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A Journey from Nome to Tokyo: Ring of Fire to Ainu Culture

Note: As of March 2024 flight durations from the U.S. will not be considered when calculating the number of days. The actual program length will remain unchanged.

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Expedition staff are subject to change.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor icon Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Michael Nolan

Michael Nolan was born in Bitburg, Germany to an Air Force family stationed there. His first experience of the ocean came at age 12, when he learned to snorkel in the Italian Mediterranean. At age 17 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and became a PADI SCUBA instructor, before starting a SCUBA diving business that specialized in diving trips to the Sea of Cortez. Michael has since begun a new career in marine photography.  He worked with National Geographic dolphin researchers in the Bahamas throughout the nineties, as well as running trips to the Silver Banks in the Dominican Republic to study and photograph Atlantic Humpback Whales. Today he is an award-winning photographer who specializes in intimate portraits of marine animals.  He has traveled the oceans of the world in search of the world's most magnificent beings.  His photography has appeared in hundreds of magazines, calendars, and books in over 45 countries worldwide.  He currently "migrates" with the whales, spending his winters in the warmer tropical latitudes where whales mate and give birth and his summers in the cooler higher latitudes where animals migrate to feed.

Historian icon Historian

Stephen Fisher

Born in Singapore, Stephen spent his early childhood on British Forces bases in Germany and his teens in the iconic World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. The combination of armored cars behind the school playground and the view of 4,000-year-old burial mounds from his bedroom window created a deep fascination with history, which he has made into his profession. Living inside a World Heritage Site led Stephen to take part in groundbreaking excavations in and around Stonehenge in 2007 and 2008 and, ever since then, his work has embraced archaeology and history and sharing the stories they tell. Specializing in military history and maritime archaeology, previous projects have included investigations into more than one thousand shipwrecks in the English Channel, including the extraordinary discovery of two German warships in the middle of a Royal Navy dockyard. Between 2019 and 2021 he was the historian and archaeologist during the restoration of the world’s last surviving Landing Craft Tank that served at Normandy during Operation Overlord. A recognized expert on D-Day, Stephen has extensively investigated the extent of surviving D-Day infrastructure on England’s south coast and the work of the landing craft that sailed from there. As well as researching elements of all periods of European history, he has also studied Far Eastern history and spent nearly four years living in Japan. Stephen currently splits his time between Lindblad expeditions, archaeological surveys of England’s National Parks, and writing books. When he has the time, nothing pleases him more than hopping on his bicycle and cycling around Europe.

Expedition Leader icon Expedition Leader

Andy Wolff

A Midwestern kid with an insatiable curiosity about places far and foreign, Andy has converted a lucky break after college into a career at sea. From swabbing the decks to advocating for artisans and zooming in Zodiacs, he knows the operation from every department on board. What keeps him fresh after nearly two decades working at sea is waking up somewhere new every morning, the day ahead a blank slate with no way of knowing what marvels nature and serendipity may bring his way. Andy looks forward to sharing this sense of wonder and possibility with guests as they venture together into new realms with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. Having traveled everywhere from Madagascar to Moscow, Andy’s happy place is amongst icebergs and whales on a sunny Antarctic summer day. When not aboard ship, he often winters near tropical seas, typically hunting below the water’s surface for nudibranchs. A happy Pacific Northwest transplant, Andy now calls the evergreen forests of Olympia, Washington home. There he enjoys crafting homemade soap, trail running, and consuming copious quantities of coffee. If you end up sharing a table in the dining room one evening, be sure to ask about his international gold medal in barbershop. Andy was thrilled to join the Lindblad Expeditions team in 2010. Among so much photographic talent, he is a firm believer that the best camera is the one you always have with you. For a look at life through his lens, investigate instagram.com/travelingandy.

Undersea Specialist icon Undersea Specialist

Gail Ashton

With a bachelor’s degree from Wales and a Ph.D. from Scotland, Gail has used her skills in marine biology to pursue her passion: investigating marine biodiversity all over the world. As a research scientist based in San Francisco, she has led projects in coastal marine communities from Alaska to Panama. A cold-water diver at heart, Gail jumped at the opportunity to lead a research project on the impacts of climate change that involved spending two years diving under the ice in Antarctica. Other projects have taken her to Florida, Guam and Indonesia. Although the types of critters (invertebrates) she studies are found in oceans throughout the world, it’s the unique balance of species that makes each location exciting. An accomplished researcher, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for marine communities from the tropics to the poles.

