Antarctica & Patagonia
Expedition Team
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Meet the members of your expedition team
From The Captain
"My team and I bring years of experience navigating these waters and leading exploratory expeditions ashore. We have put in place an extraordinary program to give you an up-close view of Patagonia and Antarctica's magnificent beauty."
Captain Bjarne Larsen
Master, Seabourn Quest
Digital Photography Coaches:
Naturalists & Zodiac Drivers:
Robin West
Expedition Leader
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, 11 December 2013, 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Robin was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa however he currently resides in the Netherlands.
During his studies in Biokinetics at the University of Port Elizabeth, he qualified as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. During his time on and under the water he developed a passion for the sea. Pursuing his interest he first established his own two companies specialized in outdoor adventures and scuba diving.
The opportunity to explore the Antarctic and the South Pacific first led him into the world of elite expedition cruising and on board a luxury private super yacht. During these voyages over the last ten years he gained a wealth of knowledge which has given him the experience to lead expeditions on every continent and across every ocean, including polar exploration of both the Arctic and Antarctic. He has participated in some 40 Antarctic voyages to date.
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Jarda Versloot-West
Assistant Expedition Leader
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, 11 December 2013, 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Jarda a Dutch native, born in Amsterdam, resides part-time in South Africa. In neither country does she spend much time as she has been working full time on expedition ships for the last ten years. She said farewell to Holland at the age of 18 and left this small country as a jumping off point to explore the other side of the globe, taking her to Australia. This is where she discovered her passion for travel and her love for the ocean.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in International Tourism Consultancy, Jarda started working on expedition cruise ships which has taken her to the world’s most remote corners including all of the seven continents.
She is a qualified PADI rescue diver, Zodiac driver and a remote first aid responder. Over the course of ten years, she has gained much experience in several positions on board different expedition ships and is hoping to explore and discover new places for many more years to come. She has participated in some 40 cruises to Antarctica alone.
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Chris Srigley
Assistant Expedition Leader
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, 11 December 2013, 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
With a passion for the natural world that did not go unrecognized by a former employer, Chris started his career in the expedition cruise industry onboard the famed M/S Explorer as shopkeeper and Zodiac driver. Quickly he found his way directly onto the expedition team as a naturalist as he displayed his knowledge of the natural world.
Seven years now passed, he has spent as many as nine months of each year splitting his time between Antarctica, Central and South America, Northern Europe, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland and Canada as naturalist/Zodiac driver, assistant expedition leader and polar bear guard. To Antarctica alone he has participated in over 62 trips for several elite expedition operators.
His interest in natural history was cultivated through spending time on his family farm and at their remote cabin on the Eastern shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada where he would vanish for days, sometimes weeks at a time, exploring the wilds around him.
Considering himself a "generalist" he has become well versed in all aspects of the regions in which he travels with many intriguing stories accumulated along the way. Once you have traveled with him, his only hope is that he has been able to transfer his passion and knowledge of these stunning places we experience on to you so that you may pass them along to others.
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Victoria Wheatley
Antarctica Program Manager
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 25 January 2014
The ocean has dominated Victoria’s life since 1986, however her love of water – and especially ships – goes even further back than that. A distant relative of Donald McKay, the man who designed and built the first clipper ships for American shipowners in the mid-nineteenth century – some 32 in all – including the “Queen of the Clippers,” the Flying Cloud, Victoria has always been obsessed with ships and this obsession has always included a fascination with travel in general. To this day, she is convinced she was bitten by the “travel bug” when she was a young child, as her most vivid memories of her childhood are the stories her maternal grandparents told her following their travels around the world.
After obtaining two degrees from the University of Washington, it was a natural transition that she begin her own travel odyssey. Since then, Victoria has worked for some of the top companies in the cruise industry as operations manager and director of expedition cruise operations. Her work has included the recruitment and management of expedition cruise staff and the organization of educational programs. The desire to “run away to sea” has always been a distraction and she has satisfied this urge by frequently working aboard expedition vessels, cruise ships and even a square rigger. She has traveled to all seven continents, to well over 100 countries, and participated in some 50 cruises to Antarctica and over 30 to the Arctic.
