Aurora Expeditions’ new ship christened by world-renowned scientist
Aurora Expeditions has christened its newest purpose-built small ship, the Sylvia Earle with its namesake and godmother, Dr Sylvia Earle, doing the honours in Antarctica.
Dr Earle is a world-renowned marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer. She was the first female chief scientist of the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998.
“Thank you, Aurora for the approach that you use to keep people inspired about the ocean,” Dr Earle said.
“Exploring the ocean, using knowledge to take care of all this on our planet. This is an experience that I am happy to share with everyone here and I’m looking at Aurora as the voice of the ocean.”
Aurora Expeditions CEO Michael Heath said having Dr Earle as the ship’s ambassador was an honour.
“We are privileged to have Dr Earle as the namesake of our stunning second purpose-built expedition ship,” Heath said.
“I thank Sylvia for joining us on board to officially christen the ship and be on board for the inaugural Antarctic Climate Expedition.”
Currently Dr Earle, in partnership with Aurora Expeditions and Ocean Geographic, is leading a world-first ‘Antarctic Climate Expedition’ on the ship to raise public and government awareness of the environmental importance of the Antarctic. This unique voyage aims to deliver resolutions to inspire transformative changes for global net-zero emissions by 2035 from an ocean perspective.
In another world first, each of the Sylvia Earle’s decks is named after six other pioneering female conservationists – Jo Ruxton (MBE), Dr Carden Wallace (AM), Sharon Kwok, Bernadette Demientieff, Dr Asha de Vos and Hanli Prinsloo – with a deck dedicated to Dr Earle herself.
With its strong focus on education and conservation, the new Sylvia Earle is designed to accommodate an average of 132 passengers per voyage in an atmosphere of equality, fun and informality. A highly experienced Expedition Team guides passengers in small groups on myriad excursions by water and land, with exciting activities ranging from Zodiac cruises to walks and hikes, sea kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, paddling, skiing, photography and birdwatching, among others. A dedicated Science Centre is the hub for a variety of participative and educational Citizen Science programs.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
aurora expeditions Michael Heath Sylvia EarleLatest News
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