It has taken years of planning to get to this point, though mostly it is simply the right time, with the right team being able to come together to make this happen.

Jaime Sharp                                                                      
Age: 33
Nationality: New Zealander (currently residing overseas for work)
Photographer, film maker, international adventure guide.

Jaime started white-water kayaking at age 12, and then went on to study outdoor leadership at Auckland University of Technology. Embracing the lifestyle of guiding, for the past 13 years Jaime has travelled the world working in diverse environments, from the Arctic of Canada and Norway, to the tropics of Central America, and the deserts of Africa. Jaime is the co-founder of an adventure company called World Wild Adventures, and also contracts his guiding and instructional skills to international companies.

In 2010 Jaime partook in a 3 month sea kayak expedition to attempt to paddle from Cape Reinga to Wellington down the east coast of New Zealand. He has also undertaken many multi day sea kayak expeditions, backpacking trips, raft expeditions, and canoe journeys in multiple regions of the earth, and has extensive experience living in remote settings alone and with teams.

He has previously trained under the Sea kayak Operators Association of New Zealand and NZOIA, and has now trained extensively in international bodies, within the British Canoe Union (BCU) advanced sea kayak skills as a BCU 4 Star paddler, and also in Canada as a Level 3 guide for the Sea Kayak Guides Association of British Columbia (SKGABC). Over the years, among extended self-supported trips in Norway, Panama, Belize and Arctic Canada, he has worked in     Polar regions around large carnivores (including Polar bears).  Jaime has also trained in Advanced Wilderness First Aid (90 hour course) and in Pre Hospital Emergency Care (120+ hour course).

As a photographer and film maker, his photographs and stories have been published as a contributor in one book, “50 Water Adventures to do Before You Die”, and also in various international sea kayak magazines (Ocean Paddler Magazine UK, Adventure Sea kayak Magazine, Canada). His short films have been recognised in the kayak industry as “Extremely entertaining… and of exceptional quality” ~ Jim Marsh Senior Editor, Canoe and Kayak Magazine USA.

Jaime is a team paddler for TRAK Kayaks, Jackson Kayak (as an Exploration Team Member) and Lendal Paddles.

Tara Mulvany Age: 25
Nationality: New Zealander
Sea kayak guide, author & adventurer

Growing up in southern New Zealand, Tara spent her childhood tramping and mountaineering with her family. After high school she studied an Outdoor Recreation course through Aoraki Polytechnic, and has since worked 7 summers as a sea kayak guide in Fiordland. Between the summer seasons she and has completed a number of epic sea kayak journeys, including the first ever winter circumnavigation of the South Island in 2012 (2800km).  A year later she completed a solo circumnavigation of Stewart Island, followed by the North Island (2750km), becoming the first woman to have paddled around both the North Island and the whole of New Zealand.

Most recently, in June 2014 she spent five weeks circumnavigating Vancouver Island, paddling with pods of whales and orca, camping on remote beaches and enjoying the solitude of the Canadian wilderness.  Following this adventure was a couple of months road tripping and whitewater kayaking in the US with Jaime.  For more information visit www.tarasjourneys.com

PER GUSTAV PORSANGER (PG)