Mike Rigney

Mike's love for the water comes from growing up on the great lakes where his dad worked as a commercial ship captain. After going to university for mechanical engineering he worked in the automotive, plastics, and aerospace defense industries before quitting his desk job to explore the ocean. Mike has since sailed over 60,000 miles on 6 of the 7 seas, visited all 7 continents, and 53 countries. Mike's love for wildlife and conservation became fully realized while working for an ocean-based wildlife conservation non-profit performing anti-poaching interdiction to protect the world's most endangered marine mammal - the vaquita marina in Baja, Mexico. He has also worked with activists and First Nations peoples to remove invasive fish farms from the waters of British Columbia, volunteered in anti-poaching efforts in South Africa, and as a conservation diver in Thailand to build and maintain artificial reefs.

Photography began as a hobby and has grown into a full-blown obsession along the way. Although he dabbles in all forms of photography, he is most excited about wildlife (mainly birds), ultra-macro, underwater, and astro. When not exploring with Lindblad as a Certified Photo Instructor, he works as Chief Engineer aboard the National Geographic Venture, and (rarely) lives on his sailboat in Southern California.