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Our team
Our team
Our team comes from the UK, USA and Australia and includes Fijian staff as well. We provide comprehensive training during your expedition, as well as being on-hand for advice and guidance on every aspect of your Fijian expedition experience.
Leading the team are the Project Directors; Howard who is origianlly from the UK and Tristan, an Australian citizen. They are personally involved in the day to day operation of the project in Fiji and responsible for all volunteers and personnel on site. Tristan directs our research programme in the region, assisted by our team of local and international field scientists.
Our field science team of experienced tropical biologists work directly with local staff and researchers from Fiji’s Department of Fisheries the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA) and The University of the South Pacific (USP) . Research and training is enhanced by frequent visits from Fisheries staff, supplying us with valuable local taxonomic, biological and traditional knowledge. All diving activities and training are coordinated and managed by our Dive Manager, a qualified PADI Open Water Scuba / Emergency First Response Instructor who, upon your arrival on Leleuvia, will fully inform you of all necessary aspects of expedition health and safety. Our Expedition Manager and Field Scientists work closely with the Diving Manager to plan each day’s activities, coordinating and over-seeing the day-to-day research you will be conducting. The research team are also responsible for volunteer science and survey training at the beginning of each project phase. Whilst on site, your general health and well-being are looked after by the entire team, who are all First Aid qualified and available at all times in case of accident or emergency.
Director & Expedition Manager: Howard Foster
Howard has been successfully leading groups overseas for over a decade in more than twenty countries all over the world. He developed a passion for SCUBA diving and marine conservation back in the UK where he gained his first PADI qualification. Howard attained his PADI Divemaster rating in2005 and subsequently volunteered on marine conservation projects in Western Australia and Fiji. These experiences motivated him to try and contribute to the conservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainable development of coastal communities. The incredible hospitality and warmth of Fiji’s people, in addition to observing first hand the positive conservation and research work carried out by the Fijian Fisheries Department, made Fiji his first choice for a project location. Following two years hard work, and at the invitation of both the Fisheries Department and local island communities, South Pacific Projects conservation, research and community development project was born.
Research Director: Tristan Simpson
Tristan is from Woolongong in Australia. He has always had a passion for the marine environment. After graduating from the University of Sydney with a BSc in Marine Science, he worked as the Science Officer on a conservation project in Mexico. He went on to coordinate the Volunteer Portion of the Ningaloo Turtle Programme in Exmouth, Western Australia, before working as a Nature Conservation Officer for the Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). Tristan is a PADI Divemaster and very experienced diver.
Field Scientist/Environmental Advisor: Ruth Kamrowski
Ruth represents Wales and is a keen rugby fan. She holds a BSc Hons in Psychology (1st Class) and a MSc Marine Ecology & Environmental Management (awarded with Distinction). Ruth is also pursuing a PhD in the area of marine turtle cognition and navigation to start in 2011. She has a lot of fieldwork experience and has volunteered herself on marine conservation projects in Australia before first visiting Fiji four years ago. Prior to joining South Pacific Projects and between her two stints at University, Ruth worked in adventure tourism in Greece, France and Italy. She has taught windsurfing & sailing, acted as a ski guide and as a dive leader. This year Ruth aims to work with Dr. Cara Miller of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) to assist with spinner dolphin research in our region. Ruth attained her PADI Divemaster in June 2009.
SPP Community Representative: Taioni Vakamoce Delai
Taioni grew up in Daku village on Moturiki Island – a short boat trip from Leleuvia. He was the Head of the Moturiki Environmental Committee for several years, giving him experience of creating and managing marine protected areas, as well as helping villagers with sustainable management practices and resource protection. He was trained by the Fisheries Department to become a qualified Fish Warden, for which his duties included recognising and confronting poachers. Taioni is a vital component of our team and is highly valued for his skill and insight into village protocol. He was the first graduate of our Marine Science Scholarships programme and is working towards his PADI Divemaster rating.
Field Scientist: Tiffany Gubala
Tiffany is from the USA and grew up in Southern California. She has had a lengthy athletic career in the water, competing in swimming, surfing and beach lifeguarding for many years. She has an excellent sense of water safety being both a professional lifeguard, PADI Rescue Diver and Emergency Medical Technician. As an avid surfer and diver, this led Tiffany to study the tropical and temperate waters of Australia and California. Her studies have taken her to many marine environments including the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Northern and Southern California and Sydney, Australia. Most recently as part of her Degree, Tiffany conducted a study in Sydney on the conservation of the Wobbegong Shark. In June 2010 she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology.
UK Intern: Katie Mason
Katie grew up in Jersey, Channel Islands and recently completed a BSc in Environmental Geography and International Development. Katie’s dissertation focused on the trends in small scale fishing in Fiji and work towards it was completed during the three months she spent on Leleuvia as a South Pacific Projects volunteer. Katie’s studies have enabled her to work on a turtle conservation project in Playa Ostional, Costa Rica, as well as working on sustainable livelihoods projects in Dominican Republic and Borneo. In September 2010, Katie will be starting a MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management. Having trained in Fiji as a PADI Rescue Diver, Katie is now working towards her PADI Divemaster qualification. Very keen on watersports, having grown up on the beach surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, wakeboarding, Katie has also represented University in the 2010 waterpolo Nationals. Katie is very excited to be joining South Pacific Projects as their UK Intern for 2010/11.
UK Intern: Marina Iem
Marina is helping to manage SPP’s social networking sites to ensure that past and future volunteers can keep up to date with all of our Fiji news. Marina is French/Cambodian, lived in Thailand for three years to study at the International School of Bangkok and has also studied for a year in China prior to starting her MA at the University of Nottingham. Her other travels have taken her to Tahiti, Hawaii and the West Indies. It was during this period that she became aware of some of the negative human impacts occurring in these beautiful environments and developed a strong interest in conservation. In her spare time, Marina has volunteered with local communities, fundraised for orphanages in France and taught English to martial arts students in China.
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