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Whale Watching
Meet the San Juan Island Whale Watching Staff
of San Juan Safaris
Nancy Hardy
Captain
Nancy has been with us since 2005. Nancy comes to us with 25 years of seamanship. Originally from North Dakota, Nancy has been calling San Juan Island home for many summers. She spends her winters in warm climates like Arizona. She and husband, Captain Peter, live aboard a salmon troller that the two of them have refurbished. Nancy's major in college was Parks & Recreation. Her favorite things are being out on the water and traveling to new places. When not working, which is almost always, she and her husband enjoy bicycyling and diving.
Peter Hardy
Captain
Peter has been with us since 2005 years and has over 20 years experience on the sea. A former helicopter pilot, and a diver, he is also a skilled wood worker and teaches a course called "Navigating By Stars". He and his wife have a salmon troller that they have restored and live on in Friday Harbor in the summers.
Craig Melvin
Captain
This is Craig's 2nd year with us. An islander of 5 years, Criag comes to us with a long history of boating. He also maintains both of our boats when not driving them.
He has been boating since 16 years old and has boated from Mexico to Glacier Bay Alaska.
In a former life, Captain Craig spent 29 years in law enforcement - 8 of those in homicide.
Hobbies: SCUBA diving, operation and repair of boat systems, fixing, building and improving his house, cars and boats.
Craig has some funny stories about trees that fall on his cars and "the cement project" at his home. One other thing about Craig, he is a stickler for spelling and punctuation. If you find something on this website, tell me quick before Craig sees it.
Jacyln Van Bourgondien
Naturalist
Jaclyn has been a part of the San Juan Safaris crew since the summer of 2006. She started at the company with a degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of New Hampshire.
Having arrived with an extensive background in marine science research and education, Jaclyn brings a broad array of Marine Biology information to each and every trip. Having also now spent a few summers on San Juan Island working for San Juan Safaris, she has become an extreme wealth of knowledge about the local flora and fauna, as well as about the islands themselves.
Originally from Long Island, NY, Jaclyn started her passion for the water at a young age through many childhood summers spent fishing and boating.
With a passion for the marine environment and a catchy enthusiasm, Jaclyn makes learning fun aboard the MV Sealion!
Asheley Chapman
Naturalist
A native from just minutes away from Gloucester, MA (the oldest fishing port in the U.S.), Ashley is returning for her second season as a naturalist for San Juan Safaris.
Having graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Environmental Education and having spent time doing conservation work up north in British Columbia, Ashley combines her skills in education and pacific northwest ecology knowledge as a naturalist for the company.
Raising Angora rabbits, spinning and gardening are on her agenda this summer.
Jeanette Miller
Naturalist
As a recent graduate from the University of California, Channel Islands (near Santa Barbara) with a degree in Biology, Jeannette has come to Friday Harbor to add a fresh new face to the San Juan Safaris team. While attending school in California, Jeannette participated in Cetacean research with Humpback whales and worked as a fisheries technician identifying fish species, testing water quality, and managed public outreach events.
As a new member of the crew, Jeannette has added another cheery, informative and fun attitude to our whale watching wildlife trips!
Tristen Joy
Naturalist
Tristen, a native of California's Central Valley, holds a degree in Zoology from Humboldt State University.
She has devoted more than 15 years to caring for wildlife and exotic animals (including at the zoo at the Playboy Mansion!). But her real passions lie with the ocean, especially marine mammals.
She spent many years rescuing stranded seals and whales along the California coast from the redwood forests to the beaches of Malibu.
This is her second season living in the beauty of the San Juan Islands and she loves the opportunity to spend her days observing and teaching others about the extraordinary qualities of the area.
Bill Wright-Naturalist, Owner/Creator of San Juan Safaris and what is now named Alaska Wildland Adventures back in 1975
In 1993 Bill began offering wildlife tours by kayak at Roche Harbor. 1994 he added Whale Watching. 2002 San Juan Safaris opened up an additional operation in Friday Harbor with both Whale Watching and Kayaking.
He began his career showing people wildlife, teaching the tenants of environmentalism and also proper wildlife viewing ethics - long before the term eco tourism had been coined.
In Alaska, he rafted rivers that were seldom seen by humans. He is an avid traveler having been to every state in the US, all over British Columbia, to Costa Rica, Africa, New Zealand and Fiji.
Bill is a news junky and is obsessed by what is going on in the world. He enjoys birding, riding his tractor, taking long drives to someplace he has or hasn't been, being around his critter companions and reading adventure books. Bill can usually be found in the administrative office with a phone on each ear.
He credits some of his success to his wonderful mate. See next photo.
Colleen Johansen
Owner
Naturalist
On Staff full time since 1995.
Most frequently now at the appointment desk, behind a computer (updating the website & answering your emails)
at the admin office, also a kayak guide naturalist on the whale watch.
Colleen enjoyed The Whale Museum's naturalist class so much, she has taken it four times.
A full time resident of San Juan Island since 1993, she has lived in Truckee, CA, Kona, HI & Canandaigua, NY and now here in Friday Harbor.. She has a varied background:degree in music, degree in gemology, years in retail and other careers.
Colleen loves travel and has been to almost every state in the US, plus Brazil, Costa Rica, Fiji, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, England and Belgium. And looking forward to more exotic countries.
Things she enjoys: birding, reading, working out, jazz & clasical music, gardening, learning new things, updating skills, using her digital camera capturing staff and spending time with her geese, llamas and friends.
She sometimes credits her good life to her husband, but mostly to just expecting life to be good. See his photo above.
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Pat Devlin
Book Keeper.
Oh yes, and sales desk, proof reader, editor, writer, organizer and organized.
Pat has been with San Juan Safaris since 2004. She was originally hired as the book keeper. Then we found out all her other skills and her job just kept expanding.
Pat has a long boating history and love of the water having lived and boated in southern and northern California. She has been a resident of San Juan Island since 2002.
In a previous life Pat was a pharmacist.
This photo is of her in her office -birthday 2009.
Captain Cal at the wheel of the whale watching boat Sea Lion June 2007. Photo by Frederick Kohler
Kendall with guests on the Sea Lion June 2007
Tiffany & Margo take the fenders up on the Sea Lion to go out whale watching
Tiffany (Tiff as we call her) talking wildlife will replace the fenders, coming home
Jaclyn (the mermaid) aboard the Sea Lion caught by naturalist Traci Walter
Captain Nancy Hardy aboard the MV Kittiwake getting ready for the morning whale watching tour. August 26, 2005
Margo shining up the Kittiwake (whale watching boat) windows. August 25, 2005
Naturalist Anna with guests
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