Assistant Expedition Leader

Cammy Lachesnez-Heude

Cammy was born in Martinique but didn’t quite stick around long enough to learn French, but she’s working on it! Her family relocated to the Sunshine State of Florida where the Gulf of Mexico was a five-minute bike ride away (not including the very necessary ice cream stop along the way). The majority of her childhood was spent eating oranges while perched in the trees of her backyard or cutting her feet up while calf deep in mangrove estuary muck. While she loved the weird and wacky creatures of Florida, California was calling. Off to University of California, Santa Cruz she went to become a banana slug under the redwoods while majoring in Environmental Studies and Politics. Environmental Law seemed the next logical step but a bison ranch, Australian cruise ship, and currently Lindblad all seemed like reasonable speed bumps along the way. Cammy’s dream creature to see in their natural habitat is a Narwhal, so if you have seen one, tell her all about it! You can find her behind her desk, partaking in a polar plunge, hiking ridges, or madly searching for creatures from the bridge.

Expedition Leader icon Expedition Leader

Lisle Gwynn

A native of the southern heathlands of England, Lisle has been a naturalist and dedicated ‘birder’ since early childhood. After an undergraduate degree in Geography, and 6 months on a Spanish ferry as a whale watching guide, a DST-NRF scholarship led him to study birds of prey and fynbos-endemic bird communities at the University of Cape Town. After 3 years in the Southern African bush being stalked by big cats and convincing farmers not to persecute wildlife, he returned to the ocean in the Arctic and South Pacific to conduct marine mammal surveys and research, before settling into a varied career as an expedition guide, naturalist, ornithologist, ecologist, expedition leader, consultant and wildlife and birding tour leader. From the Solomon Islands to East Antarctica, Papua New Guinea to Ethiopia, the Russian Arctic to Madagascar, Lisle’s passions for wildlife, photography and adventure have led him across 70+ countries and 7 continents, by way of time at sea measured in years. Along the way he has gathered experience with more than 6,000 species of bird and 85% of the world’s seabirds and marine mammals, a wealth of experience he revels in sharing with others in the field. Ultimately, he has built a reputation as calm, unflappable, resourceful, entertaining and exactly the person you want by your side on the rare occasion that things don’t go to plan.

Undersea Specialist icon Undersea Specialist

Rachel Martin

Rachel grew up in West Haven Connecticut on Long Island Sound and has always loved being outside in nature, swimming, camping, and beach combing. Rachel received her B.S. in Biology from Eastern Connecticut State University and after graduation worked for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station with the Invasive Aquatic Plant Program tracking native and invasive species of freshwater plants. Shortly after she had an opportunity to shift to marine science and moved to Marathon Florida in the Keys to work for a nonprofit, field focused, educational facility. She taught and led educational groups on fish ID, invertebrates, habitats, and in snorkeling excursions. It was during this time she became SCUBA certified and fell in love with diving. Rachel went back to school and received her Masters in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Florida focusing on Marine Protected Areas of Guam. Most recently she became an AAUS Scientific Diver through the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka where she fell in love with cold water diving and helped create baseline benthic ecology inventory for the National Park Service, Totem Park, as well as track the invasive tunicate Didemnum vexillum for Alaska Fish and Game. In her free time, she enjoys underwater macro photography, participating in triathlons, creating marine inspired stained glass, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her dogs.

Historian icon Historian

Maria Intxaustegi

Maria Intxaustegi is an internationally awarded maritime archaeologist, naval historian, commercial diver, professional offshore sailor, and expedition guide from the Basque Country. An in fatigable researcher and passionate about knowledge, her specialty in history is the Modern Age with emphasis in shipwrecks from the 15th to the 19th century and the Age of Exploration. She has been diving and researching all over the world in different kinds of maritime history projects. In 2015, her master thesis about the Havana shipyard in the 18th century, was awarded with the Iberoamerican "Cortes de Cadiz" prize. When she is not diving in a shipwreck, researching, or writing a book she will probably be outdoors in nature, sailing in the ocean or hiking in the mountains. Her love for wildlife and nature inspires her to go one step further and during her Ph.D. she became a professional skipper. She already sailed around the Southern Ocean and Antarctic waters several times and in 2020 she received the award "Expedition of the Year" by the oldest exploration society of Spain for her sailing trip from Ushuaia to the Netherlands during 82 days without stops. Nowadays she combines her research with her other passion: Guiding expeditions, showing, and sharing all her knowledge and passion about the wonders of our blue planet.

