The cutting edge of deep sea exploration | Amber Sparks | TEDxLaguna Beach

Amber Sparks has spent her career repurposing offshore oil rigs into vibrant reef ecosystems. In this talk, she dives into how we can leverage the power of technology to explore our oceans at new depths and understand marine life and environments like never before. With tools like underwater drones, satellites and virtual reality, technology is driving innovation in ocean exploration and expanding our ability to understand and better protect our ocean. Amber Sparks is a marine conservation biologist and entrepreneur, Forbes 30 under 30 awardee and even has her likeness displayed at the Smithsonian to inspire girls in the sciences. Born and raised in Laguna Beach, Amber has made waves as co-founder of Blue Latitudes through her work repurposing offshore oil platforms into artificial reefs. A graduate of UC Berkeley and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Amber began her career supporting the launch of underwater street view at Google before co-founding Blue Latitudes LLC in 2015. At Blue Latitudes, Amber has spearheaded efforts to convert over a dozen offshore oil and gas platforms into permanent artificial reef habitats, conserving over 72 acres of habitat in oceans worldwide. Amber is also the co-founder of Blue Latitudes Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to addressing conservation challenges at the intersection of industry and the environment. Through her foundation, Amber works to educate stakeholders on the value of a healthy ocean, encouraging them to think differently about the future of ocean conservation, and has led scientific research expeditions from Malaysia to the Kingdom of Tonga and produced multiple award-winning documentary films. Amber is Co-Founder of Blue Latitudes LLC, a woman-owned marine environmental consulting firm that specializes in repurposing offshore oil and gas platforms into artificial reefs. Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee and business leader by Entrepreneur Magazine, Amber has spent the past decade conserving 100+ acres of reef habitat on repurposed oil rigs worldwide. Amber is also Co-President of Blue Latitudes Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization committed to elevating the scientific understanding of our oceans at the intersection of energy and the environment. Through her foundation, Amber educates stakeholders on the value of a healthy ocean, encouraging them to think differently about the future of ocean conservation, and has collaborated on multiple award-winning documentary films. Amber holds a master’s degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography which she obtained after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from UC Berkeley. A Laguna Beach native, she lives in Laguna with her husband and two children. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx