About the Founder

“Antarctica is the place that most inspires me.  It is in this most unlikely place that I learned how to SCUBA dive, and continue to dive at every opportunity.  I have logged over 400 hours exploring the underwater world of Antarctica, pioneering many sites previously uncharted and undived”.

 

Lisa Trotter

Founder - PolarDive.com

 

 

Lisa Trotter grew up landlocked outside Buffalo in upstate New York, before running away to sea. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelors degree in Health Education and Human Biology, and completing postgraduate work in Immunology, she began working aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ “Endeavour” in 2000, and now holds the position of Assistant Expedition Leader.

 

Voyages aboard this renowned expedition vessel have taken Lisa from the remote islands of the mid-Atlantic ridge to Europe, as well as both coasts of South America and the Azores. It is in the Polar Regions that she feels most at home however, and much of the year is spent in the Antarctic Peninsula, Sub-Antarctic Islands and the Norwegian Arctic. She has also participated in expeditions by Russian Icebreaker to Antarctica’s Weddell and Ross Sea’s, as well as the High Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land. A desire to play an active role in the future of Antarctic tourism led Lisa to travel to New Zealand to attend the 15^th and 16^th  annual conference of IAATO.

 

An accomplished outdoor enthusiast on dry land, Lisa recently climbed Washington State’s Mt. Rainer, and has reached advanced base camp on Everest. This mountaineering experience has proved a great asset in the Polar Regions.

 

Probably the first person to ever learn to dive in the Antarctic, Lisa’s first open water dive was made off Cape Horn before completing her training below 60ºS. She has since reached the level of Dive Master and logged over 400hrs exploring the waters of the Antarctic using both SCUBA and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). This vast experience has recently lead to the production of the Antarctic Dive Guide, due to be published in 2006.