From 1999 to 2012 Victoria served as the U.S. government’s private sector advisor attending the annually-held Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. In this capacity she was responsible for providing informed views on industry and advice on technical issues, such as proposed industry and visitor regulations and management plans; as well as legal, policy and liability matters and potential environmental impact from human visitation.
Since 2010 she has worked as a consultant, offering management support and operational and technical assistance on a worldwide basis to the expedition travel and cruise industry. An IAATO-certified Expedition Leader for Antarctica and South Georgia, she frequently does project work for the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. She also assists AECO – the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators.
Victoria is honored to be working with Seabourn as their Antarctic advisor and looks forward to sharing her passion for all things “Antarctic” with guests onboard Seabourn Quest.
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Daniel J. Cox
Digital Photography Coach
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
For 30 years, Dan has been pursuing his life-long dream of photographing nature in all its elements. He has traveled all seven continents in search of the images that inspire his art and inform his audience. Antarctica is truly an extraordinary place with unbelievable opportunities for photography. Together Dan will share his knowledge with you as you explore this frozen region with your cameras. No camera can be too small to take a great image.
"I’m known as a wildlife photographer—but I like to think of myself as an explorer with a camera. I believe it takes the wonder of an explorer to photograph the natural world with all the awe and respect it deserves. And it takes the talent and skill of a photographer to portray our earth and all its creatures with admiration and integrity.”
Dan’s exceptional vision and passion for nature, his dedication to the art of photography, and his demonstrated concern for our environment has earned him high regard in his profession.
Dan’s work has been recognized and awarded in competitions worldwide including the recent NANPA 2013 Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year. In 1990 and 1997 Dan was awarded with first runner up in the animal portrait division of the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition along with 13 Highly Commended awards, one of the most awarded photographers in the competition. Dan’s natural history images have been featured in galleries such as Nikon House, NY and the Natural History Museum in London. He is a regular contributor to natural history publications worldwide including NRDC, National Wildlife, Sierra, Wildlife Conservation, and Smithsonian. He is a consultant for HP fine art printers and is listed by Nikon as a Nikon Legend. Dan’s most personally satisfying accomplishments, however, have been the two cover stories he produced for National Geographic Magazine: Snowy Owl in December 2002, and Great Gray Owl in February 2005. For over 12 years, Dan has been a Media Advisor and volunteer for the non-profit Polar Bears International and is founder of The Arctic Documentary Project (ADP). He is featured as the sole photographer in nineteen books.
Learn more about Daniel and his work at www.naturalexposures.com.
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Wolfgang Kaehler
Digital Photography Coach
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
Wolfgang Kaehler studied photography and photo engineering in his native Germany for six years before launching off into a career of travel and wildlife photography. His Antarctic travels started aboard an expedition cruise ship as the ship’s photographer back in 1977. Since then, Wolfgang has been at the forefront of the travel industry, shooting for innovative tour operators; often in some of the world’s most remote regions. He has photographed Antarctica on diverse trips and his Antarctic collection is significantly one of the largest of any professional photographer’s in the world.
In 1985 he was awarded First Prize in the Composition & Form category of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, sponsored by BBC Wildlife and the Museum of Natural History in London. His winning photo, “Penguins on Ice” was one of 8500 worldwide entries. In 1988 he was selected by National Geographic as one of 100 photographers for a worldwide exhibit and book, Odyssey – the Art of Photography at National Geographic. In 1989 the Chicago Headline Club awarded him the Peter Lisagor award for Exemplary Journalism in the category of Photojournalism.
Presently Wolfgang photographs throughout the world on assignment for various publications, advertising agencies and travel companies. His photos appear in some of the world’s most prestigious publications such as National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Travel Holiday, Travel & Leisure, GEO, Smithsonian, Islands, Time-Life, World Wildlife Fund, Sierra, Unicef, International Wildlife, Ranger Rick and Audubon, to name a few. In 1989 his book, Penguins, was published by Chronicle Books. His book, Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle, was published in 2005 by Barnes & Noble.
Wolfgang currently lectures for photography organizations and museums, such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York, American Photo’s Mentor Series, Digital Photo Academy workshops and others.
He also leads photo safaris around the world. His first Antarctic “Coffee Table eBook app” has been published at http://sutromedia.com/apps/Antarctica_A_Photographic_Journey.
