Team

As a tourism expert and long-time managing director of Manta Reisen (specialist for the Indian Ocean and diving worldwide) I have experienced first-hand how the condition of our seas is dramatically deteriorating.
It has always been of great concern to me to promote responsible and, as far as possible, sustainable tourism. Years ago, we already held various workshops, lectures and projects on the subject of marine conservation and tourism with Silvia Frey.

When I was asked if I would be interested in joining the board of KYMA, I did not hesitate for a second. If I can make a small contribution to the protection of the oceans and their inhabitants, I do so with great joy and passion.

BSc and MRes in Marine and Environmental Biology

Since I was a little girl I felt connected to the sea and its inhabitants. I was as fascinated by the barnacle, which filters the smallest particles of food from the sea with its fine tentacles, as I was by the variety of shapes and colours of the sea plants and the seals sunbathing deeply relaxed on sandbanks. Therefore, the path to study marine biology started early and from 2004 to 2007 I did a BSc and Master of Research in Marine and Environmental Biology at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Back in Switzerland, I have been working more in the field of terrestrial nature conservation since 2008, but still pursue my passion for the marine environment by guiding research expeditions. In addition to researching important aspects of marine conservation, I want to offer expedition participants personal experiences at sea. I am convinced that this will also give people a better understanding of the complex interrelationships and threats to the oceans and their inhabitants, and that they will be more willing to commit themselves to their protection.

I am therefore pleased to be able to contribute my knowledge to KYMA to explore the vast expanses of the sea in southern Italy and to look out for marine animals. Because the days in the midst of deep blue and the sudden appearance of a whale and dolphin are always moving experiences for me too.

I have always been fascinated by the element of water and after I got my sailing licence I enjoyed every minute with the sailboat on Lake Hallwil. Almost 20 years ago, I couldn’t resist the lure of an offshore sailing trip and it was love at first sail! The passion for ocean sailing and the sea with all its creatures was awakened.

Immediately after passing my ocean licence, I started skippering, in line with Mark Twain’s quote: “In 20 years, you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So untie the knots, run out of the safe harbour and explore your dreams.”

After I got my diving certification, the underwater world didn’t quite let me go. But over the years, I have unfortunately noticed that the variety, colours and number of marine life have noticeably diminished.

I am happy that I am able to commit myself to the protection of the oceans with KYMA sea conservation & research.

Water as an element and especially the oceans have fascinated me since I was a little girl. The protection of this ecosystem and the sensitization of our society to this topic are very close to my heart.

I discovered my passion for sailing on my first expedition with Silvia in 2018 and came home with the motivation to one day support KYMA sea conservation & research as a skipper. Driven by this, I immediately started the acquisition of the necessary licences. Since then, sailing has become my life. In addition to my job as a midwife, I work as an employed sailing instructor on Lake Greifensee and dream of further expanding this second pillar and one day exploring the world and its oceans with my own sailboat.

I am very happy to be part of the KYMA team and to be able to combine my passion for sailing with my heart’s desire to protect the oceans.

I am a skipper on many seas (www.skipperdani.ch), the sea is my home, which I love, cherish and care for.

The disappearance of the dolphins is tragic and shocking for me. 10 years ago they gave me a lot of joy on my voyages and I miss them painfully. For me this is the wake-up call to action. That’s why I’m very much committed to volunteers and marine animals and to the cleanliness of the oceans and accompany KYMA sea conservation & research on their missions for the future of the oceans.

Nature has fascinated me since my early youth. From the moment I spent my first holiday by the sea, my enthusiasm for the salty element never left me.

My full-time job is as a professional firefighter. As a sideline, I spend many weeks a year on the world’s oceans around the planet as a skipper and tour operator for my company Segelwind .

Sailing, the silent progress with only the power of the wind, gives me great pleasure. The vastness of the horizon at sea, the quiet lapping of the water while sailing – many of my clients describe sailing trips as the most beautiful and relaxing way to spend a holiday.

