Meet Our Crew
Every naturalist we use is an expert at narrating. They can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about geology, natural history, sea birds, great white sharks, other sharks, whales, dolphin, porpoises, fish, coastal landmarks, and the Farallon Islands. If you aren’t sure what you are seeing, feel free to ask. Our trips are meant to heighten awareness and education of all the marine and wildlife around you.
Naturalist Michael Pierson has spent a lifetime compiling information about all things nature.
He has collected ecological data on beaches along our coast for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in their Beach Watch program since 2012, has been called into action by the Oil Spill Prevention and Response team when the worst has happened in the waters of San Francisco Bay and was involved in Natural Resource interpretation with the National Park Service for 5 years.
He enjoys attending lectures and continued education classes at the California Academy of Sciences and you’ll never find him without his binoculars staring up into a tree looking for some amazing species of bird, his ornithological knowledge has been a true asset to our company and he is truly passionate about what he does.
Although born and raised thousands of miles from the shoreline, Sarah has always had a passion for the ocean and its inhabitants.
While earning her marine science and biology degree at The University of Tampa, she worked in the college’s disease ecology lab where she helped develop a vaccination against Bd, a deadly fungus that is threatening to cause amphibians to go extinct. She also contributed to multiple marine ecology research projects throughout Tampa Bay and assisted in the creation of the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot, an area protected by a global conservation campaign through Mission Blue. In the summer of 2020, Sarah studied shark behavior on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
Sarah loves working for SFWT, because she enjoys learning more about marine mammals and the bay area. Whales are majestic animals and critical to the health of our local ecosystem, and she loves the many opportunities she has to encounter them. Each time out on the water is a new adventure! She enjoys educating others on the importance of whales and hopes it will spark more curiosity and love for them and every marine animal.