I am really dedicated to understanding the planet/creature on which we live and know that means I must go beneath the sea to see 72 percent of what is going on.

My family came in 1635 from England and settled in Williamsburg. Shortly after, they split up; half went to New England and half stayed in Virginia. I'm a Virginian Ballard.

I think the most important thing people can do to save our planet and the human race is to empower women!

I mean, there is amazing amount of oil and gas and other resources out beneath the sea. It's staggering.

If you compare NASA's annual budget to explore the heavens, that one year budget would fund NOAA's budget to explore the oceans for 1,600 years.

Why are we ignoring the oceans? Why does NASA spend in one year what NOAA will spend in 1600 years? Why are we looking up? Why are we afraid of the ocean?

Fifty percent of the United States of America is underneath the ocean. And we have better maps of Mars than those areas.