Ocean Rafting is an award-winning high-standard tourism operator who are passionate about the marine environment. Our on-water team consists of Skippers, Master Reef Guides and Passionate Eco-hosts who are proud ambassadors of the UNESCO World Heritage Great Barrier Reef and they can’t wait to share the wonders of this incredible Marine Park with guests from all over the world.
This focus on education is part of Ocean Rafting’s core values and commitment to the Marine Park and Ngaro Sea country we are lucky enough to work in. That’s why on average 90% of our on-water staff are trained in some form of Reef Health surveying technique. This is to both deliver on contracted projects and more importantly be armed with the knowledge to ensure we are delivering a world-class experience to guests from all over the world.
This standard is filtered through our team of Master Reef Guides. So let’s meet them!
Who are Master Reef Guides?
‘Master Reef Guides will be recognised as the world’s leading reef guides, interpreters and storytellers sharing the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area through engaging, entertaining and educational experiences that exceed visitor expectations’.
With only 102 Master Reef Guides on the entire Great Barrier Reef, Ocean Rafting is proud to boast 6 Guides, ready to show you the incredible Whitsundays.
Let’s meet them…
James Unsworth – Skipper / Eco Manager (Cohort 3)
Master Reef Guide James grew up in a coastal town in the UK and has always had a passion for the ocean. In 2016, he graduated from Plymouth University with a Geography and Ocean Science degree and was fortunate enough to be able to travel through South America, Asia and eventually Australia.
He arrived in the Whitsunday Region and very quickly realised he didn’t want to be anywhere else. The Whitsundays has a combination of everything that makes the Marine Park globally significant. From Whitehaven beach, 74 spectacular islands and beautiful fringing reefs.
James works as a Skipper, Guide and Eco Manager for Ocean Rafting. Overseeing all Environmental Initiatives and helping to develop Ocean Rafting Edu-Tourism Product Reef Seeker. He gets to appreciate amazing ecosystems daily. He believes that education is at the heart of managing the stresses seen on the Great Barrier Reef. With access to over 200 tourists a day Ocean Rafting is the perfect platform to educate people from all over the globe on the fringing reefs throughout the Whitsundays.
Chih-Siang (Taylor) Chen – Skipper and School Group Guide (Cohort 4)
Master Reef Guide Taylor grew up in Taiwan and spent much of his time swimming diving and snorkelling in the Pacific Ocean, which is rich in marine diversity and an amazing underwater world.
At high school, he learnt about the Great Barrier Reef and from that moment dreamt of experiencing it firsthand and it became one of the main reasons he came to Australia. Taylor can still remember the first time he saw Hardy Reef, Whitsundays, the corals and marine life. If there were a place called “harmony”, he would say it is the space between the fish and the corals underwater. Taylor wants to pass on his infectious love for the Great Barrier Reef to everyone who visits, and working as an eco-host, skipper and Master Reef Guide for Ocean Rafting, he endeavours to do so through education and storytelling.
Taylor leads our educational experience Reef Seeker, with a background in teaching there is nobody more suited to running our school group excursions and along with our incredible team showcased the GBR to over 2000 students last year!
Merran Gunn – Head Skipper (Cohort 6)
Merran is a mum to two boys, a devoted partner, and a Master 5 Skipper who calls the Whitsundays home. She works for Ocean Rafting as a skipper and leads the on-water team. The sea and empowering women are her two greatest passions. She aspires to be a lead advocate for the Great Barrier Reef and a lead advocate for women. And by binding these together, she can make a difference. Merran has worked at sea for 17 years and during that time, she found the experience almost completely void of female role models. She is now the sea of change. She hopes to become a frontline Ambassador for the Great Barrier Reef and advocate for its protection and preservation. At the same time, Merran aspires to raise the visibility of women and help create and be a positive female reef role model.
As Head Skipper, Merran is a lead trainer within the team, filtering her knowledge through the team. With Merran at the helm, you can trust that whichever combination of guides you get onboard Ocean Rafting you will have an experience that creates memories that will last a lifetime.
Benny Howard – Head Deckhand and Eco Host (Cohort 7)
Benny grew up on a farm on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and has always had a huge passion for wildlife and conservation. To start a career in this area he joined programs such as tracking endangered glossy black cockatoos and building nest boxes, and land care tree planting. Being surrounded by the Southern Ocean also allowed him to work closely with national parks at the Seal Bay conservation park introducing guests to the local Fur Seal population and playing a role in the Fairy Penguin eco management program.
