--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first encounter with the ocean was on…" description: "\"My first encounter with the ocean was on the Jersey Shore when I was three years old and I got knocked over by a wave. The ocean certainly got my atten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/sylvia-earle-1756_attention_my-first-encounter-with-the-ocean-was-on_2528126.jpg" --- # My first encounter with the ocean was on the Jersey Shore… ![“My first encounter with the ocean was on the Jersey Shore when I was three years old and I got knocked over by a wave. The ocean certainly got my attention! It wasn't frightening, it was more exhilarating.” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/sylvia-earle-1756_attention_my-first-encounter-with-the-ocean-was-on_2528126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/sylvia-earle-1756_attention_my-first-encounter-with-the-ocean-was-on_2528126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/sylvia-earle-1756_attention_my-first-encounter-with-the-ocean-was-on_2528126.jpg) > “My first encounter with the ocean was on the Jersey Shore when I was three years old and I got knocked over by a wave. The ocean certainly got my attention! It wasn't frightening, it was more exhilarating.” [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Her early wave encounter sparked excitement rather than fear, shaping her lifelong passion for the ocean. **In simple terms:** A wave thrilled her as a child. Key Takeaway Embrace early experiences that ignite curiosity. Themes nature exploration inspiration Mood wonderful enthusiastic Type personal motivational When to use this quote - education trips - marine research - conservation advocacy Key Concepts environmental stewardship personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How can early awe be cultivated in others? - What role does fear play in learning? A Different Perspective Not everyone reacts positively to powerful natural forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly/) [Encounter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter/) [Encounter Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-ocean-1317998/) [Exhilarating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhilarating/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [Jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jersey/) [Jersey shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jersey-shore/) [Knocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knocked/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-certainly-1318000/) [Ocean Jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-jersey-1318001/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shore/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-years/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Wave Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave-ocean-1317999/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [The wave is the same as the ocean, though it is not the whole ocean. So each wave of creation is a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-wave-is-the-same-as-the-ocean-though-it-is-not-the-whole-ocean-so/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [You don't understand. You're not a wave. You're part of the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/you-don-t-understand-you-re-not-a-wave-you-re-part-of-the-ocean/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [A wave in the ocean is a wave, only in so far as it is bound by name and form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-wave-in-the-ocean-is-a-wave-only-in-so-far-as-it-is-bound-by-name/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I'm excited to go surfing every time. I have fun in any kind of wave in the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-john-florence/i-m-excited-to-go-surfing-every-time-i-have-fun-in-any-kind-of-wave/) [John John Florence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-john-florence/) > [You're not a wave, you're a part of the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-re-not-a-wave-you-re-a-part-of-the-ocean/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I may only be a wave, but I’m also the ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-w-sainsbury/i-may-only-be-a-wave-but-i-m-also-the-ocean/) [Ian W. Sainsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-w-sainsbury/) > [Like a wave on the ocean I will always come right back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/like-a-wave-on-the-ocean-i-will-always-come-right-back-to-you/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [See her gentle sway, a wave on the ocean could never move that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-tillotson/see-her-gentle-sway-a-wave-on-the-ocean-could-never-move-that-way/) [Johnny Tillotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-tillotson/) > [You can either see yourself as a wave in the ocean or you can see yourself as the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-can-either-see-yourself-as-a-wave-in-the-ocean-or-you-can-see/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [My love, i would like even more; to be an ocean if you are the wave; to be a wave, if you are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-guillen/my-love-i-would-like-even-more-to-be-an-ocean-if-you-are-the-wave-to/) [Nicolas Guillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-guillen/) > [Hollywood sometimes tends to patronize the interior of the United States. As Horton Foote used to say, the great Texas playwright, that a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/hollywood-sometimes-tends-to-patronize-the-interior-of-the-united/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [I'm from New Jersey, the Shore, and Asbury Park and all that goes with that. I wouldn't want to mess around with that. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-m-from-new-jersey-the-shore-and-asbury-park-and-all-that-goes-with/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [Jersey Shore starts up again tonight and immediately following, Obama has to go on TV and apologize to Italy on behalf of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jersey-shore-starts-up-again-tonight-and-immediately-following-obama/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the first bills I helped passed was the Shore Protection Fund, which provides a stable source of funding for shore protection, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-first-bills-i-helped-passed-was-the-shore-protection-fund/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well if you from New Jersey, you always knew that going to Jersey Shore was way different from where you lived at. I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/well-if-you-from-new-jersey-you-always-knew-that-going-to-jersey/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) ## More by Sylvia Earle > [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. Anything injured, or any unusual creature somebody found, they would always come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-mother-was-known-as-the-bird-lady-of-the-neighborhood-anything/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There is this sweet spot in time when we have an opportunity to stop killing sharks and tunas and swordfish and other wildlife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-is-this-sweet-spot-in-time-when-we-have-an-opportunity-to-stop/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-always-said-underwater-or-on-top-men-and-women-are-compatible/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [With respect to the ocean being the heart of our blue planet: We are often asked, 'How much protection is enough?' We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-had-the-joy-of-spending-thousands-of-hours-under-the-sea-i-wish/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My first encounter with the ocean was on the Jersey Shore when I was three years old and I got knocked over by a wave. 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