Meet the Staff!
Location: West End, Tortola
Hello to all the parents, grandparents, friends, and special people out there, and thank you for tuning in to the "Forever For Now" show! This is the staff, Will, Gene, Kaleigh, and Cara, writing to you from our home dock on Frenchman's Cay in Tortola. We are beyond excited to meet our boat family and get out on the water. The scuba tanks are full, the fish books are stowed, and we have two dogfish specimens hidden somewhere on board…
Stay tuned to hear about our daily adventures from one of the shipmates each day (when we have a phone signal). For now, it's time to meet the staff;
Will - Skipper and Marine Biologist
Will grew up on a sailboat in the Mediterranean with his parents and black lab before they moved back home to South Devon. After various stints in Greece working as a windsurfing instructor – and later, elsewhere in the world in super yachting – Will pursued a master's degree at the University of Exeter to study Marine Environmental Management. Before graduation, Will accepted a Mate/Marine Scientist role with Seamester – becoming part of the GXG family. He loves surfing, climbing, and taking trips in his self-converted VW. Students have described him as" oh so granola," but he's still unsure what that means!
Gene - Dive Instructor and First Mate
Gene loves the ocean so much that he can often be seen gazing longingly at it on the horizon. He grew up in New Zealand and travels the world for adventure. Gene teaches scuba diving to anyone within earshot and considers himself a liaison between humans and sea life. He's a strong advocate for shark conservation and will strike up a conversation with just about anybody. He can't wait to return to the Caribbean this summer and live out his lifelong dream of being a pirate.
Kaleigh - Dive Instructor and Media Team
Kaleigh is so excited to have the opportunity to share her love of living on a sailboat and exploring the underwater world this summer! A competitive swimmer from age 5 through high school, Kaleigh feels most at home on or in the water. At 13, she stepped onboard her first ActionQuest boat and earned her Advanced Open Water certification to one day be a member of AQ Staff. Returning every summer, Kaleigh has built her diving and sailing qualifications, culminating with a trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean crossing onSeamester's S/Y Vela, and the following summer, Kaleigh earned her Divemaster certification. Kaleigh is studying at New York University, majoring in Film and TV Production.
Fun Facts: Kaleigh lived her early years in Steamboat Springs, CO, and was skiing at 23 months old. Her love of the mountains inspired her at the age of 15 to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the schools in the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya. When not in the water or at the helm, look for Kaleigh at the stern of the boat, strumming her Ukulele and singing her favorite show and pop tunes.
Cara - Dive Instructor and Mate
Cara is from rural Victoria, Australia, and grew up on the river, dodging swimming snakes on a kneeboard and riding kangaroos to school. These days, she spends most of her time in Central America, where she teaches scuba diving and rides dive boats instead. Cara has always been a water person but didn't learn to dive in 2018 on a trip to Panamá. Within a year, she moved to Panamá, became a professional diver, and gained her instructor qualification in Honduras. Cara can usually be found staring at a tropical reef, on a surfboard, or in the international departures terminal.