Maya Santangelo

Maya is a marine biologist and professional scuba diver with over 15 years of experience working from the poles to the tropics to dive, document, and educate about the life on our blue planet that is incredible, important, and vulnerable. Originally from Southern California, Maya’s love for the ocean was sparked by the fortune of growing up in Sydney, Australia, where she learned to scuba dive, eventually becoming a dive instructor and studying marine biology at university. She sharpened her interests through her experience as a Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, working alongside experts in marine science, conservation, and exploration around the world. Earning a master’s degree in marine and Antarctica science from the University of Tasmania, Maya’s academic fascination has focused on ecology to inform fisheries management and marine conservation, including researching the habitat use of critically endangered sharks, the foraging behaviour of leopard seals, and the development of marine protected areas in Antarctica. When not learning about or diving in the Antarctic, Maya leads research expeditions to study manta rays in the remote Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. As a passionate science communicator and proud nerd, Maya’s greatest joy is getting to share with others what would otherwise be out of sight and out of mind