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2012 Sylvia Earle Award to honor Mike deGruy

The 2012 Dr. Sylvia Earle Award will recognize Mike DeGruy, a respected and beloved member of the ocean community whom we lost earlier this year in a tragic helicopter crash in Australia.   Sylvia will present her namesake award honoring Mike (posthumously) at the BLUE Carpet Ceremonies scheduled for September 28, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Golden State Theater in Monterey. Mimi Armstrong DeGruy will accept this award on behalf of her late husband. 

Mike deGruy was a graduate student in marine biology when he first picked up a film camera. Thirty years later, his company, the Film Crew Inc., travels the oceans making underwater films for BBC, PBS, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. In his life he managed to dive beneath both poles and visit the hydrothermal vents in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. As you can imagine, he collected many stories along the way.

An accomplished diver and underwater cinematographer, deGruy also became a  host and expedition member on shows like the Mysteries of the Shark Coast with Céline Cousteau and Richard Fitzpatrick. (He was a regular on Shark Week -- and a shark attack survivor himself.)

On February 4th, 2012, Mike deGruy was killed in a tragic helicopter crash while on assignment in Australia. Mike was such an advocate of the ocean. Even while filming its beauty and wonder, and  exploring it deepest depths  he always found time to ensure everyone understood how we must change our actions to save of the health this diverse and integral part of our planet. 

It is because of his unwavering love and advocacy for the ocean that Mike deGruy is honored (posthumously) with the Dr. Sylvia Earle Award.

DR. SYLVIA EARLE AWARD FOR OCEAN ADVOCACY

Dr. Sylvia Earle, revered around the globe as a dedicated ocean advocate and respected marine scientist, explorer, filmmaker, author and policy champion, continues to lead the way as a visionary voice for ocean conservation and stewardship. 

In 2009, BLUE presented Dr. Earle with an award for her many outstanding achievements in ocean advocacy.  This award has since continued on as Sylvia’s namesake award, paying special tribute to other individuals who also have committed themselves as unwavering Ocean advocates.  In 2010, Dr. Carl Safina was recipient of the the Dr. Sylvia Earle Award.

It is with this mandate to honor those who have shown exceptional dedication to the ocean and to use this awards presentation as a platform to inspire others about making a difference, that the BLUE Ocean Film Festival and Dr. Earle join forces every two years to present this very special award.

The Sylvia Earle Award recipients are chosen for their unwavering devotion to the ocean and whose work has made noteworthy contributions in one or more of the following areas:

• Ocean Issue Awareness
• Stewardship & Advocacy Education
• Ocean Policy
• Ocean Exploration
• Grass Roots Activism
• Ocean Visual Media