Naturalist icon Naturalist

Boris Wise

Boris is a passionate naturalist, wilderness guide, and photographer currently residing in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, USA. He is certain that growing up in Malaysia where earned his Jr PADI dive certificate, camped in the jungle with the Boy Scouts and experienced the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, set him up for a life of exploring. After studying at Texas A&M where he earned a degree in Plant Sciences, Boris moved to Alaska. It was in Alaska's Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park where he started his guiding career as a wilderness raft guide before becoming captain of his own boat in the fjords of Southeast Alaska For the last 20 years Boris has guided and led trips all over the world. The wildlife and wilderness of remote regions as well as experiencing the music and food of new cultures inspires him to keep traveling the world. Off the ship Boris and his wife Eva seek adventures with binoculars and camera in tow in their classic Volkswagen Van.

Naturalist icon Naturalist

Eva Westerholm

Eva is an animal loving outdoor enthusiast who has guided in the polar regions and many of the countries in between for over 15 years. She grew up on the west coast of Sweden and travelled extensively with her family throughout Europe. Eva credits this early exposure to new cultures as an inspiration to keep exploring and has not slowed down since. Looking for an adventure of her own, she took a job as mess girl on a small vessel in the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard under the midnight sun. Eva fell in love with the sea and has not stopped sailing since and now has worked nearly every role possible on expedition ships. Not only is Eva an avid birder and a keen naturalist, but she is also very interested in human history and the stories people and places tell. Wanting to learn more she studied at the University of Gothenburg and University of Sydney Australia where she has earned a degree in Social Anthropology. Eva loves sharing her knowledge and experiences, but she values what she learns from her fellow travelers, guests, and colleagues, even more. Currently Eva lives in the beautiful San Juan mountains of Colorado where she enjoys skiing, hiking, and biking. Her work and travelling lifestyle do not allow for a pet at home, so the closest thing to it is a sourdough starter that she has managed to keep alive for over 8 years.

Naturalist icon Naturalist

Lee Moll

Lee grew up as a "Nature Girl" in the rural outskirts of New York City, where she developed and expressed her keen sense of biophilia.  She expanded her passion for the outdoors when she ventured to the western side of the country and she currently owns a home in Boise, Idaho. Lee graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1980 with a degree in Environmental Conservation.  She tends to migrate north in the summer and south in the winter with Lindblad-National Geographic (and the whales and birds), with a stopover in Idaho to visit her house, mow the lawn and feed the cat (she doesn't really have a cat).  She is fortunate to have the variety of mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, deserts, and ocean in which to work and play. Although experienced in private consulting as well as Federal and State Government work, Lee has been a professional tour leader and naturalist in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Mexico, South America, Alaska, the Arctic, and the Pacific Northwest since 1988.  As a generalist, Lee discusses many topics and has particular interest in botany, marine mammals, ornithology, and geology. She likes to elucidate the interconnectedness of all things, great and small.  A world traveler, Lee enjoys photographing the places she visits and sharing special areas and their natural history with other curious travelers.  With an unquenched thirst for new experiences and knowledge about the natural world, she can often be spotted attached to her binocular in some fascinating place on the planet.

Naturalist icon Naturalist

Harold Stowell

Harold was born in Kirkudbright, Scotland and currently resides in Tuscaloosa where he is a professor of geology at the University of Alabama. He has a long-term interest in the geology of mountain belts and has spent many years working in northern latitudes. His research and interest in mountains has led him to numerous modern and ancient mountain belts around the world, including the Coast Mountains of southeastern Alaska, North Cascades of Washington, Canadian shield, Appalachians of North America, southern Alps of New Zealand, and Caledonides of Scotland, Norway, and Svalbard. Harold's first work as a professional geologist involved exploration for uranium, gold, and base metals. He spent four summers exploring for gold and other precious metals in Alaska, California, New Mexico and Nevada. Although no mineral deposits were developed as a result of this exploration, some of the research resulted in a Master’s degree and a fascination for the geology of mountain belts. Harold left the mineral industry to work on his doctorate in geology in 1982. Research involved mapping and analysis of metamorphic rocks in the Tracy Arm area of southeastern Alaska; he received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1987. Harold has enjoyed working with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since the summer of 1995.