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My interest in marine biology began when I
was a child. My mother took me on
my first whale watch on a boat out of Portsmouth, NH.
I remember vaguely catching a quick glimpse at a Minke whale among the
rough seas and rain, but that experience opened the door for my curiosity for
marine life.
During college, I spent two summers at the
Shoals Marine Lab at the Isles of Shoals, intensely learning about all aspects
of marine science, from inter-tidal invertebrates to marine pollution. I also volunteered at the Seacoast Science Center, telling
visitors all about the animals in the exhibits and found along the shore.
Since 1995, I have worked on board whale
watch boats as a naturalist and research scientist.
I love sharing my enthusiasm and knowledge of the marine environment with
the passengers, making the whale watch more of an interactive lesson in marine
science rather than just a tour.
I have also experienced the marine life of
the west coast from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.
I spent over two years working for Lindblad Expeditions on a small,
environmental cruise ship. My position on the ship began as a deckhand, though
as soon as I acquired enough sea-time, I studied for my US Coast Guard
captain’s license, and in May, 1999, I was promoted to Third Officer. This was a great experience for me in that not only was I
observing all of the spectacular marine life that Alaska and Baja have to offer,
but I was also learning the valuable trade of navigation and ship handling.
Favorite Whale Species: Fin Whales are my favorite whale because of their magnificent
size and the fact that we know so little about them compared to other whale
species. Fin whale are incredible
graceful and always surprising. We
never know what they might do next. I
was completely speechless last summer when our boat witnessed an adult Fin whale
leap out of the water in a full breach with it’s mouth wide open.
This behavior is hardly ever witnessed in this species.
I was honored to be present for such an occasion.
Favorite Whale Watch Memory:
On a cloudy, hazy October morning, we were searching for marine life for
hours, and finally saw a blow about a mile away.
As we approached the whale, we noticed that its dorsal fin was almost
completely missing, its blow was angled off to the side and its skin was quite
wrinkled. We were thinking that this was a very ill Humpback, until
closer inspection. We were very
excited to announce that this was not a sick Humpback, but a very healthy Sperm
whale! Sperm whales rarely come in
close to shore, and though we were about 18 miles off shore and in about 180
feet of water, the sperm whales prefer being much farther off shore where the
water is more than a mile deep. We
think this whale was just visiting, and left the area a few days later.
Again, one never knows what to expect on the ocean.
Favorite Food: Cheese
fondue, anything chocolate
Interests
Outside of Blue Ocean: Kayaking, photography,
gardening |
