Skip to content
Orca Group SeriesIndependent ocean storytelling

The people · the ideas · the ocean

Remarkable people.
An ocean of ideas.

Meet the scientists, record breaking divers, authors, artists and ocean storytellers who have joined Nick Long. Explore the conversations and find something worth sharing.

Find a guest or topic

32 guests and guest groups

Browse ocean questions
Why shark behaviour starts with the species →How whale photo identification works →What goes into underwater wildlife filmmaking? →

William Trubridge

William Trubridge is a New Zealand freediver known for deep dives without fins. In this interview he describes the demands of no fins freediving, how his body responds at depth and the connection between his ocean challenges and dolphin conservation.

Bio & achievements
  • Internationally recognised no fins freediver
  • Appointed MNZM for services to freediving

Watch now

The body at 100 metres

William Trubridge explains his experience of deep freediving, the physiological demands of the sport and his connection with the ocean.

Explore the interview

Professor Antje Boetius

Professor Antje Boetius is a polar and deep sea researcher and President and CEO of MBARI. Her work explores microbial life, chemical energy, the ocean carbon cycle and change in polar seas.

Bio & achievements
  • President and CEO of MBARI
  • Polar and deep sea researcher; former director of the Alfred Wegener Institute

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Life without sunlight

Professor Antje Boetius explains how deep sea communities obtain energy, including life at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.

Explore the interview

Cristina Zenato

Cristina Zenato is a shark behavioural ecologist and professional diver specialising in shark encounters, shark behaviour and technical diving, with a particular interest in cave exploration. Her conversation centres on years of patient observation and relationships with individual animals.

Bio & achievements
  • Shark specialist, professional diver and cave explorer
  • Founder of People of the Water

Watch now

What 30 years with sharks taught Cristina Zenato

Cristina Zenato discusses long term observation, individual sharks, caves and the work behind apparently effortless underwater encounters.

Explore the interview

Naomi Rose

Dr Naomi A. Rose is a senior scientist in marine mammal biology at the Animal Welfare Institute. Her conversation explores wild orca social relationships, welfare, responsible whale watching and the distinctions between scientific evidence, public policy and advocacy.

Bio & achievements
  • Marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute
  • Works at the intersection of welfare, research and policy

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Marine mammals and welfare

Naomi Rose joins the Orca Group Series for a conversation about marine mammals and welfare.

Explore the interview

Hanne Strager

Hanne Strager is a Danish biologist, whale researcher and science writer, and the author of The Killer Whale Journals.

Bio & achievements
  • Author of The Killer Whale Journals
  • National Outdoor Book Award winning science writer

Watch the archive interview

Orcas, people and The Killer Whale Journals

Danish biologist, whale researcher and science writer Hanne Strager explores the changing relationship between people and killer whales.

Explore the interview

Mark Leiren-Young

Mark Leiren-Young is an author, filmmaker and podcaster whose work brings stories about orcas and conservation to a wider audience.

Bio & achievements
  • Author, filmmaker and podcaster
  • Winner of the 2009 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

Watch the archive interview

Orca stories and conservation

Author, filmmaker and podcaster Mark Leiren-Young discusses how storytelling can deepen understanding of orcas and ocean conservation.

Explore the interview

Franco Banfi

Franco Banfi is a Swiss wildlife and underwater photographer. The episode introduces his experience working across freshwater, polar and ocean environments and his role as a co founder of Wildlife Photo Tours. The conversation explores the patience and responsibility behind underwater encounters.

Bio & achievements
  • Swiss wildlife and underwater photographer
  • Co founder of Wildlife Photo Tours

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Photographing the underwater world

Franco Banfi discusses underwater photography and the experience behind his encounters with marine wildlife.

Explore the interview

Professor Janet Mann

Professor Janet Mann is Distinguished University Professor of Biology and Psychology at Georgetown University. Her long term field research on wild dolphins, including those in Shark Bay, informs questions about relationships, mothers and calves, learning, tool use and culture.

Bio & achievements
  • Professor of Biology and Psychology at Georgetown
  • Long term research on wild dolphins in Shark Bay

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Do dolphins have friends?

