Just the Wild Team

 
 
 

Caine Delacy - Founder, Photographer, Expedition leader, and Marine Biologist

Other hats - husband, dad, light switch manager, kid taxi, dog walker, might have appeared on Shark Week.

The standard stuff - I’ve been inspired by the oceans my entire life. This led me to become a marine biologist, and along the way I earned one of those PhD’s. I am forever aiming to understand our oceans, and especially the intricacies of our impacts upon it and its inhabitants.

It was a natural progression for me to take up photography as part of documenting of the state of the worlds oceans. And as a result I got lucky, and have been published widely in magazines and news papers throughout the world.

Running expeditions for others to join has given me the opportunity to share these wonders of the world, and help others gain more knowledge and appreciation for our oceans. Not to mention the overwhelming emotions i get to see from clients and their first moments with our amazing wildlife up close and personal.

Now I live in landlocked in Boulder, CO, to enjoy the mountain lifestyle, but I frequently make the journey to the sea for work, and with my family for fun. As the ocean will always be my driving inspiration.

The scariest moment - I’ve had two notable “most” scary moments, once when my colleague and i during our PhD field work, where we were left stranded at sea, at the end of a SCUBA dive, at sunset— the boat lost us! The other, running from suspected pirates off the coast of Kenya, you don’t wait to find out if they’re pirates! To find out more, you’ll have to ask me while on an expedition someday!

The most fun moment - There are so many fun moments on the ocean, but I think the times that generate the most excitement and fun is when humpbacks are in a group, swimming fast, and accompanied by another group of mammals like pilot whales, or dolphins, swimming fast and weaving in-between the whales, and riding on their pressure waves. It’s akin to watching one of those space ship fight scenes in Star Wars, but in real life, and you’re in the middle of it.

The most magical moment - Watching baby whales feed from mum!

The most rewarding moment - My job gives me access to so many aspects of the human condition. Getting to see someones “normal’ world, that of work, money worries, career goals, and etc fall away and see them be completely absent from “normal” is truly rewarding. Watching them be immersed in a moment, where it’s just them, the ocean holding them up, and these giant animals gliding by them gracefully, and making eye contact, and you notice that at that moment their lives will never be the same. It’s these moments that make the long days easy!

The least fun moment - When I used to get horribly sea-sick. Yes I knew before I started a career in marine biology. But talk about commitment! Here’s to all my fellow marine biologists who get sea-sick yet stuck at it!

BTW, if you get sea-sick, let us know, we have the protocol!

Shane Gross - Expedition leader, Guide, Photographer, Conservationist

Other hats - dive instructor, pizza taster, joke writer, bad joke teller, most likely to be stung by dangerous marine life

The standard stuff - Shane Gross is a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist. His childhood passion for sharks has grown into a love for everything that lives underwater. From becoming a SCUBA instructor and living and working in the Bahamas from ten years to moving onto conservation photography and making a bigger impact on the world. Telling long-form narratives about the ocean and human's impact on her, both positive and negative, are what drive him. 

Tid bits-

Aimee Jan - Expedition Leader, Guide, Underwater Photographer, Ocean and Animal lover

Other hats - whale shark whisperer, jewelry designer

The standard stuff - I have been fascinated by the ocean and all of its creatures (Whales especially) for as long as I can remember. I started working as a Whale Shark and Humpback Whale guide in 2011 on the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia and still love being able to share these amazing animals with lots of different people.

I started out taking underwater pictures as a hobby and as a way to hold onto special encounters. Since 2015 I have been working as an underwater photographer.

I am still blown away every day by the beauty that lives under water and seeing people light up after special underwater encounters is the best! I hope that with my photos I can help other people fall in love with and appreciate the Ocean.

My proudest achievement was being awarded Ocean Photographer of the year 2021 with Oceanographic Magazine.

Kellon Spencer - Expedition Leader, Guide, Underwater Photographer. Film Maker, Freedive instructor

Other hats - dog lover, wilderness explorer, mediocre spots player, favorite phrase to hear “should have been here last week”

The standard stuff - Growing up in the plains of Illinois, I daydreamed about Planet Earth like adventures and wildlife encounters. Quickly the ocean became my biggest area of fascination and I knew I had to do everything I could to get to the sea as much as possible. 


Through my journey, I've played diverse roles - From pursuing a degree in ecosystem biology to learn as much about our oceans as possible, to working as a dive guide, freediving instructor,  to becoming a documentary filmmaker,  and a photographer. All have been with the intent of exploring as much of our blue planet as possible

Be it through my camera lens or by guiding others in face-to-face encounters with ocean giants, my passion lies with sharing the ocean with the world. 

Scariest moment - I was freediving in the California kelp forest with a colony of sea lions. I dove down to around 30 feet and watched as the sealion performed their acrobats and play. One swam at me and made an abrupt turn to expose a massive U-shaped shark bite, missing most of its lower half with blood still trailing behind it. Our boat was a few hundred yards from the kelp forest, and I had to swim over a deep channel while staring down into the murky water with the jaws theme song playing in my head. It was by far the longest swim of my life, although I knew the shark wanted nothing to do with me. 

Most fun moment - It's hard to say! Every expedition is a new adventure with new possibilities. I think the most fun moments are when you first spot an animal from the boat. Sometimes, there are hours or days of anticipation while trying to locate an animal. As soon as an individual is spotted, there's electricity in the air. At that moment, everyone is full of excitement and joy with the possibility that something life-changing is about to happen.  I always find it to be the most fun and exciting moment of a trip.

Most magical moment - A few years back, a juvenile humpback became absolutely enthralled with us. The whale ended up hanging out with us for over an hour, giving each group member individual attention. He would approach us, stopping a perfect distance away to avoid hitting us with his giant fins, performing amazing dances and maneuvers. There were moments it would feel like the whale was reaching out to try and shake my hand with its 16-foot pectoral fin. I still think about this encounter weekly. 

Most rewarding moments - The most rewarding moments are always bringing someone into the ocean who's never experienced it. Most people spend their lives just seeing just the surface of the ocean without ever peering beneath it. When someone has a giant, sentient being approaching them underwater, it can completely shift their reality. I've seen that moment change people's lives over and over and it always brings me back to the first time I experienced it. 

Least fun moments - I've got to answer this with a glass-half-full response. The days out on the water with weather-inducing seasickness, while not finding animals, are always the hardest days. I consider myself an ocean vet, but I still get seasick ( don't let it discourage you ). There's absolutely nothing worse. But I think the terrible days are borderline necessary. If amazing encounters were an easy guarantee, there would be no excitement or magic when those moments happen. It's the hard days that make the good days so worth it.