Meet the Team
Meet The Team
Big Blue Conservation is no ordinary team of Scuba diving enthusiasts with a concern in the preservation of our oceans and our environment. We are a bunch of highly trained scientists whose job it is is to ensure that Big Blue Conservation is to do as much as we can to ensure that the island remains undisturbed by the growing tourism and that the marine life is here in Koh Tao for future generations to enjoy. As well as working closely with Save Koh Tao on larger projects such as Buoyancy World and Bio Rock, we are implementing a range of smaller projects such artificial reefs and a constructed wetland to help clean the islands grey water.
Big Blue is focused on conserving the astonishing abundance of life Koh Tao's reefs have to offer, as well as contributing to global research studying the impact of climate change on this beautiful environment. There is hope for the oceans but we must act now. The hope lies in the dedication of people like us at Big Blue to make a difference and give something back to the world we know and love. So lets go meet these Conservation Warriors of Big Blue.
Dr. Eco Jen! If it wasn't for Dr. Matthews, Big Blue Conservation may not have existed. She set it up for us and made it the awesome entity that it is today. She's rarely here these days as she's continuously furthering herself in the world of marine conservation and preservation. Her studies are unraveling the metabolic and molecular processes that underpin coral health and function. She advocates coral conservation through active restoration like coral larvae reseeding and coral nursery construction, as well as leading citizen science projects and outreach programs. She has participated in active coral reef conservation projects around the world, including coral nursery construction and monitoring, shark population management, and ecological monitoring programs that have led to the implementation of marine zonation plans. As a PADI, SSI and BSAC scuba diving instructor, she advocates for eco-aware scuba diving and diver education of our underwater world. She has also worked in government and participated in global science communication and policy initiatives. She may be tiny but she has a brain bigger than most of us put together!
Sent from heaven, Rachel has been managing the eco arm of our dive company with Big Blue Conservation who ensure we adhere to ecologically responsible behaviour. At Big Blue Conservation we get involved with all the eco-projects happening on Koh Tao, from building artificial reefs, coral nurseries and electrically charged biodomes, organizing beach and reef clean-ups, and fundraising events like Swim for Sharks. Rachel is a PADI, SSI, BSAC and SDI Instructor and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology. No wonder our Eco Internship programmes are becoming more and more popular every year! It won't be long until she has you turned into a better fish-finding coral-loving tree-hugging nudie-hippy-vegan!
Who doesn't love a kiwi? Especially one who is fluent in Spanish! They're friendly, they're interesting and they have an inbuilt enthusiasm and passion for the environment and every living creature in it. Rachel comes from Aoteoroa where she studied for a degree in Coral Kissing at Victoria University in Wellington before moving up in the world to her Postgrad certificate in Australia where she became a 'Phush Hugger'. She worked for Global Vision International in Mexico and Costa Rica and also worked in Australia for the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Centre. Rachel is extremely well-travelled and a massively experienced PADI & SSI Scuba Instructor having also worked in Madagascar, Honduras, and the Seychelles. She now finds herself here with us on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand.
