The Story presents: Planet Hope - Sylvia Earle at 90
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 10 October 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each episode is hosted by The Story released as a bonus weekly series on Saturdays.
Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle has spent decades exploring the blue heart of our planet. From leading the first all-female aquanaut team to founding Mission Blue, she has dived deeper and stayed longer in the ocean than almost anyone alive. As she celebrates her 90th birthday, Rolex Testimonee, Sylvia reflects with Adam Vaughan on her extraordinary career, the changes she’s witnessed, and why she still believes in a future full of 'Hope Spots'.
Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Guest: Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist, Oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee
Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times
Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia
Sound Designer: David Crackles
This podcast is advertiser funded.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, it's Manveen. Today on the story, we're bringing you an episode from Planet Hope, |
| 0:05.0 | where Environment Editor Adam Vaughn meets the people finding bold answers to global challenges, |
| 0:11.4 | from revealing climate change hidden in Arctic caves, to safeguarding pristine coastlines. |
| 0:18.3 | These are the stories of hope and possibility, and we think you'll like it. |
| 0:30.2 | Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its perpetual Planet Initiative. |
| 0:38.3 | In the 1930s, |
| 0:39.3 | Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf saw the world as a testing ground, |
| 0:44.3 | sending watches to the highest mountains or the deepest oceans, |
| 0:48.3 | and supporting explorers who pushed the limits of what was possible. |
| 0:55.5 | Over time, the company is moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery |
| 1:00.9 | to protecting the planet by supporting individuals and organisations working to safeguard the natural world. |
| 1:08.4 | From ocean conservation to wilderness restoration, it's a long-term commitment |
| 1:12.8 | towards the planet's future, which includes the the Times, and this is Planet Hope. |
| 1:36.5 | Earlier this year, I travelled to Nice for the UN Ocean Conference, a global gathering of leaders, scientists and conservationists, all focused on the future of our seas. |
| 1:49.4 | Amongst them was one of the ocean's most recognizable voices, Dr. Sylvia Earle. |
| 1:55.1 | We're at the edge of the greatest era of exploration ever. |
| 2:00.8 | Technology has given us opportunities to go where we could not go |
| 2:06.3 | before and high in the sky, deep in the sea, ancient civilizations. |
| 2:16.4 | In her nine decades, Sylvia has led the first all-female team of aquanauts, |
| 2:20.3 | logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, set a world record for the deepest untethered dive, |
| 2:26.3 | and become the first female chief scientist of Noah, the US National Science Agency. |
| 2:35.6 | From exploring Florida's seagrass meadows to the darkest depths of the Pacific, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.