A specialist in expedition travel for over 50 years, Lindblad Expeditions is the global leader, offering extraordinary travel experiences to all seven continents. 100% carbon neutral and single-use plastic free, Lindblad cares deeply about the planet and travel as a powerful force for good.
Nearly all ships in the fleet carry a staff “Undersea Specialist” who uses a variety of video and photography tools, from cameras to ROVs, to bring imagery of the undersea up to the guests onboard the vessel. These ambassadors of the deep show the incredible life, colors, and vibrance beneath the surface of the world’s oceans, from the Southern Ocean of Antarctica to the Arctic Oceans of Greenland and Canada.
Ashley Knight
Ashley has been exploring Earth's oceans for over 20 years as a research diver, marine scientist, and undersea naturalist. After over a decade of scientific and research diving along the Pacific Coast, from San Diego to Monterey to Oregon, she began diving all over the world as an Undersea Specialist with Lindblad-National Geographic Expeditions. Through this position she became an ardent underwater photographer and videographer and now also manages dive operations on their worldwide fleet of small expedition vessels.
Through her contributions to marine science, as a scuba instructor, and on expedition ships, she helps others find see their way from the shore to the depths, where they can discover for themselves what exciting colors and critters await! From kelp forests to undersea laboratories to coral reefs to wild polar seas, Ashley counts herself fortunate to have explored so much of our watery planet and works to share its beauty with the rest of the world through imagery. She believes that if more people get to see these fantastic habitats and incredible creatures, they will intrinsically understand why so many ocean conservation projects are essential to the whole planet.
Brandon Berry
Brandon is a photographer, research diver, PADI divemaster, and part of the Lindblad Expeditions undersea team. Based in Lake Tahoe, California he is fortunate to be just a drive away from both saltwater and freshwater alike. No stranger to cold water, Brandon is just as happy in a drysuit as he is in boardshorts… as long as his camera is in hand.
Brandon thoroughly enjoys the challenge and rewards of taking a camera diving and capturing the alien world below the surface. Through his photography, he brings the audience to an underwater world that may otherwise remain mysterious. Brandon aims to immerse the viewer in his imagery through a wide lens and an inquisitive approach, with the big picture of inspiring conservation and passion for everything aquatic.
Gail Ashton
Gail is an accomplished marine biology research scientist and undersea naturalist. In an attempt to experience and understand marine biodiversity, her work has taken her from the cold waters of Alaska to even colder waters under the ice of Antarctica. Occasionally she's stopped to dive in the middle to defrost. Focusing on beautiful and diverse marine invertebrates (creatures without backbones), Gail uses underwater photography and film both to capture scientific data as well as for outreach and engagement opportunities. Her work requires focus and precision as well as art and storytelling to bring the marine world to life for those that prefer to stay above water.
Brett Garner
Brett is a photographer, naturalist, and diver based in Western Australia. He is an undersea specialist for Lindblad Expeditions with whom he shoots underwater videography in Antarctica, the Arctic and many remote places in-between.
He has a master’s degree in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. While at Scripps he received a ROC Grant from the Waitt Foundation to produce the multimedia project, Kia Over There, which follows a group of Fijian spear-fishermen and exposes the challenges they face protecting their reef. He followed this work with projects featuring traditional landowners in the Peruvian Amazon and nomadic fishermen in Malaysian Borneo. During the recent bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, Brett was on site documenting the changes daily. His work has been featured in various media outlets including National Geographic, the New York Times, the BBC, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Outdoor Journal.
Kim Nesbitt
Kim is a marine biologist, adventure photographer, and Expedition Diver with Lindblad Expeditions. Based in Juneau, Alaska, she's used to diving the dark, cold, beautiful waters of her backyard, mesmerized by both the beauty of Southeast Alaska's underwater world and the amount of snacks she can pull from below the water - from fresh Dungeness crab to sea cucumbers to kelp. As a photographer and naturalist, she looks to educate the public about some lesser known underwater habitats as well as the unique issues they face. Onboard the Lindblad Expeditions ships, Kim shares her passion for the underwater world through photos and videos with conservation-minded travelers, and her favorite response to what lives beneath the surface is "Wow, I had no idea it was that colorful!" Her images have been featured in Alaska Magazine and within the National Geographic YourShot community.
