A Passion That Started at 13
I’ve always been passionate about whales and dolphins – for as long as I can remember.
When I was 13, I co-founded a GreenTeam called “Defenders of the Sea” a youth group supported by Greenpeace. Our logo was a humpback whale and we printed it on merchandise that we sold to raise funds in our small town in Germany. We collected signatures for petitions and saw ourselves as activists, upset about whaling and dolphin captivity. Humpbacks were almost extinct back then, and we were on a mission to stop whaling.
A Dream Redirected
After my schooling, I dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, but I didn’t get the grades.
So I followed a creative path in advertising and later in the film industry, but I never lost my passion for the ocean and whales.
In 2014 I travelled to Tonga to swim with whales. As soon as I dived into the world of the whales my life on land took a different turn. A year later, I became a certified whale-swimming guide in Tonga.
Earning My Place in the Water
To become a certified guide in Tonga, you first need to be sponsored by a licensed Tongan operator. Then you need to pass the whale guide courses which include passing the open ocean swim test, PADI Advanced Open Water certification, complete a first aid course, and take a crash course in whale behaviour and tourism management.
Over the years, I’ve worked in two island groups with six different companies and ten skippers and guided up to 3,000 people in five whale seasons. My guests have included scientists, film crews, photographers, billionaires, backpackers, families with kids and even non-swimmers… and every one of them had their own needs, desires, and intentions which is part of my role to be aware of that. To hold space for their experience while also protecting the integrity of the encounter.
The Heart of the Work: Relationship
I spent over 1,000 hours in the water with whales. What I learnt during my time in Tonga and continue to focus on in Sydney as a Whale Watcher is to make each whale experience really special by focusing on “relationship.”
The relationship with the people on board. The relationship whales have with each other and even with other species. They rely on relationships to survive and thrive and evolve through cycles of migrating, mating, birthing and protecting. And then there is the relationship with the whales. I make it a priority to serve them both. I want the whales to feel seen, safe and respected – and the people to feel safe, supported and in good hands. It’s never about me. I don’t do this job to perform. I’m facilitating, listening, guiding and always paying attention.
Trusting the Whales and My Intuition
In 2015, halfway through my first season working as a whale guide, I had a whale encounter that changed everything. A whale threw its tail in a deliberate back-off signal towards me – dangerously close. This moment shook me and made me reflect and reevaluate how I was doing things. I realised I had ignored my intuition, trying to accommodate guests instead of honouring what I felt was right and listening to the whales’ needs. This whale encounter was a wake up call. Over the years I, became very sensitive to whale body language. I could tell if they didn’t want us there and would always speak up even if it meant calling off a swim.
And people mostly trusted me. They could sense I wasn’t trying to take away from their experience, but discerning which whales are open to interaction. We come as visitors and
are there to respect them and their space.
The Whales’ Comeback Story
One of the core messages I share with guests on board is the vital role whales play in keeping our planet’s ecosystem balanced. They support growth of phytoplankton that produce 50% of world’s oxygen, cycle nutrition through the ocean and helping even with climate change.
I’m also excited to share their incredible recovery journey. Humpback whales were on the brink of extinction in my teenage years, and nowadays, I get to inspire people with their remarkable comeback. I celebrate the fact that humpbacks were officially taken off the endangered species list just a few years ago.
I love opening people’s minds and raising awareness about how each individual can contribute to protecting whales and supporting the well-being of our planet.
Learn more about whale conservation efforts at the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
The Best Job and the Biggest Responsibility
When I started, I thought, “This is the best job in the world.” And it is!
But it’s also a big responsibility. Managing expectations of company and guests, unpredictable weather and sea conditions. Some people can’t handle that, and they leave.
We always say, “We protect what we love.” I’ve seen that truth playing out again and again.
People come on whale tours to tick a box—but leave with a completely changed heart. Because something touched them. Something was felt.
And then they go home and become ambassadors of the whales and ocean.
A Full Circle Moment
I thought that whales always followed the same migratory paths and returned to their exact breeding grounds where they were born each year. But in 2024, during our whale watching trip we saw a whale with unique distinctive skin coloration and pattern. I thought it was just another beautiful encounter.
A month later, someone posted in a whale fluke ID group on Facebook that a known Tongan whale had been spotted in Sydney. When I saw the image, I checked pictures from past whale swim photography groups in Tonga and had proof that I had swum with that exact whale in Tonga in 2018 and 2019.
Tongan humpback whales are called the oceanic humpbacks and belong to one of six distinct populations in the Southern hemisphere. They migrate from Antarctic feeding grounds and travel alongside the New Zealand coast to breed in Tonga.
Out of estimated 45,000 humpback whales that migrate up and down the east coast of Australia, I still wonder, what are the odds of seeing this whale again. And it’s also made me realise how much we do not know about whales. They explore and some go even off track – just like we do.
If my 13-year-old self could see me now, she’d say, “You did it.”
I didn’t become a marine biologist. But I found my way to the whales and the whales found me.
I didn’t chase. It all happened naturally. I followed the calls, the path unfolded and they just kept coming.
What the Whales Teach Us
What the whales have taught me, and I try to pass on, is that it’s all comes down to relationships. Not just between humans and whales, but with ourselves, each other, and nature as a whole. And it’s not something that asks for performance or pressure. It needs presence. It needs stillness.
When people come out on the boat, they might just be looking for an experience, but leave with something more. A feeling, a connection, and that’s the beauty of it. We realise we’re not separate. We are nature. And once we care, we protect.
That’s the ripple effect. And that’s the work I’m really here to do.
