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Duncan Jones
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.
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| I also found myself helping to carry out an environmental impact assessment for a local pressure group in Mexico to try and prevent the development of an alleged 'eco-tour' resort in a sensitive area (unfortunately to no avail). I'm not comfortable with the term ‘Eco Tour' to this day as it always seems to be miss-used. On returning to the UK I trained to become a teacher - during this I met my future wife and I returned to Cornwall to begin my teaching career. As much as I enjoyed teaching, I wanted to combine it with my love of the ocean, and a trip to Wales reminded me of an idea I had on leaving university. This idea developed over five years of hard work into what is now Marine Discovery Penzance. Three boats and many years on I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than heading out into the mysterious blue in search of its amazing inhabitants and sharing the experience with guests equally as excited as I am about what we might see and what it will teach us. I still maintain my commitment to environmental issues and strive to make Marine Discovery Penzance as sustainable as possible. Have a look at our environment and research pages to see what we do at the moment and don't forget to check back, because this is an area we are committed to and are constantly developing.
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Hannah Jones
When we started Marine Discovery back in 2005, little did I think we would be where we are now! It has certainly been an amazing and interesting journey incorporating many twists and turns, and I can't imagine having any other job now. I have always lived by the sea, apart from the three years I was at University and, growing up, I can't remember not being fascinated by the animals that lived in the ocean. Like many little girls I was particularly nuts about dolphins. That interest has broadened and deepened to all the animals we encounter in our waters– though as people may tell you I can get rather “unscientific” about the grey seals we see and recognise on so many of our trips. Different jobs have taken me all round the country – I was an outdoor activity instructor for three years in various parts of Britain , and then trained as a teacher in Swansea , where I met Duncan.
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| After five years teaching, with Marine Discovery buzzing around in our heads, we were finally able to take the plunge and start the company in May 2005. For me one of the best things about running Marine Discovery is never knowing what we are going to find – certainly a pod of bow riding dolphins, or a massed frenzy of diving gannets are hard to beat, but seeing something truly unexpected and weird, such as a Portuguese man of war always gets us buzzing. For me, converting to the sailing catamaran has added something indefinable to the trips – yes the speed is slower, but sailing can add so much more to the wildlife experience. When we hoist the sails I look round at passengers, and there's an “Aaaaah!” expression on their faces as the noise of the engines dies and they feel the sails fill and the water whoosh underneath them. And I promise you there's almost nothing better in the world that riding on the netting and hearing the whistles and squeaks of bowriding dolphins as they communicate underneath you. I only wish I could understand what they were saying! |
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Lauren Timson
Marine life has been a passion of mine ever since I could remember. I grew up in Northamptonshire far away from any coastline, however I would always look forward to staying with my Grandparents who lived on the Kent coast in New Romney. I would spend hours down by the sea, soaking up the sights, smells and sit for hours watching the waves. I always knew that I wanted to further discover the vast underwater world, so I then moved to Plymouth to study Marine Biology and Oceanography (BSc Hons) at Plymouth University and really benefited from living next to the sea. I completed my HSE Professional SCUBA diving course during the summer 2009 and learnt many different aspects of diving, such a rescue diving, scientific diving and surveying and recording data from marine habitats for research.
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Every dive was different and I saw a vast array of stunning marine life.I enjoyed seeing the wildlife so much during my dive course that I went on to become a Seasearch Observer and learnt how to recognise and identify different species underwater. I really enjoyed doing dive shows for the public at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth , feeding and maintaining one of their biggest tanks was always very rewarding. I completed my dissertation on short-snouted seahorses which are commonly found in seagrass beds dotted around the UK coastline; it was fascinating to learn about the behaviour of these elusive creatures and how important it is to help protect their habitat in the wild. I feel at home when I am exploring the ocean; whether it is on a diving vessel in Plymouth Sound or on a research vessel in Sweden . It's great working with Marine Discovery as I really enjoy teaching and sharing the same enthusiasm for our marine life with guests; hopefully I will see you all soon on an unforgettable trip into the blue!
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Sophie Meyjes
Sophie will be working for us throughout May this year.
Despite growing up a fair distance from the coast, I developed an ever growing fascination with the sea and all things marine. Having travelled to various countries as a qualified diver I have been thrilled to experience the variety of marine flora and fauna around the world. Following this love of nature I then went to Nottingham University to study Biology. After completing three years in Nottingham I was lucky to gain experience working for a conservation and gap year travel organisation called Frontier. It was during this time I first heard about Marine Discovery and approached them for work experience. I am now looking forward sharing the wonders of the Cornish sea as a guide and crew member. |
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