INCREDIBLE  ADVENTURES
Life is either an incredible adventure...or nothing at all

Shark Adventures: The Farallons Shark Crew

Greg Barron - Director of West Coast Shark Ops

We haven't quite figured out what to call Greg Barron. This week, we're leaning toward "Director of West Coast Shark Ops". A San Francisco Bay Area native and entrepreneur, Greg has spent his entire life living and diving along the North Coast of California. He has been involved in our San Francisco shark adventure from the very beginning. Greg helped the people at DOER Marine design and build our massive shark cage and he helped transform our boat into one of the best shark boats on the planet. He then assembled the perfect mix of people to make sure every aspect of your adventure is as perfect as it can be.

In his other life, Greg operates two of his own companies, Barron Properties and Rideable Bicycle Replicas, Inc. Barron Properties is a real estate development and management company based in Alameda and Oakland, California. Rideable Bicycle Replicas, Inc. of Alameda, CA. is a small manufacturing company specializing in making antique and specialty style cycles mostly from the end of the 19th century. If you've been to Burning Man, you've probably seen Greg riding one of his "High Wheel" bicycles. His company has been supplying cycles for folks, film, theater and museums for 34 years so if you see a high wheel bike in a movie or play, chances are Greg made it. Some of the recent shows featuring Greg's stuff include Deadwood, Jack Ass 2, Lonesome Dove, Haunted Mansion and the stage show Wicked.

Did we mention that Greg can fix just about anything...almost before you know it's broken? He's Greg "MacGyver" Barron.

Peter Winch - Lead Naturalist

We're happy to have Peter Winch back again this season as our onboard naturalist (i.e. wildlife guy) in San Francisco. Peter's the guy who checks you in when you first arrive for your shark adventure. He then gives a quick presentation on the Farallon Islands before grabbing his binoculars and heading out on the deck to start scanning the horizon for sharks and other wonders of nature. Peter has a special way of pointing things out and teaching you a lot, without it seeming like you're back in school.

In his other life, Peter Winch works as the Visitor Center Naturalist for The Farallon Island Marine Sanctuary Association, assisting with the running of the visitor center and their educational program. He has a BS in Environmental Science from Plymouth University, England, and has a background as a scientist and as an educator. After graduating he worked as an environmentalist for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He has studied seabirds in Alaska, Hawaii, Baja Mexico and Oregon for US Fish and Wildlife and The Island Ecology Group, and worked as a naturalist for Oceanic Society Expeditions on Whale Watching Trips off California for five years. A self confessed ocean addict, Peter surfs and dives as often as possible.

This year, Peter is on a mission - he's out to make an even better seal. (Peter is always working to make the decoys used to lure great whites near the boat more successful.)

Julia Bissinger - Lead Shark Dive Instructor

Our team of great dive instructors is lead by the wonderful Julia Bissinger. As a child growing up in Pennsylvania, Julia dreamed of one day diving with sharks. (We think she loves her job so much that she'd probably do it for free...but we pay her anyway.) Customers rave at how good she is at making them feel comfortable in the cage. When she's not out at the Farallons, she keeps busy working full time at a biotech company, going to college and leading dives to Carmel and Monterrey. She's also an avid road biker.

Francesca Koe - Dive Instructor & Naturalist

Francesca Koe holds advanced teaching qualifications from both PADI and DAN and is a freediver and co-founder of the tsunami relief project, Paavima.org. She is also a member of Tim Taylor’s Blue Matters project, a team advancing the scientific use of rebreathers for deep ocean exploration. When not in the water, Francesca chairs programming for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Contemporary Extension and directs strategy at Underground Ads, a mission-based creative firm dedicated to making our world a better place. She also manages editorial content as the scuba editor for Deeperblue.net and writes articles on dive safety, travel and the environment. In 2007, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

Marni Doyle & Gary Johnson – The Dynamic Duo
(They do a little of everything!)

Marni Doyle is a fifth generation abalone diver who considers herself lucky enough to grow up diving the northern California coast. She’s a trained firefighter/EMT who enjoys traveling, riding motorcycles and anything that involves water sports.

“When I first came aboard with IA, it was my goal to face my fear of the White Shark. When diving I was always sure that I was about to get eaten that very second. After seeing these beautiful creatures my fear quickly turned to fascination. Now I just can’t seem to get enough of them or sharing the excitement of a face to face encounter with others. My mission is to ensure the happiness and safety of our guests with my hands on everything from dive ops to that after dinner mint we all so much enjoy.”

Gary Johnson is a die-hard water junkie whether on top of or below it. A competitive waterskier for 20 years Gary enjoys ripping through the slalom course and doing flips on his wakeboard. His true water sports passion though is below. He is an accomplished underwater photographer with well over 1000 dives in 12 countries. Gary enjoys the chance to share his love of the rugged Northern California coast. He feels the biodiversity and abundance of life offered at the Farralons is second to none. After working more than 15 years in the Marine Industry Gary is now a custom home builder and real estate developer in Lake County.

Tim Taylor - Executive Director of Ocean Outreach
and Shark Adventure Advisor

Our Farallons and Bahamas shark adventures are offered in cooperation with Ocean Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving our oceans through education. Few individuals have led as many ocean expeditions as Tim Taylor. The owner of his own research and exploration company, he has had the honor of leading eight Explorers Club Flag expeditions, dozens of scientific explorations and numerous National Geographic projects. The expeditions represent a wide variety of marine issues, ranging from mid and deep coral research, the geology of stromatolites, shark populations, marine archaeology, invasive species, and mapping/sonar scanning of little known reefs. Tim's work with top scientists, researchers, and explorers across the breadth of marine issues epitomizes the spirit of an explorer. From being the first to dive and photograph the deepest coral reef in the world to supporting important geological and biological research and outreach projects, Tim has made significant contributions both on and under the ocean

Next - Farallons Photo Gallery

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