It is great that I can also contribute to marine conservation as a skipper for KYMA sea conservation & research.

For me, the sea has always been the epitome of holidays, freedom and vastness. When I bought a small sailing ship in Australia 10 years ago and was on the water every day, I noticed how much bigger and more diverse this habitat is – how much there is to see, discover and understand, but also how industry, oil disasters and plastic pollution threaten this valuable ecosystem.

Since then I try to make a small contribution to the protection of the oceans. I follow and support campaigns to protect the oceans, collect garbage on the beach instead of lying in the sun and if possible do without fish and seafood on the plate. At KYMA I can combine my passion for the sea with my work as a graphic designer, which motivates me a lot.

MA UZH in Social Sciences / Communications Expert

It was the early childhood fascination for the wonderful creatures in the seas and oceans that led me years later to accompany Silvia Frey as a volunteer on research trips. I was deeply shocked to see how we humans treat these habitats and their inhabitants. We can all make a contribution to improve the conditions and situations caused by humans, to deal consciously and respectfully with nature and animals.

Being able to preside over KYMA sea conversation & research with my colleague Sandra fills me with great joy and makes me very proud. I will do my utmost to ensure that we all give the oceans and seas the care and attention they deserve.

When I was 12 years old, I was able to get to know the beauty of the sea on La Gomera. Every day we took a small boat out into the wild Atlantic. Dolphins and whales jumped around our boat and I was able to go swimming and diving in the open sea. A small group of dedicated marine biologists showed me the beauty of the sea. Lectures were given every evening and I learned that the underwater world is under serious threat. Since that vacation, I no longer eat marine animals and I decided to get involved in protecting and preserving the oceans and their inhabitants.

Today, 15 years later, I am a graduate environmental scientist, passionate scuba diver, aspiring sailboat captain and still incredibly fascinated by the beauty of the oceans.

I am delighted to be involved in KYMA’s activities, to contribute my knowledge and to be actively involved in marine conservation. Because it is very important to me to preserve and protect this valuable and breathtaking ecosystem.

Social pedagogue

I feel deeply and faithfully connected with water since childhood. All aquatic life and the biodiversity of the waters fascinate me and so I became a “hobby marine biologist”.

My main profession is as an educator and I accompany elementary school children on their way through life. In the after-school care center I carry out projects with children on the subject of “marine and environmental protection” in order to sensitize them to this topic. Being active myself and feeling complete in the process is important to me!

I am extremely grateful that I can participate in the planned children’s project of KYMA sea conservation & research and thus combine my profession and my passion.

The sea as a large lifeworld with its unbelievable variety of different life forms fascinates me. From large marine mammals to tiny creatures, this underwater world is usually only visible to us with a lot of patience and a little luck for a short time.

As part of the board of KYMA, I am proud to bring the fascination and knowledge of the sea to the outside world. I am happy to be able to contribute my experience in visual knowledge transfer. It is important to me to show how sensitive the ecosystem of the oceans is, what harmful influences humans have on it and how each and every one of us can be part of the solution to environmental problems.

BSc Environmental Engineering

As a child, I had a wonderful encounter in the wild with a dolphin mother and her calf. This moment has shaped my path. I have discovered diving as my passion and have been allowed to join different marine conservation projects worldwide. Many encounters have inspired me incredibly.

However, I have also seen with my own eyes what negative effects human actions can have. These insights have deeply disturbed me. It is therefore a great cause for me to engage myself for the conservation of a wild and healthy ocean.

I have a lot of experience as a nature educator and I am happy to conduct school programs for KYMA. I would like to inspire an interest in the marine world in the children.

Translated with DeepL

Producing films is one of my passions. It all started when I bought a camera in 2008. I wanted to present dance videos at castings and film competitions and discovered my interest in image design, perspectives, movement and the equipment you need to do it. As a cameraman I have filmed and realised projects in over 25 countries since then. I can also live out my passion for video production at Swiss Television, where I have been working part-time as a video editor since several years.

