I have been a compulsive adventure traveller since I was a teenager at school in England, where I am still based along with the Philippines. I studied fine art and sculpture at college, and my photography grew out of a desire to express my creativity during my travels, my concerns for protecting the environment and to share my experiences with others. My interests as a traveller are all encompassing and my inspiration as a creative photographer are eclectic, so during my travels I aim to capture all facets of the places that I visit from the smallest organisms to whales, landscapes, children and people, and cultural events from beauty pageants to religious festivals. In 1973 when I was 20 I left art college prematurely to travel overland to India and Nepal and back, and in 1978 hitchhiked from New York to Mexico via Alaska, where I worked in the salmon canneries to get more money for my trip. I caught hepatitis in Mexico, returned to the UK to recover, and then returned to the USA with the intention of earning some more money working in the salmon canneries in Alaska so that I could travel overland all the way down South America, but Alaska and the humpback whales of Alaska would hold me captive for the next 25 years. After working in one salmon cannery for a few years I bought a boat, and then a kayak to explore the spectacular scenic waterways of Southeast Alaska. After my first close encounters with the migratory humpback whales there I became hooked on kayaking with them and photographing them for 25 years. I became totally immersed in that amazing wilderness by camping out for months at a time on my own whilst following the whales, and their dramatic cooperative bubblenet feeding behaviour became my obsessive focus.

In the late 1980’s my intimate photos of the feeding whales achieved widespread international exposure with numerous contracts for the publication of posters, calendars, greeting cards, postcards etc with some of the main poster companies at the time, such as Athena, the Art Group and Verkerke. In 2002 my obsession with photographing humpback whales for so long in Alaska was rewarded with one of my photos of a lunge-feeding whale winning the mammal behaviour category in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, and another photo was highly recommended in the endangered species category. As a result of that I was commissioned to write an article for the BBC Wildlife Magazine and a photo of me kayaking with the whales appeared on the cover.
In the 1990s I discovered that I have a natural aptitude for teaching and a special rapport with children, and started using my photos, art and experiences to educate children in the USA and the UK about the need to protect whales and dolphins, and their habitats. There was a big demand for both my popular public and school presentations, and in 2001 I received funding from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to teach children throughout the SW of the UK. My schoolwork also involves teaching drawing, painting and puppet making; and I also paint murals.

In 2002 I was awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to be the first person to kayak along the exposed eastern coastline of Madagascar, with the intention of teaching children about coral reef and rain forest conservation as well. In 1999 I also conducted a 500 mile solo kayaking expedition in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Since then my travels have taken me to Sri Lanka, Palawan in the Philippines and Malaysian Borneo, with the intention of adding to my educational and stock portfolio of places of critical environmental value. I have developed a specialisation and passion for macro photography, and have also started doing underwater photography with my initial focus on whale sharks in the Philippines. I also enjoy photographing children, people and cultural events on my travels to cover all aspects of the countries that I visit.

I am currently about to embark on a kayaking trip to New Caledonia to kayak in the world's largest natural lagoon and dive with humpback whales. I am now actively posting my photos and travel stories on my blog site - www.whale-of-a-time.com. For more information about my life and work you can visit my website at www.duncanmurrell.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have been travelling for over forty years now, and one of the greatest rewards of travelling is meeting and getting to know the local people. I have always been a full immersion traveller in as much as I always prefer to get connected with the local people to learn more about their culture. I aim to connect with people at all levels of society, and I especially have a great connection with children wherever I travel. I usually stay in one particular country for months rather than weeks because I want to get as involved with the country and its people as possible.

Interests

Travelling, the environment, conservation, education, photography, writing, painting, drawing, puppets, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, hiking, camping

• wildlife
• arts
• culture
• writing
• photography
• beauty
• beauty pageants
• festivals
• education
• environment
• boating
• traveling
• blogging
• painting
• drawing
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• scuba diving
• teaching
• adventure travel

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy all music from classical to avant-garde, trance, dance, ethnic etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Kayaked with bubble net feeding humpback whales in Southeast Alaska

Teach, Learn, Share

I have had a lot of experience working as a teacher teaching children about the environment, conservation, and whales and dolphins in particular.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Over forty years of amazing adventure travelling experiences in some of the world's wildest places. I have always loved sharing my stories and am an acclaimed story-teller. I can also share my award-winning, internationally published photos.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States