Ocean with Helen Scales Encore
Helen Scales is a British marine biologist, writer, and broadcaster. Her passion for underwater exploration started when she learned to scuba dive as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program. Throughout her illustrious career, she has worked with the World Wide Fund for Nature, TRAFFIC International, and Natural England. Helen is also the author of The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It, which explores the majesty and mystery of an underwater world few are privileged to see.
Helen joins me today to discuss her passion for ocean exploration and the inspiration behind her books. She shares how being in love with the ocean shaped her hobbies and career interests. You’ll hear about the dives she did in various tropical countries and the marine conservation programs she and her team helped fund along the way. She explains her concern about marine wildlife welfare and why people should take marine conservation seriously. You’ll also gain insight on Helen’s thoughts on deep diving and books she has planned in the future.
"What I would love to see is more people celebrating the joyous wonder of the ocean and what lives there—not how we can conquer it or make money out of it."- Helen Scales
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
● Where Helen's passion for sea exploration started
● Collecting shells, painting them, and other ocean-related hobbies
● Marine-related careers that run in Helen's family
● The rise of green awareness in the '90s
● How to earn the Duke of Edinburgh's Award
● Helen's personal rating of her writing skills
● Doing dives in Belize and other countries, finishing her PhD, and helping kids along the way
● Exploring tropical countries and helping them refine their tourism programs
● Helen's first encounter with a seahorse
● Helen's thoughts on the lack of marine conservation awareness
● Why Helen looks forward to blackwater diving
● Deep diving in the abyss and overcoming claustrophobia
● Helen answers lightning round questions
● The one thing Helen wants people to know about the ocean
● The books Helen intends to write in the future
Connect with Helen Scales:
● Helen Scales Official Website
● Book: The Great Barrier Reef
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.