Learn more about Wolfgang and his work at http://www.wkaehlerphoto.com.
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Pat and Rosemarie Keough
Digital Photography Coaches
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Pat and Rosemarie Keough are recipients of 27 prestigious awards for excellence including World’s Best Nature Photographers, World’s Best Photography Book and Outstanding Bookarts Craftsmanship and received in December, 2012 the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, a commemorative medal that serves to honor significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
This artistic couple is renowned for ANTARCTICA, a handcrafted tome described by The Economist as an heirloom comparable to a Patek Philippe watch. To create this body-of-work, they spent two austral summers, November through April, continuously on expedition.
Fellows of The Explorers Club, Rosemarie and Pat are also medalists of the Royal Geographical Society, and Rosemarie medalist of The Explorers Club. Through the years, in addition to creating eight art books exclusively portraying their imagery, Pat and Rosemarie have mounted travelling exhibitions of their photos and presented lectures worldwide. Their story and images have been featured in award-winning television specials and in such periodicals as Smithsonian, Forbes, and Patek Philippe International Magazine.
In recent years, they have shared their love of photography with those interested in learning how to improve their own picture-taking.
Learn more about Pat and Rosemarie and their work at http://www.keough-art.com/.
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Dr. Roger Hewitt
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
Dr. Roger Hewitt has led dozens of expeditions and field surveys throughout the world over a career spanning over 40 years. He has worked in Antarctica, the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands, the coastal archipelago of southeast Alaska and British Columbia, the California Current along the west coast of North America, the east and gulf coasts of the US, the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
For 16 years he led annual surveys of the Antarctic coastal ecosystem in the Scotia Sea and its archipelagos. Building on the results of this field research, he developed a variety of management options for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). He was the long-term convener of CCAMLR’s Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management and served as the lead scientific advisor on the US delegation to the Commission. His most recent appointment was Director, Fisheries Resources Division at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, leading a group of biologists, oceanographers, population modelers, and economists providing advice on management of west coast marine fisheries.
Dr. Hewitt’s research interests include the use of acoustics to conduct resource surveys, foraging tactics of whales, seals, penguins and other seabirds in relation to their prey, biological responses to climatic variability, and resource management schemes that incorporate ecosystem considerations. He has authored over 100 papers, book chapters and reports.
Roger holds a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as a Ship Masters License from the US Coast Guard and Professional Engineering and Land Surveyor licenses from the State of California. He is also an expert in handling small boats in difficult circumstances, such as open ocean, ice fields and exposed reefs, rocky shores and beaches.
He, his wife of 43 years, and two fully-fledged sons live in San Diego, California. His hobbies include surfing and photography.
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Dr. Jason Hicks
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
Jason Hicks is a geologist and currently a Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where he has worked since 1998. A Fellow of the Geological Society of London, he attended Oxford University in England where he obtained an undergraduate degree in geology. After graduation he came over to the United States to attend graduate school, earning a M.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, followed by a brief spell in gold exploration in Alaska, which circuitously led to a Ph.D. in geology from Yale University in 1993. As a postdoc student he worked for the Smithsonian Institution in the Department of Paleobiology, and then as a Research Associate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California.
His primary research focus is in the field of sedimentology and magnetostratigraphy, the dating of rock sequences using the pattern of changing magnetic directions that they record through time. He has used this technique to date rocks all over the world that range from 84 to 2 million years in age. He has participated in geology expeditions that have ranged across the globe, including Patagonia, Mongolia, the Canadian Arctic, Pakistan, the Russian Far East and Australia. Working with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he has also been on a long research cruise in the South Pacific, conducting deep-sea tows that collected geophysical data and rock samples from the ocean floor of the East Pacific Rise.
Jason has participated in numerous tourist cruises to Antarctica and looks forward to returning once again! He will discuss the geology and glaciology of South America and Antarctica; the origins of Antarctica as part of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana; and climate change.
He has wide ranging interests. He learned to fly in Alaska in the late 1980’s, and is an avid taildragger pilot and owner of a 1947 Luscombe. He holds technical scuba diving ratings and a radio ham license. He is a competitive pistol and rifle shooter, and has entirely too many motorcycles. He now has a 2 year old son which has severely impacted activities in all of the above.
