Crew


Bethany

Bethany

Operations Manager

Bethany (also know as Betty) is from Minnesota! Growing up in "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" included annual summer trips up to Lake Superior and the North Shore, where she developed a love for hiking and the outdoors.  More recently, she discovered an interest in wild flower identification and a love for kayaking.  Betty has been on San Juan Island year round since 2016 and is returning for her 4th summer season with the company after spending her first winter away in New Zealand. If she's not at work, typically you'll find Betty whipping up a sweet treat, hiking with her camera and plant identification book, sneaking in some time on the water or enjoying a chat at a local coffee shop.

Brian

Brian

Owner, Operator, Whale Watch Captain, Kayak Guide

Brian grew up in northwest Ohio, spending his time outdoors canoeing, kayaking and hiking with family. Brian has worked on San Juan Island in eco­tourism since 1998 as a kayak guide, boat captain and operations manager. His favorite hobbies (other than sea kayaking!) include ultra­running, triathlon and Nordic/backcountry skiing. In the off season, Brian enjoys spending as much time as he can in the Rocky Mountain state with his Goodremont family, aka the "G pod."

Gabriel

Gabriel

Captain

Gabe is originally from Goldendale, WA on the East slopes of the Cascades Mtns. along the Columbia River, but has spent the last 13 years on Maui as a naturalist and captain aboard a snorkel and whale watch boat. He enjoys all ocean activities and loves hiking. Gabe loves to camp and hunt and is a big Seahawks fan. He graduated with a BS in Wildlife Ecology degree from Washington State University and spent 5 years after college working in remote areas of Eastern Washington studying mountain lions and mule deer for WDFW. Gabe loves and dedicates his life to protecting wildlife.

Kelly

Kelly

Reservations/ Marine Naturalist

Kelly grew up in Cincinnati but has lived most of her adult life just across the river in Northern Kentucky. Even with her midwestern roots she has always been interested in the marine world. Yearly trips to the coast and growing up on movies like Free Willy and Flipper sparked her passion for marine mammals. She graduated college in 2016 with a degree in electronic media and has always enjoyed photography/videography. On an average day you can find her hiking in search of birds to photograph, binging a TV show or planning her next adventure. In 2018, she visited San Juan Islands for the first time and lived her childhood dream of seeing killer whales in the wild! The trip was so inspiring, she made it her mission to return to the island long term.

Lauren

Lauren

Reservations/ Marine Naturalist

Lauren joins us from Southeast Michigan. Growing up in the Great Lakes State, she has always spent her summers on the water or “Up-North” exploring in nature. Lauren loved life in Michigan, but had always craved more than the freshwater lakes could offer. She has been captivated by the ocean and the marine life that lies beneath for as long as she can remember. Graduating from Central Michigan University with a degree in Communication and Event Management, she went on to intern in Community Relations at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota, FL. Lauren became a certified Marine Naturalist through the Whale Museum on San Juan Island, in the hopes of gaining the knowledge needed to obtain a job working around her favorite animal; orca whales. And she did just that! This is her second season with San Juan Safaris, but her first as a Marine Naturalist. Lauren is excited to spend her summer showing our guests all the Salish Sea has to offer! If Lauren isn’t swimming or boating you can find her hammocking in the trees or enjoying live music with friends.

Michael

Michael

Honorary Whale Watch Captain

Mike's passions are the ocean and the mountains. He spends summers captaining our whale watch boats. Winters usually find him on snowy mountains skiing or traveling to exotic countries. Captain Mike has been with us since 2009. He is an avid sailor who has taught sailing. Mike is also an Emergency Medical Technician. Two years ago he traveled all over Thailand. We were concerned he might not come back. Lucky us, he did. Captain Mike tragically passed in 2019, but he will forever be in our hearts. See you on the water, Captain Mike.

Olivia

Olivia

Lead Naturalist/ Manager of Naturalists and Vessel Operations

Growing up in northern Wisconsin, Olivia spent the summers camping, hiking, exploring, and playing on the many freshwater lakes. Pulling from this love of the outdoors, she went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a B.S. in Biology, majoring in Zoology and a Captive Wildlife and Conservation Minor. Aside from a field study program on the Big Island of Hawaii, Olivia has spent years working in a wide array of places focusing on water testing, conservation, and animal husbandry. From there she moved down to Costa Rica to work at a wildlife sanctuary aiding in the rehabilitation and reintroduction of their terrestrial wildlife. Most recently, however, she has returned from down under where she spent the last year and a half in New Zealand working as a Marine Wildlife Guide on the Akaroa Harbor. As her passion grew from watching Mighty Joe Young and Free Willy while growing up, and working with these amazing creatures around the world, she is eager to be a part of a company that focuses on the conservation of our wildlife and, especially, the marine mammals that call the Pacific Northwest home.