Christian was born and raised on the west coast of Canada. As a child he always carried a passion for the ocean and the amazing animals within it. This passion led him to the University of Victoria, where in 2002 he received a BSc in marine biology with a minor in environmental science. He has spent most of his life working on the ocean as a biologist, skipper, environmental consultant, adventure guide, and expedition leader.
Christian has been working with Quark in the Antarctic since 2004 as a guide, marine biology lecturer, and expedition leader. In that time he has completed over 120 trips with Quark, which have taken him to Antarctica and various corners of the Arctic, all the way to the North Pole. When not with Quark, he spent 17 years as a guide on Vancouver Island, where he worked with the killer whale populations there. He has a passion for these animals that is incomparable with anything else in his life. Since July 2019, Christian has been involved in a distribution and abundance study of narwhals in the area of Eclipse Sound, Baffin Island. This has given him a new appreciation and perspective of the Arctic — while flying around counting whales!
He currently lives in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, tucked conveniently between the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Washington, where he indulges in many of his favourite pastimes, from skiing to mountain biking to fishing and surfing. Christian is also a part-time professional artist. His collection of paintings can be found online at www.christiangeisslerart.com.