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Geoff DeVito
Port Expert/Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, 11 December 2013, 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Geoff DeVito is a Travel Anthropologist who specializes in coastal tourism and development. He was raised in rural New Hampshire where he spent his formative years enthralled with the world’s great explorers and travelers. This love of exploration would influence his educational experience and Geoff would achieve a Masters Degree, in Social Anthropology, from University of St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1999.
Over the last ten years Geoff has worked in many areas of the tourism industry, both on land and at sea. His work and travels have taken him to all continents and nearly two thirds of the countries on earth. Combining his joint passions, Geoff recently achieved another Anthropology Masters, this time with a special focus on the Anthropology of Travel, Tourism and Pilgrimage. These studies were undertaken at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, England under the guidance of Professor Tom Selwyn. Geoff continues to work with SOAS in varied capacities and is involved with various consulting projects from his London base.
During this voyage, Geoff will speak to a variety of topics, bringing together legends, histories, culture and heritage of our destinations.
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Dr. Ralph Eshelman
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Dr. Ralph Eshelman held the position of Director, Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Maryland, from 1974 to 1990, and is a specialist in polar exploration, military and maritime history, War of 1812 in the Chesapeake, geology and vertebrate paleontology. He received his Ph.D. in 1974 from the University of Michigan with a major in geology and vertebrate paleontology and a minor in ecology. His earlier studies were at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Bachelors of Science in earth and space science and minor in zoology) and the University of Iowa (Master of Science in geology and vertebrate paleontology and minor in museum studies).
Ralph was a Research Associate in the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution from 1975 until 2005. He is active in several professional and civic organizations including past president of the Council of American Maritime Museums, American Association for Quaternary Environment, founding vice-president of the National Maritime Preservation Task Force of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, vice-president for Science and Stewardship of the Maryland-Washington D.C. Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Society for Historical Archaeology, Patuxent Riverkeeper, and Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Honors include Outstanding Young Men in America (1981) and Emerging Young Leaders of America (1989).
Dr. Eshelman's research interests have taken him throughout the temperate, tropical and polar regions. With his passion for teaching earth history and its exploration, the Antarctic is among his most treasured places in the world. Working some twenty seasons in the Great White Continent alone, he has served as an enrichment lecturer on more than 50 tourist cruises.
Ralph is owner of Eshelman & Associates, a cultural resource management consultancy firm and partner in a lighthouse preservation firm. He presently is a consultant to the National Park Service.
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Dr. Mahlon "Chuck" Kennicutt
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
Chuck Kennicutt received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Union College, Schenectady, NY and a Ph. D. in Oceanography from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. After graduation, he served as a Department of Energy Post-doctoral appointee and adjunct Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tulsa for 1½ years. Dr. Kennicutt returned to Texas A&M University as a founding member of the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG). Dr. Kennicutt worked as a Research Scientist for more than 23 years in GERG rising to Director from 1998-2004.
In 2004, Dr. Kennicutt was named the Director of Sustainable Development in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) at Texas A&M University and continued to lead the Sustainable Coastal Margins Program (SCMP) created in 2000. In the OVPR, Dr. Kennicutt was involved in developing concepts for research programs at a branch campus in Doha, Qatar and worked on university/private sector partnerships. In 2004 he returned to the Oceanography Department and the Environmental Programs where he taught oceanography, polar science, and science and policy. Dr. Kennicutt’s interests include: environmental chemistry; organic geochemistry, the fate and effect of pollutants, environmental monitoring, ecosystem health, Antarctic environmental issues and sustainability science.
Dr. Kennicutt first went to Antarctic as a graduate student in 1977 on a cruise with the Argentine Navy on the ARA Islas Orcadas (the USNS Eltanin). He next went south in 1990 in response to the grounding of the Argentine ship Bahia Paraiso and the subsequent oil spill at Palmer Station. This marked the beginning of more than 22 years of research on the impact of humans on Antarctica. Dr. Kennicutt served as the U.S. Alternate Delegate (5 yrs.) and Delegate (9 yrs.) to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). He served as a SCAR Vice President from 2004-2008 and SCAR President from 2008-2012. He was an ex officio member of the National Academies Polar Research Board for 14 years, a science advisor to the U.S. State Department Antarctic Treaty Delegation for 7 years, and attended 10 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.
