The Crew
Each cruise benefits from experienced well trained and friendly personnel with Marine Emergency Duty and First Aid Certificates. The cruises are piloted by professional, licensed captains, including Harold Graham who has over 60 years experience navigating the Bay of Fundy and 40 years experience working with the whales. Professional guides and researchers make each cruise informative and educational.
The
cruises are fully narrated by experienced naturalists including Shelley Lonergan who has over 30 years experience researching whales. Also employed are a marine biologist, marine biology students and local naturalist. We also welcome volunteers from around the globe.
Scroll down to meet the crew members. Click their name bars to read about them.
Captain Harold Graham
Harold, founder and president of Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises, was born and raised on Brier Island. Having lived by the Bay of Fundy he pursued a career in the fishing industry and has over 60 years experience navigating the Bay of Fundy. He also has over 40 years experience working with the whales. He and other researchers from the Eastern seaboard of the USA realized the importance of the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of Maine cetaceans and began to monitor their presence here in 1984. Because of public interest in the work that they were doing, Harold decided to start the first whale watch company in southwest Nova Scotia. Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises was formed in 1986 and commenced providing a means to see the whales. The whale watch also provides the funding needed to continue with the ongoing research which is such an important part of Brier Island Cruises.
In 1987, Harold was awarded a Certificate of Merit at the Nova Scotia Environment awards in appreciation of outstanding service in the protection of the environment.
Harold is well qualified and holds all necessary certificates through Transport Canada to ensure your safety on the Bay of Fundy. He is also very knowledgeable of the marine life. When not whale watching, he is still on board the boat, the Mega Nova, as Captain while lobster fishing during the winter months.
Captain Trevor Moore
Bio Coming Soon
Captain Roy Small
Shelley Lonergan - Head Naturalist
Head Naturalist and Research director, with over 30 years experience, Shelley Lonergan is originally from the small community of West LaHave on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. Having grown up near the water, whales and other marine life became Shelley’s obsession from a young age. It was this passion that led her to her first whale watching adventure in 1989 where she encountered her first whale and was “hooked” into a lifetime of research and education. Her photography background and data recording skills led her to a volunteer position which further led her to the full time position she holds today.
Data collected has been used in various cetacean research papers, two of which she was co –author. Shelley’s ability to immediately recognize individual humpback whales makes her a well sought-after naturalist on every whale watch cruise. This ability is essential in the study of humpback whales which she has participated and led for over 30 years.
This passion also led her to establish Fundy East Whale Rescue, a group of volunteers dedicated to the rescue of marine mammals. Shelley is on the steering committee of the North Atlantic Whale Watch Naturalist Association and is involved in the community and is a volunteer Medical First Responder with the Westport Volunteer Fire Department.
Captain Sean McDormand
Fishing the seas around Brier Island for most of his life, Sean and his father fished lobster from 1989-2020. Since 2020, Sean has been sole captain of his lobster vessel and over the last 15 years, he occasionally worked as crew on various whale watch tour boats. He is trained and certified in all required marine courses. In 2022 he joined Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises and looks forward to his days seeing whales and bird and interacting with passengers on board the zodiac.
Captain Trevor Frost
Bio coming soon
Tania Campbell- Naturalist
Katie Moore
Bio coming soon
April Wilder - Marine Biology Student
April Wilder is a Marine Biology student at Dalhousie University. Originally from Toronto, her love for the ocean and everything in it brought her to the east coast to experience all of its beauty. Her love for whales and marine species has been her favourite topic to chat about since a very young age. When she’s not on the boat you can find her underwater, face to face diving with the species she loves. She’ll be happy to discuss and answer any questions you have about the marine life found in the Bay of Fundy.
Cindy Garron - Naturalist
Naomi Martineau - Naturalist/Research Assistant
Naomi grew up in Aurora Ontario and has always had a passion for ocean life, especially whales and dolphins. She left her landlocked province to pursue a Marine Biology degree at Dalhousie University, where her passion for marine biology was reinforced by academic and volunteer projects. Educating and sharing information about marine life has always been Naomi’s favourite thing to do and she is very excited to have the opportunity to answer any questions and teach you about the wildlife of the Bay of Fundy during your cruise!
Violet Chilvers Marine Biology Student
Violet Chilvers is a Marine Biology student at Dalhousie University with an adoration for all marine and animal life. Originally from Bradford Ontario, she grew up hiking, fishing, and camping where she developed a passion for conservation and sustainability. She came to the east coast to pursue her education, which has enhanced her love for fish and cetaceans, science communication, and for the outdoors. She would love to chat about the wildlife in the Bay of Fundy, conservation efforts you could adopt, and ongoing research within the community.
Pascal Trudel - Naturalist/Research Assistant
Bio to come.
Kyle Moore - Naturalist/Research Assistant
Bio to come.