The SSV Team: Our Staff and Guides
Al Bakker, founder, owner and manager of Southern Sea Ventures, still manages to get "out there" on the water for about half of each year.
Al has paddled whitewater and sea kayaks for about three decades in North and South America, the South Pacific, Japan, Australia, Antarctica, the High Arctic and Greenland. He has led commercial sea kayak tours since 1988.
Al is a qualified SCUBA diver, Nordic ski instructor and examiner, swim instructor and examiner, sea kayak instructor and holds swift water rescue and national lifeguard certification. Al worked for nine winters as a helicopter ski guide, with avalanche qualifications and taught wilderness first aid.
Al looks forward to regularly disappearing to some remote corner of the world to lead one of SSV's trips or to research a new destination. Al often leads his Arctic and Greenland seasons, but also occasional trips in Fiji, Scotland, the Antarctic, Turkey and Panama. Al is a keen photographer, who enjoys backpacking and mountain biking when he’s not out on the water.
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Megan Grover, Sydney-based sales manager, has been with SSV for eight years. She has over 25 years of travel industry experience, and holds the fort in the office, allowing the rest of the team to spend as much time as possible paddling in remote destinations.
| Some of Our Key Staff are Profiled Below...
Simon Sharpin has guided regularly with SSV since 1992, running sea kayaking trips to Australia’s Hinchinbrook Island as well as Fiji, where he has regularly managed the season’s program, and Antarctica. His paddling skills aren't limited to kayaks, and he has guided whitewater rafting trips on rivers in North America, South America and Africa in addition to virtually every river in Australia.
Judd Hill is a qualified kayak guide and chef. He is well known for the culinary delights he conjures up in camp. Judd leads wilderness bush walking and kayak trips year round.
Sally Campbell runs the Turkey program. She has lived in Turkey for 17 years and been exploring the Turkish coastline by kayak since 1998. She is a qualified New Zealand sea kayak guide, speaks fluent Turkish and has a vast knowledge of Turkey’s fascinating history and archaeology. She works year round as a kayak guide in New Zealand and Turkey. In her spare time she leads cycling and walking tours in Turkey.
Jogi Matusan runs the Croatia program. He is Croatian and has been exploring the Croatian coastline by kayak since 1998. He is a qualified sea kayak guide, speaks Croatian, German and English and has a vast knowledge of Croatia’s fascinating history and archaeology. He works year round as a kayak guide on the island of Rab. In his spare time he helps out with the family olive plantations and researches new trips.
Avarosa Nasusu, from Navotua in the Yasawa Islands has guided kayak groups around his home village for nearly a decade, introducing paddlers to Fijian village life. He wields a mean paddle!
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RELATED VACATIONS
In addition to kayaking, browse related adventure travel and active vacations in the following categories: Coastal Vacations
beach resorts, island resorts, sailing vacations, scuba diving vacations, scuba resorts, shark diving adventures, surfing vacations & camps, swimming with dolphins, whale watching tours, and yacht charters. Eco Adventures
canoeing, eco & jungle lodges, ecotourism, hiking & trekking tours, polar expeditions, safaris, scuba diving vacations, scuba resorts, shark diving adventures, swimming with dolphins, whale watching tours, and wildlife viewing tours. Paddling
canoeing, and whitewater rafting.
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