Meet The Team

Coming from a seafaring family and spending most of my life on or in the water, it was inevitable that I would develop an interest in marine wildlife and the world’s oceans. Whether I was out on the water sailing or surfing inshore with my friends, I was always fascinated by what surrounded me: dolphins joining us to play in the waves, curious seal heads popping up to check us out or a graceful fulmar soaring alongside the boat as we headed back to port. This led me to taking a degree in Marine Geography, which ended with specialising in marine ecology, pollution and conservation. Leaving university, I headed off to change the world! First I worked at a coastal countryside project and then set off to Latin America, where I volunteered on various marine projects, from a turtle conservation project in Guatemala to marine parks in Costa Rica , with a fair amount of surfing in between.

I’m Hannah and I’m one of the founder members of Marine Discovery. My job description basically involves a bit of everything! When you call to enquire or send an email it’ll most likely be me you speak to and I am usually the person who meets you when you arrive. I could be the one guiding on your trip and taking the photos or perhaps on the helm. While it’s amazing seeing the “big” stuff – whales, bluefin tuna, basking sharks – seeing a pod of common dolphins dash over to us as we sail, or a seal staring curiously at us as we pass, never gets old. I love what I do and hope to be doing so as long as possible.

My interest in Marine Ecology began in 1992 when I participated in a loggerhead sea turtle research project in Greece. A few years later, I shifted my focus onto cetaceans, first working with minke whales in Scotland, followed by Killer whales, Blue whales and Belugas in Canada and then Northern Bottlenose whale in the Arctic Labrador Sea followed by Sperm whales off the Azores. I also participated in various ocean-crossing surveys: the Atlantic Frontier, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Southern Ocean and Antarctica, including working with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Pygmy Blue Whale Project (South Australia). These surveys formed the core foundation of my detailed in-depth experience in leading marine mammal surveys using different research platforms (boats, helicopters and small aeroplanes)

Hi I’m Josh!

This will be my first season with Marine Discovery and I can’t wait to get out on the water to show everybody how amazingly rich all the marine life is in the Mounts bay and surrounding area is.

I moved to Cornwall five years ago where I studied marine zoology at Newquay. Since then , Cornwall has more or less adopted me and I can’t get enough of exploring it. From researching rockpools
with all its inhabitants such as tiny sea slugs and fluffy seaweed; to spotting giant blue fin tuna. The seas around Cornwall are so  thrilling to witness first hand, all while learn about it when you sail with us.

Growing up in Cornwall I have a real love for nature, the outdoors and cream teas! Whether it’s sailing, swimming or exploring Cornwall’s coastline, I enjoy being by the sea. I completed a Marine and Environmental Science degree with Falmouth Marine School and Plymouth University. For my dissertation I created a photo-identification catalogue of the Risso’s dolphins seen on Marine Discovery trips, so it’s a real treat if these get spotted when I’m working!