His biggest passion by far has always been in and around the ocean with a dream to one day visit and continue this career path within the world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. For the last two and a half years he has been part of the team at Ocean Safari in Cape Tribulation/ Daintree Rainforest and also with Ocean Rafting in the Whitsundays.
Benny loves representing these incredible regions by showcasing the fringing reefs, outer reefs, amazing beaches and islands and the importance of understanding the amazing indigenous cultures. Giving them a unique, enjoyable and learned experience.
He enjoys connecting with his guests in a fun and engaging manner to inspire them to learn more about what they can do to make a difference in their daily lives.
“I believe awareness is the key and knowledge is power. We can’t ask people to look after something if they don’t appreciate or understand it, and love it as much as I do.”
Heath Robinson – Skipper and Eco-Host (Cohort 7)
Heath Robinson is 20 years old and was fortunate enough to grow up along the coastline of South East Queensland, living every adventurous kid’s dream of fishing, surfing, snorkelling & camping on the weekends. This upbringing engraved a huge passion for everything ocean-based, and has helped shape him into the person he is today.
Heath moved to the Whitsundays soon after graduating high school with one main goal – to work on a boat. After two months the team at Ocean Rafting hired me as a deckhand, and it certainly changed his life.
“To think that just over a year later, I now hold my Coxswains, RHIS, Master Reef Guide & numerous other qualifications, still blows me away.”
Prior to living in the Whitsundays, Heath worked for a sustainable fishing company called SCF Australia – “Our goal is to inspire others to engage in Stainable Fishing practices, advocate for Clean Waterways & create abundant fisheries for Future Generation.” Here, he also studied a Certificate 3 in Tourism & Events.
Now working in the tourism industry itself, Heath endeavors to use his prior knowledge of sustainable fishing and living practices – plus the knowledge he has gathered since beginning my journey in the Whitsundays – to give an amazing Great Barrier Reef experience, whilst encouraging & promoting easy ways to look after such an important & vulnerable ecosystem.
“Whether I’m out fishing & camping, at work or just at home living my everyday life. I always live by the motto of- Our Oceans Future Is Our Future.”
Scotty Bowan – Skipper (Cohort 7)
Scotty grew up on the Gold Coast, Scotty has always had a love for the ocean. Starting surf lifesaving at a very young age always taught him to have respect for the ocean and its inhabitants and appreciate all its natural wonders.
Having moved to the Whitsundays in 2018, Scotty started his career working on overnight sailing vessels. Showcasing the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef to guests made him want to understand the reef more. Since moving to day trips, Scotty has had the opportunity to greater his understanding of the reef which has enabled him to help educate passengers on this amazing ecosystem.
“Becoming a Master Reef Guide will only further my passion and excitement for the Great Barrier Reef and give hope to others that we can have this natural wonder for many more generations to come.”
Ocean Safari
Our little sister Ocean Safari also has Master Reef Guides! Nestled in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, Ocean Safari offers half-day trips to the outer Great Barrier Reef and Mackay sand cay. This is the only place in the world where two UNESCO world-hertiage sites meet; The Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
Brooke Nikora – Skipper and Eco Manager (Cohort 2)
Originally from New Zealand, Master Reef Guide Brooke moved to Australia in 2011 to Daydream Island. She would watch as fast little yellow boats drove past, full of excited guests off on a day of exploring nature and the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. Sometimes the boats would stop on the island to pick up and drop off guests. This was Ocean Rafting, and better yet on one particular day, Brooke quickly realised there were two females, one at the helm and the other guiding the guests. Fast forward a couple of years and with no marine or boating experience, Brooke became an eco host with Ocean Rafting in the Whitsundays.
She then discovered Ocean Rafting had a sister company in Cape Tribulation – Ocean Safari. Brooke visited the Daintree Rainforest and Mackay Reef for the first time in late 2014, by June 2015 she was their newest Eco Host and she never looked back. Over 8 years on and Mackay Reef is without a doubt her favourite place to be. Brooke is proud to be an Eco Host and Skipper for Ocean Safari Cape Tribulation, educating guests while having fun in nature with a majority female crew. “I will always appreciate the time past and present crew and industry friends have given me, these are the people that helped build my passion and lay the foundations to better understand the Great Barrier Reef.
“Becoming a Master Reef Guide has deepened and refined that same passion and knowledge so I can share this World Heritage Listed Area in great detail with guests from all walks of life. I also find it very rewarding sharing my learnings from the Master Reef Guide program with new and emerging industry crew, helping them develop and fine-tune their own guiding skill set and knowledge base.”
