Simon graduated from Swansea University, UK, with a BSc (Hons) degree in Zoology. After 4 years of sales in London, he travelled extensively throughout Southeast Asia. During this time he developed his love of scuba diving and after becoming a PADI Divemaster on Sipadan, Sabah, he left for Cairns, Australia where he started his underwater filming career. In 1996 he returned to Sabah to start Scubazoo, with Jason Isley in hot pursuit. Scubazoo is the product of Simon’s and Jason’s intense passion for all things relating to diving and the natural world.

While continuously planning the growth and direction of the company, Simon now develops Scubazoo's broadcast opportunities. With the rapid growth of Digital TV and broadcast networks globally, this is the best way to ensure that the greatest amount of people will see Scubazoo's images. Simon is confident that ultimately, Scubazoo's experience, talent and unique filming platform will ensure that they become one of the world's leading underwater filming organisations. And with Scubazoo's in-house productions, he aims to tell 'The Whole Story of the underwater world. By accurately documenting this immensely fascinating and complex web of life - with mankind's intricate and vital link to it - Scubazoo's stories will always have a strong conservation message.

Simon is a now a qualified PADI instructor with nitrox and videography specialities and has dived extensively throughout Southeast Asia as well as UK and South Africa, with well over 1200 dives logged.

Profile
To friends and colleagues, AKA: ‘PIEMAN’
Nationality & DOB: British, 14.11.69.
simon@scubazoo.com

Jason left UK in 1995 to travel Southeast Asia and soon discovered scuba diving in Cairns, Australia. Having completed his PADI Divemaster he then trained as an underwater cameraman and towards the end of 1996 joined Simon Christopher on Sipadan to help create Scubazoo.

Since 1996, Jason has filmed and photographed extensively at all of Malaysia's major underwater locations as well exploring other new locations around Sabah. Scubazoo's filming trips have taken him around the world and he has now dived in the following locations; Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Maldives, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Micronesia, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, Canada, Norway, South Africa, Mozambique and Egypt. Jason has filmed on all of Scubazoo's major broadcast production projects. In 1999 he was one of the principal underwater cameramen in the world’s first 24-hour shoot in Maldives, in 2001 & 2002 he managed all the underwater logistics and filming for the two UK Survivor series, and in 2002 was the supervising director for Scubazoo's role in project managing the Canadian IMAX production, 'Sacred Planet' on Sipadan and in Thailand. More recently Jason has been filming for BBC’s Really Wild Show with Michaela Strachan, Great Ocean Adventures with Monty Halls, Killer Shark Live with Nick Baker, Journeys of a Lifetime with Minnie Driver, Animal Planet’s The Jeff Corwin Experience, Nick Baker’s Weird Creatures and Perfect Predators for Discovery’s shark week.

In addition to underwater filming, Jason is an accomplished underwater photographer and his images have appeared in numerous books, magazines and brochures as well as winning various awards. Jason was the driving force behind Scubazoo’s first coffee table book ‘SIPADAN, MABUL and KAPALAI – Sabah’s Underwater Treasure’ and more recently project managed their latest coffee table book ‘reef’.

Jason is a PADI Assistant Instructor with nitrox training and has logged over 3000 dives.

Profile
To friends and colleagues, AKA: ‘STYLER’
Nationality & DOB: British, 15.05.70
jason@scubazoo.com
Download Jason’s CV

Simon graduated from Aberdeen University with a BSc (Hons.) degree in Marine Zoology. He was a leading figure in the first scientific research expedition to Pulau Layang Layang, Malaysia in the South China Sea. Having worked with the Sea Mammal Research Unit and British Antarctic Survey in the UK, he returned to Malaysia in 1997 to survey the entire coast and coral reefs of Sabah as well as run a turtle research programme.

Simon joined Scubazoo in early 1998 and has dived extensively at all Scubazoo's locations, on many scientific and environmental assignments and has been involved in many of Scubazoo's broadcast television filming projects. These have led him across Southeast Asia to locations such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Maldives and Papua New Guinea. Simon assisted with the underwater logistics, planning and filming of both UK Survivor series in 2001 and 2002 as well as project managing the Canadian IMAX production, 'Sacred Planet' on Sipadan in 2002. As, underwater cameraman for Channel 5 UK & Animal Planet's "Great Ocean Adventures", with presenter Monty Halls, in both 2005 & 2006, Simon has filmed extensively all over the world and wracked up enough air miles to have flown round it over 6 times!

Over the years Simon has faced many unique and incredible situations whilst filming - wild saltwater crocodiles, South Africa's incredible "Sardine Run", great white sharks, giant octopus, wild dugongs & manatees, feeding dolphins, six gilled sharks, deep water wrecks and some of the worlds remotest sea mounts have all been covered. Simon has done over 2300 dives and is a qualified PADI & BSAC Assistant Instructor with TDI Nitrox, Extended Range and Rebreather Diver certifications, as well as hard hat and surface supply diving experience. His dream is to re-trace his ancestor's discovery of Enderby Land in Antarctica and compare their lives as old school whalers to his life as a modern day marine biologist/underwater camerman.

Profile
To friends and colleagues, AKA: 'SIMPLE'
Nationality & DOB: British, 01.05.74
simple@scubazoo.com
Download Simon’s CV

Roger has a BSCHons in Mathematics from Nottingham University. He grew up in North Cornwall, where the influence of some good friends saw him move away from maths towards a career working in the ocean.

