People and culture
We're not building a program, we're building a crew. Every volunteer who comes through Reef Buddy, whether they stay two weeks or twelve, becomes part of a team that actually does the work. Not one that watches it happen. We don't do gloss, and we don't do hand-holding; we treat people as capable adults who came here to get their hands dirty, learn something real, and leave better divers and better conservationists than they arrived.
What holds it together isn't a slogan, it's the people — Tom and Gaelle on the ground in Dauin and Carriacou, and every volunteer who's stuck around long enough to start training the next one. That's the culture: honest, hands-on, and genuinely glad you're here.
Get to know us
Tom Anderson
Chief Operating Officer - Philippines
Gaëlle Frères
Chief Operating Officer - Caribbean
Racquel Ward
Divemaster/Conservation specialist
Carl Wisdom
Instructor/conservation specialist
Nora Valdes
Site Manager/conservation specialist
Romel Aleton
Instructor/conservation specialist
K'Soon Joseph
Boat Skipper
Jo Natalas
Boat Captain
Jennifer Pernick
Social Media & Marketing
Meet The Teams
Gaëlle & Tom will be your main contact points in Carriacou & Duin, and they're the guys who together keep the program running and aligned. Both are PADI scuba instructors, with a wealth of experience working in practical marine conservation.
Gaëlle has been working and volunteering in the marine conservation and coral recovery space for several years, with extended projects supporting in Pemba and Borneo
Racquel joined Reef Buddy in 2024 in the Caribbean and principally held the office together and kept us organised. Now she's facilitating the setup of Reef Buddy Philippines. She's a PADI Divemaster and keen underwater photographer too.
Carl joined the Caribbean team in 2026 having gained much of his experience working in Europe. A PADI scuba instructor as well as a technical diving instructor too, Carl helps to review the plans and make sure we're all safe all the time.
Romel joined the team in the Philippines as our first instructor hire. He has over 10 years experience working on the reefs here in Dauin, and knows many of the tiny critters by name. Romel will be working with you when you first start with us, ensuring your base scuba skills are top notch
Jennifer is based in the Caribbean and works closely with the team to document EVERYTHING on camera. She's the 'mama bear' of the family too, so always there with a hug or a stern finger wagging.
Nora joined the program in Carriacou as a volunteer in 2018. She returned as an instructor the following year. Now she runs the whole site and operation. A critter hunter and very motivated coral gardener, she's one of the most experienced operators around.
Tom has spent much of his professional career working in the Maldives working on coral regeneration and conservation programs.
K'Soon is a young man who joined us from a family of fisherfolk, and he wanted to find a new path. He's knowledgeable about the local waters in Carriacou and a safe pair of hands on the boat too. As a man-mountain, he also creates a massive wind-break too. Just stand behind him!
Jo is a very experienced BC1 licensed Captain in the Philippines. He's got more than 10 years experience navigating the waters between Dauin and Cebu. Also hailing from a fishing community, we're delighted to have his knowledge, capability and skills on the team
Gary Ward
Executive Director - Philippines
Kevin Pernick
Executive Director - Caribbean
Gary was one of the original founders of Reef Buddy back in 2014, and ran the Caribbean operation from 2020. A PADI Master Instructor with a practical eye for a solution to many of the structural issues we face on the reefs. For 2026, Gary has headed off to the Philippines to establish a new base of operations in Dauin and continue the good work there.
Kevin is an experienced executive and dive professional who has joined then team in 2026. He's completing his MSc in Marine Biology, and moved his focus to helping develop the Reef Buddy program in Carriacou and look for more opportunities to grow the impact for the reefs and the community on the island.
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