Interview With Heidi Krajewsky – Expedition Naturalist

What is your area of expertise on board & tell us what your role involves?

I am a naturalist with Aurora Expeditions.  I think that it’s the best job in the world!  I educate our passengers about the wildlife and habitats that they are travelling through in the Arctic and Antarctic.  It’s not difficult to garner enthusiasm for penguins or polar bears, but I think that everyone appreciates learning a bit more about the ecosystem that these animals are a part of.  A little bit of knowledge about the lives of the wildlife helps everyone when observing whether on a walk or a zodiac cruise.

How did you start working on expedition ships in the poles?

While I was a marine biology student I started working on an ecotourism sailboat on the west coast of Canada and Alaska.  It was a great summer job for a young biology student and I worked with some fantastic naturalists, who showed me how to identify individual killer whales (orca) and their family groups, and also got me really interested in seabirds.  It was a great challenge and natural progression to take those skills to the southern ocean and the high Arctic.

Describe an average day’s work in Antarctica and the Arctic aboard an expedition ship?

Each day on board an expedition ship for me starts with going out on deck before breakfast to see where we are and what wildlife might be around. Every day is different which is why the job is always interesting.  Throughout the day I will likely be walking on shore with our passengers or driving a zodiac during a cruise.  Either way I get to look for wildlife and beautiful scenery and share it with other people.