Professor Janet Mann draws on field research to explore dolphin relationships, tool use, personalities and the limits of human comparisons.

Explore the interview

Bob Pitman

Bob Pitman has worked with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. His field observations inform a conversation about killer whale diversity, predation, movement and how unusual encounters become scientific evidence.

Bio & achievements
  • Marine mammal researcher with extensive field experience
  • Studies killer whale diversity and predation

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Extraordinary whales, careful explanations

Bob Pitman discusses whale encounters, killer whale ecotypes and the scientific care needed to interpret exceptional observations.

Explore the interview

Craig Matkin

Craig Matkin is introduced as founder and executive director of the North Gulf Oceanic Society in Alaska. His decades of work following individual killer whales and family lines provide the background to this conversation about social lives, vocal cultures and the long term effects of Exxon Valdez.

Bio & achievements
  • Founder of the North Gulf Oceanic Society
  • Decades documenting Alaska’s killer whales and family lines

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Orcas after Exxon Valdez

Craig Matkin discusses Alaska’s killer whales, individual identification, AT1, AB Pod and the consequences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Explore the interview

Ted Cheeseman

Ted Cheeseman is a whale scientist, expedition leader and co founder and director of Happywhale. His work connects individual whale photographs, research collaboration and public participation in understanding whale movements and life histories.

Bio & achievements
  • Co founder and director of Happywhale
  • Connects whale photo identification with public participation

Watch now

One whale, a whole ocean

Ted Cheeseman explains how Happywhale connects photographs, individual whale histories, public participation and scientific collaboration.

Explore the interview

Kenna Harmony Rubin

Professor Kenna Harmony Rubin is a researcher at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. Her work explores submarine volcanism, deep sea geochemistry and how scientists investigate hidden ocean environments.

Bio & achievements
  • Researcher in submarine volcanism and deep sea geochemistry
  • Professor introduced through URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography

Coming 13 November 2026 at 19:00 · Dublin time

Deep sea mining and an unknown ecosystem

Kenna Harmony Rubin explores submarine eruptions, ocean observation, coral records and the uncertainties surrounding deep sea mineral extraction.

Explore the interview

Natacha Aguilar de Soto

Dr Natacha Aguilar de Soto is introduced as a marine biologist and cetacean researcher working on deep diving whales, bioacoustics, animal behaviour and marine conservation. The interview explores how temporary tags, sound and field observations help reveal animals that are rarely seen.

Bio & achievements
  • Marine biologist and cetacean researcher
  • Studies deep diving whales, bioacoustics and conservation

Coming soon · release date to be announced

How scientists study whales we rarely see

Natacha Aguilar de Soto discusses deep diving whales, bioacoustics, temporary tags, human noise and scientific uncertainty.

Explore the interview

Renaud de Stephanis

Dr Renaud de Stephanis is president and coordinator of CIRCE. His work with cetaceans in the Strait of Gibraltar provides the background to a conversation about field observation, acoustics and Iberian orca interactions with boats.

Bio & achievements
  • President and coordinator of CIRCE
  • Field research on cetaceans in the Strait of Gibraltar

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Why are Iberian orcas interacting with boats?

Renaud de Stephanis separates evidence from speculation about Iberian orcas, rudders, acoustics and coexistence.

Explore the interview

Andy Schmid

Andy Schmid is an award winning underwater photographer who photographs orcas and other marine wildlife.

Bio & achievements
  • Award winning underwater photographer
  • Photographs orcas and marine wildlife around the world

Watch the archive interview

Orcas through an underwater photographer’s lens

Underwater photographer Andy Schmid discusses preparation, demanding conditions, image making and the effects of wildlife tourism.

Explore the interview

Alessandro De Maddalena

Alessandro De Maddalena is a shark researcher and author with field experience of sharks and other marine wildlife.

Bio & achievements
  • Shark researcher and author
  • Shares field experience with sharks and marine wildlife

Watch the archive interview

Sharks, orcas and marine biology

Shark researcher and author Alessandro De Maddalena joins Nick for a conversation about field encounters, marine biology and conservation.

