An ocean enthusiast, Kirsty is an AAUS scientific diver and studied her bachelors in Marine Biology. She spent the past two years in Saudi Arabia, conducting her masters in marine science, focussing on marine turtle ecology and conservation on the Red Sea. Kirsty is responsible for the setup of the first marine turtle, whale shark and manta ray identification database for the Red Sea and is still involved with multiple marine initiatives there. Kirsty is currently in Costa Rica working as a research assistant on a leatherback sea turtle conservation project and has travelled widely throughout Europe, South America and the Middle East.

For the Pelorus Foundation, Kirsty hopes to shed light on current and important topics in conservation, focussing on marine protected areas and preservation of key marine habitats through the articles and content she produces.

Number one unforgettable travel experience 

We hired bikes in Atacama, Chile, to watch the sunset and then cycled back in the dark. Whilst dodging large trucks on the road, the stars overhead were insane, nothing like I’d ever seen before with shooting stars flying across the sky every minute. Incredible.

Top of your travel bucket list

Top of my travel bucket list is probably tied between snorkelling with the orcas in the Norwegian fjords, or swimming amongst the non-stinging jellyfish pools in Tojoman lagoon in the Philippines.

Who is your ultimate travel partner?

My ultimate travel partner would be the photographer Paul Nicklen because he could document our (mainly underwater) adventures, and I would have beautiful photos to remember the trip by.