Expedition Leaders
Marine Conservation Expedition in the Seychelles

Tim Kirkpatrick - Country Director - Seychelles

Tim is originally from the Cotswolds in England and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to GVI and the Seychelles expedition. A PADI Scuba Instructor, he studied mechanical engineering prior to moving to Durban in South Africa. Here, he built the boat that first brought him to the Seychelles, via the islands of the Indian Ocean, a 44 foot catamaran. First time around, Tim remained for 3 years, skippering and falling in love with the islands. Having spent 4 years on the sea he then turned his attention to the land and became an expedition leader on the Africa overland routes. In a two year period he completed 4 trans-Africa expeditions from London to Harare in Zimbabwe covering 60,000 K’s. He has since completed 2 transatlantic passages, lived and worked in the Caribbean as dive master/yacht technician and skipper, in Madagascar after 4 years where he skippered a 60 foot trimaran, worked as a PADI Underwater Instructor rating, set up and managed Zanzibar’s first diving centre, and he started and ran a live aboard diving business in Pemba, Tanzania. Tim washed back up on the shores of the Seychelles after joining the GVI team, ready to renew the love affair that started some twenty three years again.

Rowana Walton - Field Staff

After devoting many of her teenage years to horses, both competing and working in various dressage yards, it was difficult for Rowana to decide what to do next. But her interest in literature led her to studying English and American literature at Keele University and it was during this time that the travel bug began to bite and she was soon off backpacking around Europe whenever she got the chance.

After hearing her father rave about South Africa she decided to spend all of her savings on a three month trip as a GVI volunteer, spending the first month on the field guide course then moving onto the wildlife research expedition. To quote her ‘Going to sleep with the sound of lions roaring was simply magical, in fact the whole experience was inspiring'. This trip changed her whole perspective on life and after some months working for a software company she recognized that being involved in conservation would be so much more rewarding. So she then applied successfully for a job with GVI and having worked in our offices for many years, now enjoys passing on her enthusiasm to others in Mexico.

Chris Mason-Parker - Field Staff

Chris comes to GVI with extensive experience within the Marine Science field. After undertaking a BSc in Aquatic Biology and an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment, he decided to leave the UK for warmer shores. In 1996, Chris travelled to the Philippines where he began scuba diving and he has not looked back since. Now a PADI Divemaster, Chris has led marine conservation projects in both Indonesia and the Philippines and has taught marine biology courses during his time living and working in Thailand. With experience in coastal resource management, including conducting socio-economic assessments and the creation of marine protected areas, Chris is passionate about the marine environment and the issues that surround it. After three years of working in South-East Asia, Chris decided he was in need of a new challenge and a move to the other side of the world. Now in Mexico with GVI he is enjoying expedition life and learning about Caribbean reef ecosystems and their associated species.

Simon Dixon - Expedition Staff

After graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Environmental Science, Simon spent a year travelling around Australia where his passion for diving was stirred. On returning to the UK and an office based career he quickly realized it wasn’t for him and headed off to Thailand where he completed his PADI Instructor course. For the past 3 years he has been travelling around the world working as an instructor in various countries including the Philippines and Grand Cayman. The opportunity to utilise his degree and interest in marine conservation in collaboration with his love for diving has lead Simon to join the GVI team here in the Seychelles.

Colin Watson - Expedition Staff

Colin was previously based in the East coast of Fife in Scotland where he explored the British and Irish coasts from Poole to Exmouth, Antrim to West Cork. His interests in the sea, marine life and conservation started as a ‘wee ‘boy. He has many interests and hobbies including diving which he learnt 13 years ago in the cold waters of Fife! He came to the Seychelles in October 2008 as a volunteer for GVI, was asked to stay as an Intern and has since become a staff member who has helped with the development of the Satellite camp. He has spent many a happy hour managing the day to day jobs with the volunteers on the island of Curieuse and can currently be found at the base at Cap Ternay. Colin had worked in a variety of industries before arriving in the Seychelles and taking the opportunity to combine and develop many of his interests within the unique set up of GVI.

Lindsay Sullivan - Science Co-ordinator

Lindsay was born in London but, following a family move, spent her teenage years in Cockermouth in the Lake District. She graduated in 2002 from UMIST in Manchester with a BSc in Mathematics with Software Engineering, after which, feeling like she deserved a break, spent the next few months backpacking around South East Asia and Australia, learning to SCUBA dive on the Great Barrier Reef. On her return to the UK she found herself a job in the financial industry, but three years of office life was more than enough and she decided to escape to GVI’s marine expedition in Mexico in 2006 to expand her diving experience. After six months as a volunteer on those white sandy beaches, wanting to put her new Divemaster qualification to use, she applied for a scholarship with the Mahahual base and was accepted.

She returned home in September 2007 to begin a Masters in Applied Marine Science at Plymouth University and, shortly after graduating the following year, set off for Zanzibar to work as a ranger in the Chumbe Island Marine Reserve. Her love for marine conservation confirmed, she is now the Science Coordinator for GVI Seychelles. Lindsay shares her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm with everyone who will listen and when she’s not teaching volunteers on land she can be found driving the boat or teaching them underwater!

Ben Herrington - Expedition Staff

Ben grew up in Byron Bay, Australia. He left home to begin a career working on sailing yachts around the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in Northern Queensland, Australia. It was during this time that Ben got a taste for diving! After 18 months, he headed overseas and spent close to 5 years sailing on a number of private Yachts between the Mediterranean and Caribbean, gaining more experience and his Yacht master qualification along the way. He deciding he needed a change, and headed to the Seychelles as a 10 week volunteer with GVI Seychelles in April 2008. After spending 1 three month phase as an intern, Ben is now a staff member and is in charge of the boating and marine operations side of the expedition. Ben is also a very keen photographer and when on an ocean diving or sailing, he can be found throwing himself down a mountain on a snowboard!

Hazel Long - Expedition Staff

Hazel grew up in West Yorkshire, England. She graduated from the University of Hull with a Masters degree in Physical Geography in 2006. During her time at university she learnt to scuba dive with the Sub Aqua club which she became president of in her final year of study. Following her degree, and 2 years working in the UK to raise funds, she decided to pursue her passions for diving, conservation and travel by completing a 10 week phase as a volunteer with GVI Seychelles marine expedition. She spent the next 3 months as an intern, and following that became a permanent member of staff. Hazel excels at training volunteers in fish, coral and invertebrate identification, as well as educating local children, helping to broaden their understanding and awareness of the underwater world.

Rachel Mowll - Expedition Staff

Rachel grew up in Devon, England. She completed a BSc in Geography and Tourism Management before heading to Mexico to volunteer on GVI’s Pez Maya Marine Expedition. After staying on for a further 6 months as an intern, she decided it was time to swap the ocean for the mountains and spent the next 5 months working and skiing the French alps. Realising that her passion lies with the marine world, she jumped at the chance to head over to GVI Seychelles in January 2008 to work as an intern. Being a qualified dive master and boat driver, she was the perfect candidate to become a permanent staff member in June. Rachel has travelled and dived around the world and has an abundance of stories to share!