The Galapagos Shark Diving® Team

Jenny Waack is the founder of Galapagos Shark Diving® and has supported the research of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project for several years. She was born in Germany and studied Business Administration.

She graduated as Certified International Investment Analyst and worked for many years in Investment & Retail Banking in Germany. Her passion has always been travelling, diving and discovering the world. On her travels she fell in love with whale sharks, the Galapagos Islands and the marine environment and dedicated her life to protecting these gentle giants and the oceans. She founded Galapagos Shark Diving to create a platform to support different research projects in the Galapagos, especially the Galapagos Whale Shark Project with donations and Citizen Science programs.

When she is not involved in diving or research, she works on expedition ships in the remote polar regions Artic &  Antartica.

She is fluent in German and English and has a good knowledge of Spanish. She lives in Costa Rica and enjoys diving, hiking, yoga, surfing, skiing and all kinds of outdoor activities.

Travel with Jenny Y. Waack on the following trips - MORE information HERE!

Jonathan R. Green is the founder and director of a research project in Galapagos - the Galapagos Whale Shark Project. He will lead your dive adventure in Galapagos. He is a graduate of the University of North London, has been working on the Galapagos Islands for nearly three decades and has made several thousand dives in the surrounding waters. His early fascination with whale sharks led to the creation of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project to better understand the relevance of the Galapagos Islands in their life cycle.
 
He is an elected member of the Royal Geographical Society of London and, when not on the Galapagos, works on expedition ships in the polar regions. He also teaches photography workshops in locations around the world and has received several international awards.
 
He is fluent in English, Spanish and French and has a basic knowledge of German.

Travel with Jonathan R. Green on the following trips - MORE information HERE!

Dr Simon J. Pierce, PhD

Tour Leader Galapagos Shark Diving®

Founder Marine Megafauna Foudation

Collaborating Scientist Galapagos Whale Shark Project

Underwater Photographer

Dive Master

Email: simonjpierce@gmail.com 

Website: www.simonjpierce.com

Dr Simon Pierce is a marine conservation biologist and wildlife photographer from New Plymouth, New Zealand. He is a co-founder and Principal Scientist at the Marine Megafauna Foundation, where he leads the global whale shark research and conservation program. He is also a Co-Chair for the Sub-Equatorial Africa region within the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Science Advisor to Wild Me, and a founding board member of the Sawfish Conservation Society.

Simon led the global conservation assessment of whale sharks for the IUCN Red List in 2016, which identified the species as endangered, then led the technical proposal that successfully uplisted whale sharks to Appendix I of the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species in 2017 (achieving close to global protection for the species, at least officially). He regularly publishes scientific papers on whale sharks, as well as many others on threatened shark, ray and sea turtle species, and is co-editing a scientific textbook on whale sharks to be published in 2019.

His research results are routinely covered by major media outlets, including the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and New York Times, amongst many others.

Simon has a BSc in ecology from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), and a BSc Hons (1st Class) and PhD in marine biology from The University of Queensland (Australia).

Simon is also an award-winning marine wildlife photographer. His photography and videos have been widely published by international media, including National Geographic, BBC, New Scientist, Nature, The Guardian, Discovery Channel, Washington Post, Animal Planet, BBC Wildlife, and many others. One of his photographs was chosen as a personal favourite of Sir David Attenborough’s, in conjunction with BBC’s Blue Planet II series, and another illustrates one of the global PADI scuba diving certification cards.

Travel with Simon J. Pierce on the following trips - MORE information HERE!

Sofia M. Green

Tour Leader Galapagos Shark Diving®

Research Assistant/Data Analyst Galapagos Whale Shark Project

Underwater Photographer

Dive Master

Email: sgreenitu@gmail.com

Website: sofiamgreenfotograf

Sofía M Green Iturralde grew up in mainland Ecuador, but always had a connection with the Galapagos Islands through her parents’ work in conservation. After graduating from university, she moved to the islands to work towards their conservation. 

She has been working in the Galapagos Islands since 2017 as part of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project (GWSP). Last year Sofía graduated with an international master’s degree in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) with a focus on conservation and ecology and continues to work with the GWSP as a research assistant and data analyst. 

Besides her work with the project she has been involved with other marine conservation projects on marine invasive species, marine debris (plastics), marine turtles conservation, and the ecological monitoring of the Galapagos archipelago.

Kate Star

Social Media Manager & Digital Marketer at Galapagos Shark Diving®

Email: katestar299@gmail.com

Kate serves as the social media manager and digital marketer at Galapagos Shark Diving. In addition to her primary roles, she occasionally assists with email correspondence in Jenny's absence.

Her academic foundation is built upon a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, which is further strengthened by over five years of practical experience in the dynamic environments of both corporate and non-profit sectors in New York City. Kate has, for the last two years, devoted her focus exclusively to social media management and digital marketing. A scuba diver and nature enthusiast, Kate personally experienced one of the company's dive liveaboards in August 2023. Her passion for scuba diving aligns with her commitment to supporting Galapagos Shark Diving, drawn particularly to the organization's vital efforts in marine conservation and oceanic education.