May 1 – 21 Studying the “Western Pacific Garbage Patch”- Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands to Tokyo
Marcus Eriksen – Research Expedition Leader
Marcus Eriksen received his Ph.D. in Science Education from University of Southern California in 2003, months before embarking on a 2000-mile, 5-month journey down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft. His experience on the river led to a career studying the ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution, which has included expeditions sailing 25,000 miles through all 5 subtropical gyres to discover new garbage patches of plastic pollution in the Southern Hemisphere. Though still rafting, his most recent adventure sent him and a colleague across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii on JUNK, a homemade raft floating on 15,000 plastic bottles and a Cessina airplane fuselage as a cabin (junkraft.com). The journey, 2,600 miles in 88 days, brought attention to the work of the 5 Gyres Institute, the organization he co-founded with his wife Anna Cummins. Together, they co-direct 5 Gyres, which is committed to marine conservation through continued research, education and adventure, studying and lecturing about the plague of plastic waste in our watersheds and in the sea. Formerly Director of Project Development for Algalita, he has served as Research Expedition Leader for investigation of the plastic marine pollution issue in all five major gyres of the world over the past couple of years, most recently, last summer on the Algalita 2011 Expedition from Honolulu to Vancouver, B.C.His first book, titled “My River Home” (Beacon Press, 2007) chronicled his Mississippi River experience paralleled with his tour as a Marine in the 1991 Gulf War. In 2007 he joined board of the Mehadi Foundation and contributes his time to help the foundation assist US veterans and provide clean water to schools in Iraq. He also hosts “Commando Weather,” a series of public service announcements about the science of weather and survival, for the Weather Channel. When not rafting, he enjoys time with Anna and is awaiting the birth of their daughter.
Rodrigo Olson – Skipper
Born in Mexico, Rodrigo has spent his life sailing the oceans of the world in search of some of the planet’s most elusive whale species. He has a degree in Oceanography and was Captain of the famous research vessel ‘Odyssey’ which spent five years studying marine mammals around the globe. He has covered almost 300,000 nautical miles on sailing boats. A highly experienced diver, his ability to free-dive to great depths has resulted in some fantastic footage of his interaction with many species.
Jesse Horton – First Mate
Jesse is an artist, videographer, boat captain and submarine pilot, hailing from Colorado to Costa Rica. He specializes in documenting “hard to reach issues,” like pollution at the bottom of the ocean and wildlife in inaccessible areas. He’s recently documented shark-finning in Asia and Central America and worked to help reduce plastic consumption in the South Pacific islands.
He’s filmed Great Whites without a cage in South Africa; chased poachers from marine parks in Central America; regularly holds his breath for up to five minutes while making free dives; and has survived a brain tumor. In his “downtime”, he competes in 24 hour endurance/adventure races with a best finish in “only” 4th place.
Carolynn Box – Deck Hand
Carolynn lives and works in San Francisco as a Coastal Manager for the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Activism work with the Surfrider Foundation San Francisco Chapter to protect local beaches introduced Carolynn to the issues related to plastic pollution. Ultimately, her passion for adventure and a healthier ocean resulted in her being part of the 5 Gyres Institute research voyage across the South Atlantic Ocean in January 2011, and across the North Pacific in the Summer of 2011. Now, heading out on another voyage, Carolynn is most excited about comparing trawl results between gyres, being surrounded by a passionate crew, and seeing the sunset every night.
Kristal Ambrose
Kristal is a student from New Providence, The Bahamas. She has an AA in Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Science and has some sailing and research experience. It is her desire to learn more about plastic pollution and to develop a research project within The Bahamas studying plastic pollution/marine debris.
Bob Atwater
Bob grew up on the Maine coast working on a lobster boat. He is a US Marine Corps Vietnam veteran; Life Fellow of the Explorers Club; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; Retired Federal Homeland Security Agent; Life Fellow of the World Scout Foundation and Life Member of the National Eagle Scout Association. He has led expeditions to Belize, Cuba, the Yucatan, and the Sahara Desert, is a SCUBA diver and World Traveler, rides motorcycles, was the security advisor for adventurer Steve Fossett, has had personal audiences with HRH Queen Elizabeth; HRH King Carl Gustaf and other royal families. Bob enjoys volunteer work on several fronts. He serves, or has served, on the Board of Directors for Boy Scout Councils in Washington, DC and Ogden, Utah; the Archaeological Institute of America; The Institute of Nautical Archaeology; the Las Vegas International Scout Museum; as INS Agency President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and Vice President of MIA Charities.
Belinda Braithwaite
Belinda is a great adventurer and aged 21 rode her horse solo 1,700 miles from the south of Spain to Paris and subsequently wrote a bestselling book about her travels. She’s also ridden across America. Her adventurous life led her into film-making, and when Rodrigo Olson introduced her to diving, it was immediately obvious that her affinity with animals allows her to approach and film some notoriously shy marine mammals. An experienced scuba diver, it is her free-diving ability and affinity with animals which allows her to approach and film some notoriously shy marine mammals.
