Marine Team Wildlife Guides

ALISON GILL has been guiding for over 10 years. Most of her guiding has been in combination with minke whale research around the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland, where she worked with Sea Life Surveys for many years. She also guided longer trips, for Northern Light, around the Outer Isles of Lewis, Harris, the Uists and out to St Kilda. Discover the World employed her as a guide watching minke whales in the Hebrides, blue whales and killer whales in Iceland and dolphins in Gibraltar. In 1999, Alison travelled to South Africa to work with the Centre for Dolphin Studies watching mainly southern right whales. However, the highlight of her guiding career were the three months she worked as a lecturer and zodiac driver for Quark Expeditions in Antarctica, Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

PHIL JOHNSTON spent three years spent jumping aboard a variety of boats, to study the roving bottlenose dolphins of the Hebrides, during which time he often acted as an impromptu guide on fishing boats, yachts and ferries! Dolphins were also the focus of Phil’s attention during a stint in the fabulous south island of New Zealand, during which time he guided aboard a number of wildlife-watching boats, During some of these trips, Phil lead snorkellers swimming with dusky dolphins, fur seals and other marine species. Phil has also worked as a guide aboard a number of boats in west Scotland; from short trips, introducing families to the local marine environment around the Isle of Islay, to 10-day live-aboard wildlife cruises, on MV Chalice, throughout the Western Isles and to the remote St Kilda.

NATHAN GRICKS expertise lies in the identification of marine mammals and birds world-wide and his guiding covers marine and terrestrial environments, in the UK and abroad. Nathan has taught people how to identify and survey for whales and dolphins in Wales and Scotland, with the Sea Watch Foundation. In 2000, he worked on board ‘Colomban’ in central Azores with the renowned ‘Whalewatch Azores’. He has escorted small groups bird- and whale-watching in the eastern Caribbean, with the Island Resource Foundation and the Environmental Awareness Group (1992-4). Nathan assisted ‘Birdquest’ leaders on a short ornithological tour in south peninsular Thailand (1991). In 2004, Nathan worked as a guide and RIB driver for Quark Expeditions in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica. Nathan has good boat skills crewing on a trans-Atlantic crossing in 1994 and driving RIBs (and other craft) for whale research.

SARAH BARRY has recently returned from South Africa where she worked as a guide with Dyer Island Cruises on the highly successful Whale Whisperer, working with southern right whales, several dolphin species, the cape fur seal and great white sharks. Most of Sarah's guiding prior to this has been on the West Coast of Scotland. She worked for Inter Island Cruises for two seasons as their sole wildlife guide. Trips were mainly focused on the West Coast Minke Whales, but also included visiting the Small and Treshnish Isles, a stronghold for several seabird species. She has also guided aboard MV Chalice on more general wildlife trips and voyages to St Kilda. Whilst in Australia, Sarah worked with two wild dolphin swim boats as assistant dive-master, as well as with the Dolphin Research Institute.

ALEXA KERSHAW has been working in the marine mammal field since completing a Masters Degree in Ecological Management in 1997. Since then she has combined her work on cetacean research projects world-wide with her love of guiding and sharing her knowledge of the marine environment. She has been guiding on whale watching boats for a number of years now, primarily working with Sea Life Surveys on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.  She also works as a freelance specialist cetacean guide for Discover the World, leading the week-long tours to Mull for four years now. She has also led longer trips for Discover The World and Arctic Experience in South Africa, and for the last two years in Iceland.

JULIET SHRIMPTON has been working as a naturalist and guide for the last four years in a variety of locations.  Spending four seasons working on the West Coast of Scotland, she has been guiding small groups on sailing adventures throughout the Hebridean Islands and has an extensive knowledge of the islands of Jura, Islay, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, Mull  and the Western Isles and the marine life found there. The highlight of which was a BBC filming trip to the magical St Kilda.  For the last two years Juliet has undertaken a winter migration to the southern hemisphere where she works in Antarctica as a guide, lecturer and zodiac driver for Polar Star Expeditions.  Trips are onboard an icebreaker carrying 100 people and include the Falkland Islands, South Georgia,   the Peninsula and the Weddell Sea.  Also with Polar Star Expeditions Juliet has worked in South America, including Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.