Dancing is my second passion – I have performed at over 500 shows, as a professional solo break dancer or as a member of the group “Stylize” & “Cool&Clean” of the Swiss Olympic Association. I have performed in street shows in Spain as far as Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil, Louvre Museum Paris or as a supporting act at the Rihanna concert.

I feel at home in nature – especially on the water. I own a sailboat and work privately and on commission as a skipper. I’m the founder of Segelexpedition, an organisation cooperating with KYMA. At sea I can switch off and recharge my batteries. I appreciate the immeasurable value of nature for mankind and perceive changes that make me think. It is therefore important to me as for the entire KYMA team to protect the environment.

It’s hard to say where my fascination for the sea comes from. She was just there and wanted to be lived. And so practically every journey led somewhere to the sea. In 1999 I started with the sail trainings. Several trips later I fulfilled the dream of my own sailing ship; it was my second home on which I often spent several months. I was never so close to the sea as in those times. They satisfied my longing, gave me freedom and they taught me to overcome “my weaker self” and to master every challenge. Nowhere else did I learn as much as under my own keel; it was the best school of life I could get.

Today I sail on Lake Constance or at sea, if time permits. So also as a skipper for KYMA. Here I can combine my passion with meaningfulness, because the protection of the seas and their creatures is indispensable if we want to enjoy this fascinating ecosystem in the future.

PhD in neurobiology / marine conservation biologist

For more than 20 years I have been involved in marine conservation and I often work at sea as part of research projects. I am always fascinated by the beauty and diversity of life in the oceans. However, I am also very concerned about the increasing threat to marine life posed by human activities such as plastic pollution and overfishing. The oceans are in a desolate condition and every action, big or small, is necessary and precious to change that.

This is also the reason why I have founded KYMA sea conservation & research together with colleagues and I am very grateful for the wonderful people involved in the KYMA board and team.

I use my knowledge and professional experience to make KYMA move, touch and fascinate people, but also make them think and act for the sake of life in the oceans.

Children Educator

For me it is an important matter of the heart to sensitize children for the conservation of the oceans and their inhabitants and to encourage them to do so.

To be able to do this for KYMA fills me with great joy.

I have always been very closely connected to the water. As a long-time competitive swimmer and lifeguard, I feel at home in and around the water. Being able to swim freely, even for a short time at any depth gives me a wonderful feeling of freedom and a glimpse of how sea creatures feel in our oceans.

Thanks to my father’s sailing training, we have been on many sailing holidays as a family, enjoying countless enchanting places and moments together on the sea. Spending so much time on the water, has taught me to better appreciate nature and recognise its beauty and sensitivity anew. Impressive sunsets, dolphins swimming alongside, curious turtles, luminous plankton and the beauty and tranquility of sailing motivated me to take my own Yachtmaster Offshore sailing license with the RYA when I was 18. I have since skippered our family adventures. As a change from my everyday life as a student, I joined the Lake Zurich Lifeguard Service in 2019 to help ensure others enjoy the water safely. I often sail on Lake Zurich and participated in the 2021 Yngling world Championships in Berlin.

I am very happy to be able to support KYMA as a skipper with my training and experience. I am so pleased to help, in this small way, to protect the vital oceans and their inhabitants from the damage and consequences of humanity.

If you don’t leave your comfort zone, you will never realise your dreams and desires! I have always dreamed of crossing the Atlantic “slowly”. I didn’t hesitate for a minute when the opportunity arose: I sold all my belongings and gave up my long-time and exciting job as a paramedic.

Since then, the sea has had me in its grip. I have turned my new-found passion into a career and now live more or less on a sailing ship, teach sailing students according to the British RYA system and skipper sailing enthusiasts all over the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Caribbean. As one of the few professional female skippers, I am also involved in «Women@the-helm» projects.

I prefer sailing offshore, far away from land. I feel comfortable on the water. At the same time, I want to learn more about what’s going on under the keel. Because it’s time to give something back to the sea and care more. KYMA is the perfect tool for that and I’m really excited to be a part of it and make a difference.