Shaylyn Potter
Shaylyn is a polar scuba diver and marine biologist who uses underwater photography/videography to bridge the gap between the sciences and general public. Her love of extreme environments and uncharted destinations has led her to focus on polar and expedition storytelling; she aims to bring the mysteries of our wild oceans to a global audience. As an ongoing advocate for underdogs, Shaylyn prefers marine invertebrates to marine mammals and enjoys using videography to highlight their fascinating lives.
Tanish Peelgrane
As a skinny-legged 11 year old, Tanish strapped on her first tank and is still at it decades later. She has a particular passion for sharing the ocean's many hilarious, dramatic, tender, nail-biting, action-packed stories and uses photography and videography to connect diverse audiences to places and creatures beneath the surface. Her specialty is science communication—a perfect companion to expedition diving. Always thirsty for exploration, Tanish is happy in everything from ice to tropics. After all, there's always something new to learn and that could inspire others to better care for the ocean and its wonders.
Christine Regent West
Christine is a polar expedition diver, naturalist, conservation photographer and videographer. She has worked as a professional diver for 17 years and now spends over six months per year in the field passionately documenting and sharing stories about places that are rarely seen and yet are rapidly changing due to the warming of the earth. Christine uses a variety of tools such as underwater cameras and ROVs to create images that serve as voices for areas and ecosystems that need immediate protection. She is driven to help others make personal connections with the lesser-known stories, often leading her to dive the coldest, sometimes murkiest, most remote places on earth in areas such as Antarctica, Alaska and the high Canadian Arctic.
Adam Maire
Adam is an underwater photographer and videographer, a PADI Dive Instructor and an Undersea Specialist for Lindblad Expeditions. He spends his time below the waves from Antarctica to the Arctic and many places in between, making images and educating people about the marine environment. Living in Hawaii, he has constant access to the ocean and loves passing the time diving with a camera. Adam has a passion for conservation and loves to share the stories of the underwater world through his videos and photos. With the goal of instilling a stewardship for the oceans in the hearts of those who cannot experience it firsthand, Adam explores the less-visited places of the world with a camera to bring what is below the water's surface up above the waves for all to enjoy.
Emmett Clarkin
After his doctoral research on the kelp forest communities of the North Atlantic, Emmett moved to Queensland, Australia to work for the Australian Institute of Marine Science; and it was here undertaking coral reef research along the length of the Great Barrier Reef that Emmett’s diving career really started to flourish. Gaining his commercial diving qualifications to allow him to lead scientific diving operations in the field, Emmett then started to develop his passion for underwater photography and videography for both scientific research and outreach purposes. Finding a passion for underwater photography and storytelling, Emmett naturally found himself heading towards using his photos and videos for science communication purposes. Emmett’s scientific and diving career allows him to visit some of the most remote habitats found on the planet, from tropical regions in Africa, Asia and Central America, to the temperate waters of Northwest Europe, and deep into the polar seas of the Arctic and Antarctica, where he currently explores with Lindblad-National Geographic Expeditions as an undersea specialist.
Rachel Crane
Rachel Crane loves traveling the world and exploring wild places, especially the ones underwater. She has spent her life creating a career where she can tell stories about the ocean that inspire conversations, understanding, and change. Working as part of the Undersea Team on the Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic ships has provided amazing opportunities to do just this in both polar and equatorial regions! A few of her favorite topics to talk about include sharks, coral reefs, plankton, and oceanography. Rachel enjoys a dynamic working environment, and has cumulated many titles and certifications including Marine Ecologist, PADI Master Scuba Instructor, underwater photographer and videographer, and USCG certified 100-ton Captain. She is based in Key Largo, Florida and most days she can be found on or under the water with a camera in her hands.