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Meet The Team

Marine Discovery

Introducing Our Team

Duncan Jones

SKIPPER/CO-OWNER/RESEARCHER

I have always been interested in the ocean and that interest led me down a long winding road to the founding of Marine Discovery Penzance in May 2005. Nearly 20 years of running the business has taught me a lot. Being out on the water searching for and watching animals rekindled my interest and love of oceanography and ecology. Unpicking the mysteries of why animals are in certain places at certain times has become an on going quest that led me back to University both as a lecturer to Marine Science undergrads and as a student of Lund University. I completed a double masters in Geographical Information Systems and Earth Observation in order to update my technical skills to further my ability to analyse all the data we collect. My quest for understanding is hopefully reflected during tours as I readily share what I have most recently understood and learned. All this studying and learning is not just academic. It is put in to practice daily and helps us to read the ocean in real time enabling us to have the best sightings rate in the country.

Hannah Wilson

CO-OWNER/MANAGER/HEAD GUIDE

I’m Hannah and am one of the founders of Marine Discovery back in 2005. I can hardly believe that we are about to embark on our 20th season; during that time, the business has developed and changed a lot in the meantime, but our core ethos has remained the same. This is to take people out into our Cornish waters and show them the wonders of what we have here right on our doorstep. This could be anything from seals to puffins to whales to basking sharks, and we make it our mission to find out as much as we can about everything we can, so we can share it with everyone on board. Photography is a big thing for me – as time has gone on, this has become more of an interest, so processing and sharing the photos along with the social media updates at the end of the day is my job. I also guide and crew on the boat daily, and manage the office and customer contact before we meet on the day. A bit of everything really!

Josh Symes

GUIDE/RESEARCHER

Hi I’m Josh!

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

I moved to Cornwall six 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.

Sara Mazzeo

Guide/Researcher

I earned my degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography from Plymouth University. Originally from Penzance, I’m a local girl with a deep passion for all things related to the sea! While I used to be a national swimmer, my focus has shifted towards ocean ecology and centered on understanding the cetaceans of Mounts Bay. Working with the Marine Discovery team is a truly incredible experience, combining my love for the sea with my academic pursuits.

Rebecca Knee

GUIDE/RESEARCHER

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!

Dr. Marijke de Boer

HEAD SCIENTIST/GUIDE

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)

 

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