Before joining SCUBAZOO Roger traveled extensively, mainly with surfing and snowboarding as his focus. It was during a flat surf spell in Byron Bay, Australia that Roger took the opportunity to learn to dive. From then on board sports took a back seat and diving became his reason to travel. In January 2001, after a three day ferry crossing from Sualwesi, he arrived in North Borneo and headed to Sipadan. After a brief spell working as a Divemaster he found his way to SCUBAZOO and has been with them ever since.

Roger is one of SCUBAZOO’s senior cameramen and has worked on a number of our broadcast productions including Life in cold blood (BBC NHU), The Really Wild Show (BBC), Saving Planet Earth (BBC), Great Ocean Adventures (AP), Extinct (ITV) and Edge of Existence (FIVE). Roger also directs and produces corporate DVD's and Promotional Videos for SCUBAZOO with diverse clients such as WWF, Dorling Kindersley, and Four Seasons hotels and resorts.

Also an accomplished underwater photographer, Roger's photos and articles have appeared in many publications around the world as well as in SCUBAZOO's coffee table books: Sabah's underwater treasure and reef. He particularly enjoys the colour and abstract shapes that can be found in macro photography.

Chris is Kadazan-Dusun - true Sabahan, born and raised in Keningau, Sabah. Prior to joining Scubazoo in 2003, Chris worked as a divemaster in Kota Kinabalu but has since done over 3000 dives in Sipadan/Mabul/Kapalai, Mantanani, Layang-Layang and the Maldives. Now an experienced cameraman, Chris formed part of the Scubazoo team who worked on the ARCBC shoot in Thailand and the Philippines in 2004.

After all that time on the islands Chris has come back to Kota Kinabalu to assist in the management of the island resorts and broaden his broadcast filming experience. He has shot and produced a promotional DVD for Pom Pom resort and will be working on the BBC's 60 most deadly in June 2008.

Profile
To friends and colleagues: AKA 'CHRIS'
Nationality & DOB: Malaysian, 16.4.76
chris@scubazoo.com

Dina is 100% Kadazan, a Kota Kinabalu thoroughbred, and although she has a great love for the sea she has yet to join the rest of the office underwater.

Dina studied Hospitality and Business Management at the Asian Tourism Institute here in KK, and worked in F&B and a construction consultancy before joining Scubazoo in 2004.

Dina manages the company accounts, helps to keep the office alive and tempers the all male environment of the KK office. And when she's not in work, you can normally find her singing or beating people at pool!

Profile
To friends and colleagues, AKA: 'DINA'
Nationality & DOB: Malaysian, 12.9.81
dina@scubazoo.com

Jeremy Chin - 100% chinese was raised in Sandakan but left to work and study in Kota Kinabalu. He studied his Higher Diploma in Business and IT at the Informatics Institute and then worked for various companies for 4 years before joining the Scubazoo team in December 2004. Despite the fact he spends half his spare time on the water sailing with the Kota Kinabalu yacht club, it wasn't until 2006 that he ventured underwater and qualified as an SSI Open Water Diver. Now, he's running around as the operations man for Scubazoo, making sure everything runs smoothly in the KK office.

When not working, Jeremy travels, sails, plays tennis and shoots a lot of photography.

Profile
To friends and colleagues: AKA 'J Man'
Nationality & DOB: Malaysian, 15.06.1981
jeremy@scubazoo.com

Karen was born in Sri Aman, Sarawak but moved with her family to Kota Kinabalu when she was 11 years old. After school, Karen studied her Diploma in Multimedia Design at the SAE School of Audio Engineering in Kuala Lumpur. From KL, she returned to KK and worked in various design and advertising companies before joining Scubazoo in June 2005. She is now the company's web, graphics and computer guru and works alongside Matt developing Scubazoo Publications. She also has the unenviable task of trying to keep the office network up and running.

Profile
To friends and colleagues: 'KAREN'
Nationality & DOB: Malaysian, 15.07.1972
karen@scubazoo.com

Cara graduated from Swansea University with BScEcon (Hons) in Anthropology. She then returned to London and worked for a few years in roles ranging from marketing to background extra work, it was after spending time working as a field analyst in the Amazon with Biosphere that she made the decision to move into a career in the Natural World.

She left London for Oxford Scientific Films where she worked in the Stock Footage Library as part of the creative team for a number of years. During this time It was always the underwater footage that captured her imagination and was the most enjoyable to work with.

After meeting Pieman on a rainy afternoon in Bristol, she accepted the challenge and opportunity to set up Scubazoo as a Stock Footage Library.

Cara became a certified diver at 17 and since arriving in Sabah has qualified as a PADI Dive Master and is loving it.... apart from the seasickness!

Jeffrey is 3/4 Kadazan and 1/4 Chinese, however he speaks neither language! He is a confirmed Sabahan, and apart from a three year stint at the MARA Infotech Academy in Kuala Lumpur, has lived his whole life in the 'Land below the Wind'. Jeff married his childhood sweetheart and now rates spending quality time with his family as his top daily task.

Careerwise, he has been weaving the world wide web since 1996. During his younger days, when all of his friends were playing games on their computers, Jeff dabbled with website development and programming. Those bad habits turned him into what he is today: a half-nerd becoming increasingly distracted from his ambition to play centre forward for Man Utd.

After 9 years working at a company developing websites for the Malaysian government he was desperate for new challenges, and when 2008 arrived, SZ came to his rescue.In the office, he is the person to talk to about web site development and all web-related matters. However his usual answer to any question is "Have you googled it?"

Jeff is still waiting for his big dream of becoming the first person to develop a website while scuba diving to come true.