Explore the interview

Nathan Pettigrew

Nathan Pettigrew is a New Zealand citizen scientist who contributes observations of orcas to marine research and conservation.

Bio & achievements
  • New Zealand citizen scientist
  • Contributes observations to marine research and conservation

Watch the archive interview

New Zealand orcas and citizen science

New Zealand citizen scientist Nathan Pettigrew discusses responsible observation, contributing useful evidence and working under a marine mammal permit.

Explore the interview

Thomas Käsbohrer

Thomas Käsbohrer is an author and sailor whose work includes The Riddle of the Orcas.

Bio & achievements
  • Author and sailor
  • Wrote The Riddle of the Orcas

Watch the archive interview

Sailing and the riddle of Iberian orcas

Author and sailor Thomas Käsbohrer discusses The Riddle of the Orcas and the questions raised by encounters between orcas and sailing vessels.

Explore the interview

Andy McLeod

Andy McLeod is a documentary cameraman and underwater filmmaker. In the interview he describes working in television production before developing the diving experience needed to take cameras underwater, and discusses the judgement behind wildlife filming.

Bio & achievements
  • Documentary cameraman and underwater filmmaker
  • Brings diving judgement to wildlife storytelling

Watch now

How wildlife documentaries are filmed underwater

Andy McLeod shares the experience, preparation and decisions behind underwater wildlife filmmaking.

Explore the interview

Dimitri Sirenko

Dimitri Sirenko is an artist working across digital and traditional media, including the orca painting Faith or Fate.

Bio & achievements
  • Artist working across digital and traditional media
  • Creator of the orca painting Faith or Fate

Watch the archive interview

The story behind Faith or Fate

Artist Dimitri Sirenko discusses his orca painting Faith or Fate, his move from digital games work to fine art and the challenge of developing an artistic voice.

Explore the interview

Tom Sewid

Tom Sewid is a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation from Alert Bay, British Columbia. He shares his own experiences of coastal life, fishing, art and orcas. His words are attributed to him and are not presented as representing every Indigenous person or Nation.

Bio & achievements
  • Artist, fisherman and coastal storyteller from Alert Bay
  • Shares his own Kwakwaka’wakw experiences and perspective

Watch now

Orca stories from Alert Bay

Tom Sewid shares his own experiences and interpretations from Alert Bay and coastal British Columbia. His account is not presented as speaking for every Indigenous person, Nation or language.

Explore the interview

Darrell Hillaire Tse-sum-ten

Darrell Hillaire Tse-sum-ten is Lummi, a former chairman of the Lummi Nation and executive director of Setting Sun Circle, previously known as Children of the Setting Sun Productions. His work brings film, education and community storytelling to Lummi histories and relationships with land, water and salmon.

Bio & achievements
  • Former chairman of the Lummi Nation
  • Executive director of Setting Sun Circle

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Who are we without salmon?

Darrell Hillaire Tse-sum-ten shares his perspective on salmon, cultural identity and restoration.

Explore the interview

Roy Balvert

Roy Balvert brings practical experience from operating wildlife tours in Norway and observing the relationship between tourism and marine animals.

Bio & achievements
  • Norway based wildlife tour operator
  • Shares practical experience of the orca tourism industry

Watch the archive interview

Orca tourism: access, ethics and wildlife impact

Norway based tour operator Roy Balvert explores whale watching, swimming with orcas, regulation and the responsibilities of wildlife tourism.

Explore the interview

Pádraig Whooley

Pádraig Whooley is the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s Sightings Officer. In the episode he explains how public reports are checked and how long term records and photo identification help researchers understand whales in Irish waters.

Bio & achievements
  • Sightings Officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
  • Builds long term whale records through verified public reports

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Ireland’s rare killer whale sightings

Pádraig Whooley explains how Irish whale reports are checked, what photo identification reveals and how public reporting supports long term records.

Explore the interview

Dr Agnese Lanzetti

Dr Agnese Lanzetti has a background in evolutionary biology and palaeontology, with whale evolution a focus since her master’s studies. In this conversation she describes working in the imaging laboratories at London’s Natural History Museum, studying organisms ranging from small invertebrates to mammals.

