In July 2012, Bill Weir from ABC’s Nightline was invited to interview Dr. Sylvia Earle during Mission Aquarius, 60′ underwater off Key Largo, Florida. The struggle to maintain Federal funding for the world’s last underwater laboratory continues, although Florida International University in Miami has stepped up to the plate with sufficient support to keep the facility functioning at a basic level – for now. A White House Petition has been started for citizens to show support for the one-of-a-kind underwater marvel.
“We are just beginning to be able to connect the dots with the brain power of hundreds of scientists and hundreds of experiments, that together show a picture that is unprecedented,” explained renowned oceanographer, Mission Blue founder and National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dr. Sylvia Earle. “There is nothing like it in the world. To stop the continuity of more than 20 years of research and knowledge would really be tragic.”
Still feature photo: (c) Kip Evans / Mission Blue
First aired on February 6, 2013, ABC TV.