Ron Maclean
is Canadian and holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. Ron already had some scientific lab research and “in the field” experience in marine conservation with the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, working mostly with endangered Hawksbill sea turtles before he joined our team almost half a year ago.
At the age of 22 Ron first experienced scuba diving in the colder temperatures of his hometown, Ottawa Canada, where he attained his Open Water Scuba certification. It was the first step in his pursuit of a career in marine science and the next few steps happened quite quickly, when he decided to study invasive lionfish and coral reef fish assemblages for his Honours Project.
Now he is heading up the Orca-eco team at our flagship scuba dive and conservation facility on Rawa Island, Malaysia. Before joining Orca he managed to get himself up to PADI advanced open water diver level and since then has come all the way up to and completed his divemaster training with Orca Scuba on Rawa. He is now about to start his PADI instructor development course with us and by the end of August will be ready to teach scuba courses as well as conservation programs. Good luck with it Ron, and welcome to the team!
Nadia Alsagoff
is a Singapore national and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree. She is based in our Singapore office where she is involved in the creation of marine conservation programs for schools and soon will also be teaching scuba diving courses, too.
Nadia completed a marine biologist internship in the Maldives, where she worked on sea turtle husbandry & various coral reef monitoring & conservation projects. She has also worked in various education & teaching assistant roles in Singapore and has a strong passion for educating kids about protecting the environment.
She is currently a PADI divemaster and has worked as such here in Singapore. She is about to start her Instructor Development Course with Orca Scuba mid-August and we are confident that by the end of the month she will be a PADI OWSI.
When Nadia was a kid, she had many dreams about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She wanted to be an astronaut, an archaeologist, architect and a knight. Instead, she just enjoyed her childhood like any other kid, camping and horseback riding in the mountains, snorkeling and catching small sea critters at the beach.
When she applied for the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) at the National University of Singapore, she still had no idea what she wanted to do. She chose it based on what she enjoyed studying in secondary school and JC, biology and geography, and her love for nature that had been instilled in her by her mother from a young age.
Having grown up in the Philippines, most of her holidays were spent either in the mountains or at the beach. Eventually, she realized she really enjoyed sharing this love for nature with other people.
She hopes to continue a career in marine conservation, education and help raise awareness about the beauty and importance of coral reefs and show the world how everyone can be involved in their protection. Welcome to the Orca family Nadia!
Stephen Lee
from Canada has recently joined our conservation team on Rawa island. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Biology.
Having already spent some time on a neighboring island’s conservation team as a lead project coordinator where he managed a sea turtle hatchery, conducted educational presentations and developed new conservation projects he fits in nicely with the Orca-eco team.
Coming from an ecology background, Stephen’s ultimate goal is to use scuba as a means to study and protect coral reefs and the creatures that inhabit them.
Stephen has worked as a Green Fins assessor to train and empower dive shops around the Philippines to be champions of the marine environment and intends to do the same for Orca Scuba.
Along with completing his divemaster training over the coming months, Stephen will use his scientific background to help develop the conservation capabilities of Orca Scuba by creating educational presentations and monitoring conservation projects. He has an insatiable passion for marine conservation and likes nothing more than sharing it with kids & adults alike.
Once he has become a divemaster he will also be part of the Orca Scuba dive team and will be leading lucky certified divers around our reef. Welcome to the team Stephen!
Chelsea Clements
Last but by no means least is Chelsea from Wales. Chelsea has a slightly different background holding a Masters in Events & Tourism Management. Chelsea’s love for the ocean and marine life comes from snorkeling & diving from a very young age with her professional scuba diver uncle.
She has now decided to follow her dream of becoming a professional scuba diver and marine conservationist, she joins our team on Rawa and will also go up to divemaster level while being coached by the rest of our team in marine conservation.
Chelsea’s other passions include photography and creating content for social media. She will become an integral part of the Orca Scuba marketing team with a strong focus on delivering all the latest news on Orca-eco’s conservation projects through our blog, newsletter and social media channels. Thanks for joining us Chelsea!
If you want to find out more about what our conservation team does, how you can help to protect the marine environment or if you want to learn how to scuba dive please contact us one [email protected] for details.
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