Michael Brown
Michael has 20 years experience in domestic and international business development. His father started a plastics company in the late 50’s and he has continued in the plastics industry with a sustainablefocus. His current company, Packaging 2.0, provides front-end design services, manufacturing and delivery of sustainable packaging products. Michael met Marcus and Anna 5 years ago at a Sustainable Packaging Conference and, as an avid sailor and true believer in experiential learning, he was thrilled when Marcus presented the opportunity to join the effort. He has served on the board of the Sloop Providence, the American Sail Training Association and the Jamestown Conservation Commission. Michael contributes extensive sailing expertise to the crew and looks forward to learning from the environmental experts on board. Michael strongly feels this journey is important to being part of the solution and says “to run my fingers through the gyre accumulation issue first hand, see it though the other crew members eyes, and be able to share the experience with my colleagues and customers in the plastic packaging industry”.
Hank Carson
Hank is a post-doctoral researcher in marine debris science at University of Hawaii, Hilo. He has a PhD in Marine Ecology and 3 years post-doctoral research experience. His interests include marine debris research, population connectivity, larval biology, invertebrate biology, and population biology. Hank’s goals for the expedition are to characterize the macro- and micro-communities of organisms attached to plastic along a transect across the North Pacific Gyre, to relate transitions in that community to physical gradients along the transect, to collect additional samples of gyre plastic for graduate students and collaborators for a variety of purposes, and of course…to have fun.
Valerie Lecoeur
Valerie was born and raised just outside Paris, France. After stints in New York and Chicago, today she enjoys dual citizenship living in North Carolina with her husband and three children. She is the founder of Zoë b Organic, which makes and sells sustainable, eco-friendly products for babies and kids. The company recently launched the world’s first biodegradable beach toys, made from corn. (If left behind and washed out to sea, her Fantastic Anti-Plastic Beach Toys will fully biodegrade in 2-3 years—as opposed to 500+ years for conventional plastic.) Valerie is proud to be a “green” mom and thrilled to be part of Leg 1 of the expedition. Both personally and professionally, she’s dedicated to her company’s motto: “It’s time to mother nature.”
Shanley McEntee
Shanley was born and raised in San Diego, CA and lived there until completing her college career at Western Washington University. She graduated with a BA in Environmental Policy and a minor in Environmental Science. Having grown up by the sea, she holds a deep passion for Mother Ocean and our ever-growing need for protection and awareness of the problems our environment is facing. She enjoys anything having to do with the sea, from surfing to scuba diving to sailing. She is PADI Rescue Diver certified and an IYT MOY 200 Ton Offshore Captain.
Cynthia Matzke
Cynthia is a marine biologist and Director of Trilogy’s Blue’aina Campaign on the Island of Maui. She has witnessed the devastating effects on wildlife and has dealt with the issue of ocean debris for the last two decades. This has involved cleaning up beaches and reefs, cleaning up oiled sea birds and assisting with turtle and whale stranding networks. She also is an educator, scientist, documentarian, event planner, sailor and fund raiser. Following the symposium in Japan, she will have an opportunity to present her findings in Seoul, South Korea – one of the world’s largest plastic producers.
Tyler Mifflin
Tyler is a skilled cinematographer and emerging director. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a major in film production. Tyler got his start in film and television industry at a young age when he shot and starred in an episode of the YTV reality show Road Scholars, for which he traveled all over France, Italy and Switzerland, exploring many cultural wonders and doing extreme sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding, mountain biking and rock climbing. Tyler has filmed projects in Cambodia, Laos, Belize, Mexico the U.A.E, and all over Canada, from the rough mountaintops of the Rockies to the urban streets of Toronto and Vancouver. Tyler recently completed a course in 3D filmmaking presented by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. Tyler’s hobbies include any sport that involves a board, scuba diving, rock climbing, reading, playing music (harmonica, drums) and video games, and spending time at his family cottage on Georgian Bay.
Alex Mifflin
The idea to embark on The Water Brothers project first arose when Alex started working alongside his brother at SK Films in 2009 conducting research for IMAX® films in development. After receiving a degree in International Development and Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College earlier that year, the decision to join the family business and then begin The Water Brothers project were easy since they both allowed him to combine his interests in science and the environment and use film to explore how humans can harmonize our relationship with water and the natural world. When he isn’t hosting television shows, reading, enjoying music or thinking about the worlds biggest social and environmental dilemmas, Alex likes to spend his time playing sports, watching sports, taking scuba diving trips, and hanging out with friends surrounded by nature at the family’s Georgian Bay island cottage.
