Deborah interviews Daryl Hannah on Life Under the Sea and Why It's Worth Saving
Deborah Bassett: Whether interviewing notable fellow Ocean defenders on DH Love Life, staring as a Mermaid in the hit movie, "Splash," or supporting various Ocean charities, your name is synonymous with being a dedicated Ocean activist. Can you please explain what specifically makes the Ocean so special to you and why do you feel so compelled to protect it?
Daryl Hannah: I grew up swimming and scuba diving as a kid. They used to make these mini scuba tanks before it was decided that you had to be13 years old. What magic the underwater world holds! There are creatures that are speckled, spotted, see thru, that glow in the dark. It can be so wondrously amazing! I love flying weightless in the water and seeing that gorgeous, strange and fascinating world under the sea. I’ve played games for hours with wild dolphins, hugged a manatee and been followed around all day by a Napoleon Wrasse. Less than 1% of the human species have ever spent time under the water and I think that makes us unaware of our lifestyle's damaging effect. I never thought I’d see so much devastation and destruction in my lifetime.
DB: What are your largest concerns for the Oceans and do you have a particular "ocean hot spot?"
DH: As Dr. Sylvia Earle told me, 90% of the big fish in the ocean are gone in the last 50 years!
90%!!! I’ve witnessed this tragedy myself in just the years I’ve been diving. The places I could count on to have abundant sea life now look like ghost towns. It’s so frightening! In some areas there is more plastic than plankton and dead zones are expanding exponentially. We really need to take urgent action.
DB: Do you have a favorite quote or words to live by that you would like to pass along to others?
DH: Let common sense be your guiding force. Common sense taught me that all life is interdependent and that what we are doing to our environment, we're doing to ourselves, our children and all other life on this planet. Try to make thoroughly informed choices. Speak up for the voiceless and for an ethical world and don’t be afraid to take action!
DB: If there is anything else that you would like to add regarding your personal experience with the Ocean?
DH: We spend billions to explore space yet we still don’t know what mysteries our oceans hold. I just joined Dr. Sylvia Earle's Deep Search Foundation which I believe will help to re-invigorate the interest in our own planet and is dedicated to exploring and protecting Earth's ocean, the cornerstone of our planet's life support system.
Daryl Hannah: I grew up swimming and scuba diving as a kid. They used to make these mini scuba tanks before it was decided that you had to be13 years old. What magic the underwater world holds! There are creatures that are speckled, spotted, see thru, that glow in the dark. It can be so wondrously amazing! I love flying weightless in the water and seeing that gorgeous, strange and fascinating world under the sea. I’ve played games for hours with wild dolphins, hugged a manatee and been followed around all day by a Napoleon Wrasse. Less than 1% of the human species have ever spent time under the water and I think that makes us unaware of our lifestyle's damaging effect. I never thought I’d see so much devastation and destruction in my lifetime.
DB: What are your largest concerns for the Oceans and do you have a particular "ocean hot spot?"
DH: As Dr. Sylvia Earle told me, 90% of the big fish in the ocean are gone in the last 50 years!
90%!!! I’ve witnessed this tragedy myself in just the years I’ve been diving. The places I could count on to have abundant sea life now look like ghost towns. It’s so frightening! In some areas there is more plastic than plankton and dead zones are expanding exponentially. We really need to take urgent action.
DB: Do you have a favorite quote or words to live by that you would like to pass along to others?
DH: Let common sense be your guiding force. Common sense taught me that all life is interdependent and that what we are doing to our environment, we're doing to ourselves, our children and all other life on this planet. Try to make thoroughly informed choices. Speak up for the voiceless and for an ethical world and don’t be afraid to take action!
DB: If there is anything else that you would like to add regarding your personal experience with the Ocean?
DH: We spend billions to explore space yet we still don’t know what mysteries our oceans hold. I just joined Dr. Sylvia Earle's Deep Search Foundation which I believe will help to re-invigorate the interest in our own planet and is dedicated to exploring and protecting Earth's ocean, the cornerstone of our planet's life support system.
