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British Virgin Islands - 2018, Session 1

Staff Update Day 1

Location: West End, Tortola

As our shipmates begin their travels to the BVI, the staff are finishing up their last preparations on the dock. Boats are getting their food, water and last minute provisions needed for the three-week expedition. As we wait for the students to arrive on the dock, we are all getting excited for all the activities ahead. We cannot wait to go sailing, diving, hiking, waterskiing and most of all make new friends. We can’t wait to share our experience with all the families back home on the blogs!

Here is an introduction to the crew of Slow Motion:

Maddy- Skipper/Divemaster

Maddy is a young swimmer who's never far away from the water. Growing up in Norwich, she regularly traveled to Menorca with her parents to work on their family sailboat and dinghy sail. She went to boarding school for nine years and left with A levels in sport, food, and biology. County swimming when she was younger, lifeguarding for four years, and school holidays working in kids camps, she's always looking to learn and try new things. At 16 years old she went to Belize for a month to do marine conservation, learning species of fish participating in underwater species surveys. After A-levels, Maddy decided to do a path different from most and not go to university, instead of going and getting her Yachtmaster. Six months of sail training in the winter immediately sent her packing to work in hot places. Last summer she was a flotilla skipper for Medsailors with her boat and up to 10 guests at a time, cooking for everyone and maintaining the boat then showing people around the new towns we arrived in every night. Maddy also has been diving since 9 and got her Divemaster last October and plans to do more whenever she can. At home, Maddy is a runner, family person, cook, and big reader. She loves adventure, meeting new people, and wants to see as much of the world as she can.

Hannah- Dive Instructor/Mate

Hannah was born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Hannah has always loved the water and was a high-performance swimmer for eight years. Hannah completed her dive instructor training in Vancouver, British Columbia while attending The University of British Columbia. Hannah now attends the University of Tampa pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and Biology with a minor in Chemistry. This is Hannah’s third summer working as a part of the GXG Staff family and is looking forward to the amazing experiences to come this summer. In her free time, Hannah enjoys training for half marathons, baking, hiking, canoeing, camping, mountain climbing, and spending time outside. Hannah has loved traveling from a very young age and was the youngest female to climb Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 11.

Alex- Dive Instructor/Mate

Alex grew up away from the sea in the rural UK but has been drawn towards the ocean at a young age. Having graduated from the University of Southampton with an MSci in Marine Biology, he is joining the AQ team for the first time. As a PADI Instructor, he has worked across the globe from the cold, murky lakes of the UK through to the tropics of Indonesia via the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. He is passionate about showing others the underwater world and inspiring them into conservation and the marine sciences. During his free time, Alex loves to rock climb and run ultra-marathons as a way of exploring new areas.