Among other honors, Dr. Kennicutt was named a National Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for life, awarded the Antarctic Service Medal of the U.S. An Antarctic geographic feature was officially named Kennicutt Point in 2006.
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Lee A. Kimball
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
Lee A. Kimball has worked on international ocean law and policy for more than thirty years, with both non-governmental and international organizations. She began her career in 1975 representing NGOs at the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, and from 1980 to 1990 served as founding director of the Council on Ocean Law, chaired by Elliot L. Richardson. During the same period she directed the Antarctica Program of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in Washington, D.C. and represented NGOs on U.S. delegations to Antarctic Treaty meetings.
From 1990 to 2006, as an independent analyst, she advised a number of United Nations bodies and international conservation organizations on problems of the environment and development and inter-institutional relationships. The last three years were devoted primarily to conservation in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction with the Global Marine Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). From 2006 to 2009 she played a leading role in the U.N. Group of Experts charged with analyzing and designing a global marine assessment process, approved by the U.N. General Assembly in 2010. Currently she serves on several boards.
Ms. Kimball has taught international environmental law and policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and is widely published. She has a Master's Degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins/SAIS and is a graduate of Stanford University. She grew up in the Seattle area.
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R. Tucker Scully
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, and 11 December 2013
R. Tucker Scully devoted most of his thirty-five year career with the U.S. Department of State to international oceans and polar issues. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, he was responsible for organizing and leading U.S. Delegations in negotiations on oceans, Arctic and Antarctic issues and for development and coordination of United States policy on those issues. Named to the U.S. Government’s Senior Executive Service in 1991, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Fisheries in 1999.
During this period, Tucker was the chief United States negotiator on polar issues. With respect to Antarctica, he headed U.S. Delegations to the annual meetings under the Antarctic Treaty, led the U.S. negotiating effort on the 1991 Environmental Protocol to the Treaty and was U.S. Commissioner to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. He visited Antarctica on a number of occasions, including circumnavigation of the continent as leader of U.S. Antarctic Treaty inspection teams.
Tucker grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia and attended the University of Virginia, graduating in 1962. He also received a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1975.
Since his retirement from the State Department in October, 2000, he divides his time between Washington, D.C. and Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. He consults on oceans and polar issues, is an aspiring watercolor artist and can identify many of the seabirds of the Southern Ocean.
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Dr. John Dudeney OBE
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Dr. John Dudeney OBE has 46 years of professional experience in matters relating to the Antarctic. He joined the British Antarctic Survey in 1966 as a contract physicist and wintered at Faraday (now called Vernadsky) Station in 1967 and 1968 (base commander in 1968). He then worked for BAS in a variety of roles: research scientist, research leader, science manager, head of division and latterly (until retirement in early 2006), as Deputy Director.
John has visited Antarctica 23 times in all, comprising two winters and 24 summer seasons. His experience encompasses field-work, science research, science leadership, logistics operations and crisis management, policy making and management at senior level, health & safety policy, international policy and governance of the Antarctic and a broad general knowledge of the history of the region.
In retirement, John has taken a new direction researching and publishing on the political history of Antarctica. He has just completed an emeritus fellowship with the Leverhulme Trust carrying out research with a colleague under the general topic of Cold Politics: Antarctic Science & Governance, with the aim of publishing a book with that title. John is a director of Antarctic Science Ltd, a charitable academic publishing house, and an individual member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee of the UK Houses of Parliament.
John is an accomplished public speaker, equally at home with expert, mixed or lay audiences. He has a lifelong passion for the Antarctic, which he enthusiastically shares with others. He is able to give set-piece talks on a wide range of topics as well as having a rich collection of stories and reminiscences from his long involvement in Antarctic affairs.
John was awarded the Polar Medal by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1976 for services to Antarctic Science, a clasp to his Polar Medal in 1995 and was made an Officer of the “Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” (OBE) in 2005 in recognition of his many and varied contributions to Antarctic affairs.
