Damon Stanwell-Smith 
Expedition Leader/Marine Biologist

Damon Stanwell-Smith is a marine biologist, experienced commercial diver and powerboat instructor.  He spent five years working for the British Antarctic Survey including a two-winter tour at Signy Base on the South Orkney Islands, where he completed a PhD on polar marine plankton.  Damon then spent five years working for a UK-based international NGO: the Society for Environmental Exploration, where he managed their field research in Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Vietnam.  In 2002 Damon co-founded Pelagial Ltd, a marine biological consultancy that specialises in work and training in remote locations.  He is an enthusiastic trainer and lecturer and was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2003.

Simon Cook
Ornithologist

Simon has travelled extensively from his native Britain to all four corners of the globe.  With particular interests in travel, ornithology, cetaceans and photography he has been to over 100 countries, seen over 1,000 species of birds, been mesmerized by over half the world’s species of whales and dolphins and has had numerous photographs published over the years. A former manager with an international bank, Simon now spends so much time at sea that he can almost be classified as a marine mammal.  Nothing has given him greater pleasure than to exchange driving a desk for driving a Zodiac.

Megan Tierney
Marine Biology

Megan’s background in Marine Biology and Zoology has provided her with the amazing opportunity to spend five summers and one winter working with Southern Elephant Seals, Royal Penguins and Adélie Penguins at both sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and on the Antarctic continent itself. Megan grew up in northern New South Wales in Australia, with a keen interest in the marine world and originally studied in north Queensland. She currently resides in Tasmania where she is completing her PhD on the diet of Adélie penguins, work which she hopes will assist with the management of the krill fishery and the Southern Ocean ecosystem. When not down south, she enjoys rock-climbing, sea-kayaking, bushwalking and skiing.

John Harrison
Historian

Travel writer and environmentalist, JOHN HARRISON, is a native of Liverpool, England and took First Class Honours in Geography at Cambridge University and a Masters Degree in Planning at Liverpool University.  For twenty years, he worked in planning and environmental matters. His short stories have been broadcast on the BBC and collected in A Short Primer in Vice. His last book, Where the Earth Ends, about South America and Antarctica, was a Sunday Times Book of the Week, and has been translated into German. He is now writing and lecturing full-time, including working as a Field Education Officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He has extensive cruise lecturing experience in polar regions, and has traveled to 45 countries on six continents, and has made radio programs for the BBC on Antarctica and Easter Island.

Bernard Lefauconnier
Geologist & Glaciology

In 1981, Bernard started a study on the link between glaciers and climate at the University of Grenoble and became a glaciologist, specialist of Arctic glaciers. After he completed his Ph.d he worked as researcher with the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Laboratory of Glaciology in Grenoble. After being appointed Director of Research, he initiated three European projects in the Arctic and became the French representative at the International Arctic Scientific Committee - IASC. In 25 years, Bernard has led number of national and international field scientific campaigns, mainly in Svalbard and has participated in expeditions to Baffin Land, East Greenland and Franz Joseph Land. He also established a new French Arctic station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. Bernard is a sailor and a mountaineer.

Danny Edmunds
Naturalist

In 2003 Danny grew tired of earning a living building databases and living in central London.
Since then I’ve worked as a photographer, diver, travel writer and boat driver in some of the most undeveloped and remote parts of the world.
He's driven Zodiacs in the Indian Ocean, the Antarctic and the Arctic, worked on conservation projects in the Ecuadorian Andes, surveyed horse-mussel beds off the Llyn peninsula in north Wales and in 2007 updated the Bradt Guide to Mozambique. He'll be returning to east Africa in 2009 to do the field research for another book.

Mick Brown
Ornithologist

A native of Dublin, Mick has lived in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, for over 30 years. An all round naturalist with a passion for seabirds and marine life and a photographer since his teens, he has had a variety of jobs ranging from picture gallery proprietor to ecologist working for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. He also runs environmental awareness courses for children and adults. Working as a guide he has travelled throughout Europe and now concentrates on the Polar Regions. Offshore Islands with Seal and Seabird colonies are his natural habitat. At home Mick enjoys sea swimming, cycling and camping. A zodiac driver and lecturer, his enthusiasm for the natural world is inspiring.

Richard Neville
Musician

Richard Neville is from Black Tickle, Labrador and started fishing with his father at the age of 13. They fished together until Richard ventured to college in Goose Bay to obtain a certificate in Environmental Studies, which led him to work as a wildlife technician for the Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife division. He also applied his environmental education to the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture and was instrumental in helping to initiate the first stewardship zone in Labrador. Richard has played the guitar since the age of ten and spent his teenage years playing in local bands around Labrador. When he eventually moved to Goose Bay, he continued working as a musician and his services have long been in great demand as a studio musician backing up other performers on their recording projects. For the past several years, he has been lead guitarist for Harry Martin, one of Labrador’s leading singer/songwriters, playing on his recordings and touring across the country. He has also appeared frequently on radio and television.