Marlynda was born and educated in the Netherlands. Travel and diving has always been her passion. Her first diving experience started in 1989. She has been diving ever since all over the world and is a qualified technical diver.

 

At University her final year thesis was on Sustainable Tourism and she has pursued her passion through 15 years in the travel industry, specializing in marketing and PR, as well as direct operational management.

 

It is the polar regions that particularly capture Marlynda's imagination. She is an expert in polar tourism and is contracted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advise them on safe and environmentally responsible Antarctic tourism management. Since 2002, Marlynda has joined the Dutch Delegation to the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, where the 45 Antarctic Treaty Parties meet to provide for the international governance of the continent.

 

During the last decade, Marlynda has worked with Göran to develop the first ever commercial diving expeditions to the polar regions. Waterproof Expeditions is their joint venture and their aim is to provide unique and tailored diving and photography expeditions, focusing on the experience of the natural beauty and diversity of unique underwater environments, and supporting clients to capture this through (underwater) photography.

 

Göran, originated from Sweden, has planned and led many field trips to the polar areas, and was the first to lead diving expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica.

He has more than 24 years diving experience, is a certified PADI Instructor and has been diving the polar areas since 1993. He dives both open water and under the ice during summer and is particularly experienced with Walrus, Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals.

 

 

Göran has filmed Beluga, Narwhal, Seals, Walrus and other mammals in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland and Svalbard. In Antarctica, he filmed on Humpback and Minke whales and all members of the Seal family including the Leopard. He has also captured most penguin species, including Emperors, and many invertebrates on film. In the Azores (Faial & San Miguel) he spent four seasons diving with Sperm Whales, and since 1985 he has been diving with Orcas in Norway and ecame experienced with the whales themselves and the logistics and techniques involved in getting close to   them.

 

Göran’s footage has been used in numerous series and films over the past ten years.

· Archives of Emperor Penguins under water in the Hollywood Production “March of the Penguins” , 2006

· Lord of the Ice, Leopard seals (Discovery/Saint Thomas Productions, 2003)

· What do the Walruses know? (SVT,DR, 2003)

· Wildlife Special-Killer Whales (BBC/Discovery, 2003)

· Hunt for the Red Whale, Killerwhales (Survival, 2003)

· Blue Planet - Frozen Seas (BBC/Discovery, 2002, Narwhal, Walrus & Emperor penguins)

· Toothed Titans (National Geographic, 1999, feeding Walrus sequence)

· White whales & Narwhals chattering of Ghosts (Canal+, 1999)

· Lea the Leopard Seal (Saint Thomas/Canal+, 1998)

· Avaq-The Arctic Toothwalker, Walrus (Scandinature)

· Svalbard-Where the Polar Bears Reign, Walruses (Scandinature)

 

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Most at home in the polar regions, Lisa spends half the year in the Arctic and Antarctic. Passionate about the future of Antarctic and Arctic Tourism, Lisa is a representative for Lindblad Expeditions during the annual IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) conferences, sits on the IAATO Field Operations Committee, and contributes to AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators).  

 

Robert has over 14 years of diving experience that began on the shores around Los Angeles.  By the age of 19, he was a PADI Scuba Instructor and had participated as a staff member of the scuba program at the University of Oregon, training students in various places throughout the Pacific Northwest.  He then returned to Southern California, managed and taught at a local dive shop and spent most of his time introducing people to the underwater world of the Channel Islands.    

 

 

Robert’s experience in marine-based tourism has brought him to the corroboration of this project and is also currently training to be a certified commercial diver.