Sam Riley

Wildly passionate about the living world, Sam is an avid birdwatcher, wildlife photographer, scuba diver, and all-around naturalist. Growing up in Seattle, USA, his interests were sparked wading through tide pools with his father, and scouring the diverse environments of Washington State for birds, butterflies, and reptiles with an unlikely and inspirational neighbor. Delving into his passions at an early age, he began participating in international bird banding and herpetological biodiversity surveys in Ecuador and Peru when he was fifteen years old, further inspiring yet another passion for world travel.

Since then, Sam has earned a Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami, worked as a scuba instructor up and down the east coast of Australia, been involved with primate and sea turtle research in a remote region of Equatorial Guinea, travelled extensively searching for and photographing wildlife, and in 2019 entered the incredible world of polar expedition travel.

Sam is fascinated by anything living, and loves to share his knowledge and passion for polar ecosystems with others. Particularly insightful about birds and marine life, Sam excels at helping people connect to the natural world, and enjoys watching polar guests experience the many unique wildlife spectacles of the Polar Regions!