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Brent Houston
Naturalist/Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Brent has been involved with wildlife research, expedition travel and adventure tourism for 25 years from the Arctic to the Antarctic. He has been traveling to Antarctica every year since 1988, first with five years of research projects near McMurdo and Palmer Stations, Antarctica, followed by the Oceanites Antarctic Site Inventory and Visitor’s Site Guide. Brent now focuses on education and tourism by lecturing at schools and on expedition ships, mainly about the Polar Regions. To date, he has made over 90 trips to “The Ice”.
His wildlife interests range from penguins to polar bears, and on land with WWF on prairie habitat and the endangered black-footed ferret. He is a contributing editor and photographer for numerous books, scientific papers and magazines, most recently in National Geographic Traveler (October 2009) on The Island of South Georgia for their issue on the “50 Places of a Lifetime”. Since 1989 Brent’s research and field work has specialized in global warming and how it affects the wildlife associated with sea ice, especially Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins.
After graduating from the University of Illinois and Colorado State University, Brent continued wildlife research at Idaho State University for his MS in wildlife ecology. His long-term mountain lion study is an ongoing Earthwatch project, and he continues to work with many non-profit organizations to preserve and protect threatened and endangered species. Brent is also closely associated with Jane Goodall and her programs on endangered animals, and is featured in her latest book, Hope for Animals and Their World.
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Meriwether Gill
Lecturer
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Meriwether Gill joins the Seabourn lecture team with a strong background in cetology (the study of whales and dolphins) and many years experience studying and working with a wide variety of species of whales and dolphins.
Meriwether attended Hollins University, in Roanoke, Virginia and majored in biology. While an undergraduate, she developed a keen interest in marine mammal training, and worked as a marine educator at Sea World, in Florida. Meriwether continued her education at Hollins with a Master’s degree focused on marine mammal behavior and training. While in the program, she interned at the Dolphin Research Center, in Grassy Key, Florida, training dolphins and studying dolphin swim programs and dolphin therapy.
After the completion of her Master’s degree, Meriwether moved to Maui, Hawaii, and worked for the Pacific Whale Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to research, education and conservation. Working as a naturalist, she taught visitors about humpback whales, Hawaiian spinner dolphins and coral reefs and their many and varied species that inhabit them. After her first year at the Pacific Whale Foundation, Meriwether transitioned to the Foundation’s research department. During the winter months, while the humpbacks were in their breeding and calving grounds in Hawaii, she studied the function of the whale’s songs, and then in the spring her research focused on spinner dolphin behavior.
For over seven years, Meriwether has worked aboard adventure cruise ships sharing her love of marine wildlife and fulfilling her never-ending zest for travel. These voyages have taken her to numerous far-flung parts of the world including Alaska, the Russian Far East and the Bering Sea, the South Pacific, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands and Japan, to name a few. Meriwether is also a Fellow of The Explorer’s Club.
During your voyage, Meriwether’s enthusiasm for informing guests about marine wildlife, current marine conservation and management issues and the latest research being conducted, will be contagious!
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Dr. Juan Pablo Seco Pon
Lecturer/Naturalist
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Juan Pablo received his Licentiate degree in Biology from the National University of Mar del Plata in Argentina in 2006 and his PhD in Biological Sciences in 2013.
For the past ten years he has been devoted to the study and conservation of marine vertebrates, especially seabirds, and has conducted several research campaigns throughout the southwestern Atlantic studying the interactions between seabirds and artisanal, semi-industrial and industrial fisheries. He was involved in the Project “Olrog’s Gulls Interacting with Sport Fisheries in Argentina and Uruguay,” continues to participate in projects relating to the conservation of this endangered gull species in the region, and has participated in international sea surveys to develop and implement mitigation measures aboard commercial fishing vessels in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Juan Pablo is presently working as an advocate to the study of seabird interactions with commercial trawlers within Argentine waters. He works in cooperation with several national universities, international institutes, local and international governmental and non-governmental agencies and with different sectors of the fishing industry in order to diminish the incidental capture of seabirds and other marine species, mainly from the use of nets. A Certified Observer from the National Observers Program of the National Fisheries Institute of Argentina, he currently gives professional assistance to applicants for this program.
