Specialist Guides Experience

dr gerald r. allen

Dr. Allen is the author of more than 400 scientific articles and 35 books. He served as Senior Curator of Fishes at the Western Australian Museum in Perth between 1974 and 1997 and is an international authority on the classification of coral reef fishes. Since leaving the Museum he has served as a private consultant, primarily involved with coral reef fish surveys in Southeast Asia for Conservation International. Gerry definitely has an “old school” approach, spending as much time in the field as behind a desk looking through a microscope. He received a Ph.D. in marine zoology from the University of Hawaii in 1971 and since then has logged well over 12,000 hours of scuba diving in all tropical seas, especially the vast Indo-Pacific region.

Underwater photography is a consuming passion and hundreds of his photos have appeared in a variety of international publications. Originally from the USA, Gerry and his wife Connie have resided in Australia for over 40 years. They have two married sons, Tony and Mark, who also live in Perth. Gerry is a past President of the Australian Society for Fish Biology, an honorary foreign member of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, and recipient of the K. Radway Allen Award for Outstanding Contributions to Australian Ichthyological Science.

dr mark erdmann

Dr. Erdmann is senior advisor for Conservation International-Indonesia’s marine program, with a primary focus on managing CI’s marine conservation initiatives in the Bird’s Head Seascape in West Papua. Mark is a coral reef ecologist (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) who has lived and worked for the past 21 years in Indonesia. During this time he has logged over 10,000 scuba dives while surveying marine biodiversity throughout the region. He has published 112 scientific articles and 4 books, including most recently the 3-volume set “Reef Fishes of the East Indies” with colleague Dr. Gerald Allen. Erdmann was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation in 2004 for his work in marine conservation education and training for Indonesian schoolchildren, members of the press, and the law enforcement community. Though his work is now largely focused on the management of marine protected areas, his continuing research interests include reef fish and mantis shrimp biodiversity, genetic connectivity in MPA networks, and coral reef restoration techniques, and he maintains a research associate position with the California Academy of Sciences.

He is also active on the boards of a number of local NGOs within the Coral Triangle, including Yayasan Kalabia, Reef Check Indonesia, El Nido Foundation, and the Asian Conservation Foundation. Mark now lives with his wife Arnaz and three children (Mica, Brahm and Cruz) in New Zealand, and maintains a deep personal commitment to do whatever is necessary to ensure his children will be able to enjoy the same high-quality underwater experiences that continue to provide the inspiration for his dedication to the marine environment.

dr david williamson

Originally from Western Australia, David relocated to Queensland to undertake a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Zoology at James Cook University (JCU). After completing his undergraduate degree, David spent several years working for the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and in the marine science consulting industry on projects throughout Australia, Asia and the Pacific Islands. He later returned to JCU to undertake further studies and research toward his doctorate degree, in which he examined the ecological effects of marine park management in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Since completing his PhD in 2009, David has been employed as a Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU. His current research focuses on the ecological and fishery effects of marine reserves, the impacts of acute and chronic stressors on marine ecosystems, larval dispersal of reef fishes and the connectivity of populations.

David began working with True North Adventure Cruises in 2015. His extensive knowledge of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, combined with his public speaking and university lecturing experience, ensures that he consistently delivers informative and entertaining interpretation for our guests.