Bio & achievements
  • Evolutionary biologist and palaeontologist
  • Research experience in whale evolution and museum imaging

Watch now

Whale evolution and museum science

Dr Agnese Lanzetti discusses whale development, anatomy, museum collections and the evidence used to study how whales evolved.

Explore the interview

Dr. Steve Emslie

Dr. Steve Emslie is introduced as a professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His research uses penguin remains and evidence preserved in Antarctic colonies to investigate environmental change through time.

Bio & achievements
  • Biologist and Antarctic researcher
  • Uses penguin remains to investigate environmental history

Coming soon · release date to be announced

A penguin colony out of time

Dr. Steve Emslie explains the Cape Irizar penguin remains and how radiocarbon dating reveals Antarctica’s past.

Explore the interview

Hannah Clayton

Hannah Clayton describes her doctoral research in Stanford University’s Goldbogen Lab and her work as a research biologist with Cascadia Research Collective. Her interests include whale physiology, behaviour and resilience, using tags and direct observation to investigate life below the surface.

Bio & achievements
  • Whale researcher using tags and direct observation
  • Research experience with Stanford and Cascadia Research Collective

Coming 6 November 2026 at 19:00 · Dublin time

What can a whale tag reveal?

Hannah Clayton discusses suction cup tags, recordings, movement and the challenge of identifying which whale produced a sound.

Explore the interview

Róisín Pinfield

Róisín Pinfield is a marine researcher whose work explores orcas in Irish waters, identification records and gaps in knowledge.

Bio & achievements
  • Marine researcher focused on orcas in Irish waters
  • Explores identification records and research gaps

Watch the archive interview

What do we know about orcas in Ireland?

Marine researcher Róisín Pinfield explains how Irish orcas are documented, where knowledge is incomplete and what research needs to happen next.

Explore the interview

Mariano Coscarella

Mariano Alberto Coscarella studies marine mammal populations, conservation and interactions with human activities. CONICET lists his research base at CESIMAR, CENPAT in Argentina and describes work on how activities such as tourism affect marine mammal populations.

Bio & achievements
  • Marine mammal population and conservation researcher
  • Research based at CESIMAR, CENPAT, Argentina

Coming soon · release date to be announced

Dolphin research with Mariano Coscarella

Explore the Orca Group Series conversation with Mariano Coscarella.

Explore the interview

Alfredo López & Mónica González

Alfredo López and Mónica González are scientists speaking for Orca Ibérica GTOA, a collaboration focused on Iberian orcas.

Bio & achievements
  • Scientists speaking for Orca Ibérica GTOA
  • Discuss monitoring, data collection and conservation priorities

Watch the archive interview

Iberian orcas: evidence, interactions and conservation

Orca Ibérica GTOA scientists Alfredo López and Mónica González explain the evidence and uncertainty around interactions with sailing vessels. A second interview provides a 2023 update.

Explore the interview

Frederick DeNisco / The Orca Man

Frederick DeNisco is known online as The Orca Man. In the interview, he explains how that name developed and discusses his interest in orcas, communicating about whales and the story of Keiko.

Bio & achievements
  • Orca communicator known as The Orca Man
  • Explores Keiko’s story and responsible whale storytelling

Watch now

Keiko, orca research and going viral

Frederick DeNisco joins the series as The Orca Man to discuss Keiko, orca research and sharing whale stories online.

Explore the interview

Shavawn Boyer, Paul Daddona & Shona Brodley

Shavawn Boyer, Paul Daddona and Shona Brodley are contributors to the Orca Group community who joined Nick for a conversation about a shared interest in orcas.

Bio & achievements
  • Contributors to the Orca Group community
  • An archive conversation about shared interest and participation

Watch the archive interview

The people behind the orca community

Community contributors Shavawn Boyer, Paul Daddona and Shona Brodley share their interest in orcas and discuss community stories and Iberian interactions.

Explore the interview

Available now

Ready to watch

Andy McLeod · underwater wildlife filmmaking →Ted Cheeseman · identifying whales →Cristina Zenato · years of shark observation →

The complete directory below keeps its existing recognition order. Use Watch now, Coming soon or Archive to narrow it down.