Of late, Juan Pablo has been working also as a Marine Mammal Observer on board seismic research vessels operating in the waters off Bahía San Sebastian, in Tierra del Fuego. As an active young scientist, he has published several papers on seabird ecology and conservation in specialized scientific journals and attended several national and international congresses, acting also as a reviewer.
Juan Pablo supports the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (www.acap.aq), acting as a South American News Correspondent on an honorary capacity. In his time off, he has worked as a naturalist guide based in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, and has worked continuously as a naturalist, lecturer and Zodiac driver on board Antarctic cruise ships the past six austral summer seasons.
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Rupert Pilkington
Naturalist
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Rupert joins the Seabourn staff for the 2014 Antarctic season with ten years’ experience as a guide working in some of the world’s remotest regions, including Alaska, the Russian Far East, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard.
Coming originally from Scotland, Rupert is a Canadian as well as a British citizen, reflecting a life profoundly influenced by travel and exploration. He studied natural resource management and conservation at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, culminating in a Master’s Degree from Aberdeen University. Later, he worked for both the US National Park Service and for Parks Canada, in Alaska, Colorado, Utah and Alberta, contributing to and administering a wide variety of wildlife management studies, mostly in relation to large mammals.
During his years with the national parks, Rupert developed a special focus on bears and the management of conflict between bears and people, as a key study within his overarching interest in the preservation of wilderness and a very broad view of whole-ecosystem conservation. Initially, this work centered mostly on brown and black bears, but after a number of years it expanded to include polar bears and new opportunities to work in the Arctic as a guide in the expedition cruise industry. In 2011 Rupert established his own company, Blue Planet Expeditions, which offers small-ship expedition trips in Svalbard.
While principally a specialist in the northern hemisphere, Rupert brings the knowledge and experience gained in the Arctic, such as life at sea, sea-ice, inflatable boat driving, and looking after guests on ship and on shore, to Seabourn for its Antarctic and South American cruises for 2014. While being affable and enjoying a good conversation, and being able to speak French and German, Rupert is keen to share his knowledge of Antarctic wildlife and exploration. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he has a consummate interest in geography, and a global perspective of ecology and conservation which is fundamental to his work as a guide.
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Matt Dolan
Zodiac Diver
*Seabourn Quest Voyages 20 November 2013, 11 December 2013, 04 January 2014, and 25 January 2014
Matt’s passion for adventure started at a young age growing up in Utah. At the age of 13 he joined the local “Venture Crew” and began exploring the Wasatch Range by mountaineering, rock climbing, skiing, and backpacking. His love for adventure and travel continued where he turned it into a career. He accepted a congressional nomination to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, where he graduated with an Unlimited-tonnage Third Mate license, Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation, and a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He immediately began working in the global merchant fleet where he has served as a deck officer on oil tankers out of Alaska, container ships running the U.S./East Asia transit, and car-carriers trading along the U.S. East coast to Northern Europe. Most recently, Matt commanded the ASD tractor tug Signet Enterprise as Lead Captain for Signet Maritime. The vessel operates along the U.S. Gulf Coast to the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad, assisting in subsea operations for deep-water technology and research.
His true passion of exploring grew during the two years he spent with an expedition cruise operator as Second Mate, Kayak Officer, and Zodiac-driver, operating throughout Southeast Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Columbia River, and Baja California. Fueled by his experience and the local knowledge gained, Matt began an endeavor that few have accomplished. In June 2011, he and three friends departed from Seattle, WA and began kayaking the entire Inside Passage. Sixty-five days and over 1,300 miles later, they all reached Muir Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park, AK. This ambitious paddle took them through an epic display of wildlife, incredible scenery in notoriously dangerous waters, and along a journey that created an unbreakable bond between four paddlers.
In between the long hitches at sea, he lives with his brother outside Lake Tahoe. In October 2012 he competed in the X-Terra off-road triathlon U.S. National Championship in Snowbasin, Utah, placing 4th in his age group. He continues to explore throughout the high-mountain desert peaks and Sierra mountain range in Nevada, California, and Oregon. He also volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician in the Reno/Tahoe area.
Being his first season to “The Ice,” Matt hopes his love for exploration and appreciation of authentic nature will enhance everyone’s experience.
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*Subject to change without notice.
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