R/V TIBURON INC.
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Supporting: Research*Exploration*Outreach*Media Production
In Memoriam of a friend
Congratulations to Wes Skiles, members of the cave team and Tiburon support crew for the August cover of National GeographicMagazine. "Bahamas Blue Holes"
RVTiburon
Tiburon updates:
Tiburon is currently on assingment with sonar and filming project in the Carribean .......
Stay tuned to our next project in the Fall.....
RVTiburon Inc
ABOUT
RV Tiburon Inc. specializes in operational support and logistics for marine based ventures which include; ocean research, exploration, salvage, film, photography, and video productions. We collaborate with scientists, universities, federal and local government agencies, military, nonprofit organizations, private citizens and corporations. RV Tiburon Inc. is a full service provider of marine logistics as well as an ocean going support platform.
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GALLERY
STAFF
Our team is made up of a a unique blend of ocean experts.
CONTACT
R/V Tiburon, Inc.
1107 Key Plaza #299
Key West, FL 33040
TELEPHONE: 305.768.7770
FAX: 305.397.1766
E-MAIL: info_rvtiburon.com
SERVICES
Over the years, RV Tiburon Inc. has evolved into a unique company offering diverse services. Our qualified marine crew of engineers, welders, mechanics, medical, and diving professionals are ready to work for you. In addition to research and exploration support, we now offer the development of outreach programs and a full onboard, as well as studio, multimedia department. As the Internet and multimedia have grown and expanded, our company has integrated them into our operation and now provides full service onboard and studio production capabilities. From shooting to editing, sound, lighting, directing and writing, our staff has the ability to fulfill your production needs.
Combinie our production background with the remote support abilities of our 70-foot research vessel and you will save time and money. With our specialized knowledge and willingness to fulfill your supporting roles, we are a great team to make your next filming project a success.
VESSELS
The RV Tiburon is a 70-foot United States Coast Guard certified passenger vessel designed for research and exploration. She is equipped with state-of-the-art safety gear, electronic equipment, and air/nitrox compressors. Her homeport is Key West, located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Designed to sleep 12 guests and 4 crew in air-conditioned comfort, each cabin is equipped with TV/DVD, and tempur-pedic mattress pads. Two bathroom/showers are shared along with the common areas that include salon, entertainment center, galley, and outside deck areas. She carries with her a small fleet of kayaks, expedition tender, snorkel gear, dive tanks and weights.
Nautica RIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable) this 18-foot vessel will add to any project. With the ability to displace and carry three times what a normal vessel her size can handle, the Rib is a tremendous asset as a dive, video, or research platform. Tow her behind the 70-foot Tiburon and you have a tool that expands your capabilities ten- fold.
EXPLORATION
Exploration has always been at the heart of our company s existence. Give us the challenge of discovery or a problem to solve in the field and we are more than a hired contractor. Past expeditions include:
•Sherwood Forest in the Dry Tortugas
•Pulley Ridge deep coral expedition
•Stromatolite Exploration I, II, III
•Exumas, Bahamas
•Black Forests -black coral gardens
•Nurse shark behavioral studies, National Geographic crittercam
•Cuban galleon project and HMS Surprise deep wreck mosaic project
RESEARCH
RV Tiburon is the perfect mid-range platform supporting many different disciplines on extended offshore expeditions. With its unique USCG extended range of 200 miles, onboard Internet capacity, extended fuel range, redundant 40KW generators, accommodations for 16, and seasoned crew, the RV Tiburon is commensurate with that of boats twice her size. When you add the company philosophy of exploration, you get dedicated collaborative allies in successfully accomplishing your mission.
•RSMAS , University of Miami
•MOTE Marine Lab
•National Geographic
•Discovery Channel
•NOAA
•US Navy
•TNT Productions
•CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
•Global Marine Inc.
•NSF - National Science Foundation
•NPS - National Park Service
•USGS - US Geological Survey
VIDEO PRODUCTION
RV Tiburon, Inc. has expanded to offer video production products. We have joined forces with Saturation Productions of NYC allowing us to take HD video and photography jobs from concept to completion. We have been the underwater fulfillment arm for many different productions and have taken on the U/W producer and DP role on some of the bigger expeditions. RV Tiburon, Inc. is credited with programs that include a TNT special -"24 with 24: A day with NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon", CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation) "Project X" Series pilot, as well as playing key roles in several National Geographic, NOVA and Discovery shoots. On the Saturation Productions side, they have clients that include Pepsi, Comedy Central, Travel Channel, Rolling Stones, Dreamworks, and Columbia pictures. We offer an expert team that is ready for anything, on and under the ocean. When working within the ocean arena, we are able to do the job faster with higher quality, thus allowing you to save time and money. We look forward to a chance to offer a competitive bid or support for your next project.
Video Equipment
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is also a part of our portfolio. As a testament - all the photos on this web site were taken by our staff of divers and explorers. In todays market many productions require the photographic element, whether it is the main focus or as an add-on for peripheral multimedia related marketing. Please feel free to contact us for stock imagery or future project needs.
MARINE CREW/ DIVING
Over the years, our need to perform well in many different disciplines, as well as to maintain a fleet of vessels that are adaptable to diverse projects, has led to the formation of a group of seasoned ocean experts. These experts are often deployed for support on various expeditions that are not directly related to our own vessels. Please feel free to contact us if you are looking for mechanics, welders, divers, science divers, dive-masters / instructors, gas blenders, medics, underwater photography and videographers, topside deck crew, crew chief, diving safety officers, engineers and captains.
CLIENTS
•RSMAS University of Miami
•United Artists
•Incredible Adventures
SPONSORS
PRESS
Forbes Adventurer
UWJ #1
Pulley Ridge
Deepest Coral Reef
UWJ #12
Bearing Witness
Blue Matters
deepcoral
Explorer's Award
24x24 Wide Open With Jeff GordonCBC "Project X"Bahama Blue Holes Exceeds Miss Universe Exposure NatGeo/NovaIphone online
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Tim Taylor
Tim Taylor is an accomplished ocean explorer, adventurer and naturalist. He has been diving throughout the world for over 25 years. He is President of RV Tiburon Inc., an ocean research, exploration and expedition corporation based in Key West, Florida. Tim lectures on marine issues and is the founder of Ocean Outreach, a nonprofit with a strong focus on educational awareness programs for children, our next generation of explorers.
Tim works with innovative diving technology and operations, specializing in exploring new locations and sharing them with the scientific community and the general public. He has discovered and explored numerous reefs, including Sherwood Forest Reef, considered the centerpiece of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve, Pulley Ridge, the deepest hermatipic coral reef in the world and black forest reef, the largest black coral tract in the United States.
He was the first to discover the wreck of the Araby Maid, a Barc rigged schooner built in 1868 and sunk in 1903 in the Dry Tortugas. Ongoing archaeological projects include the mapping and exploration of HMS Surprise, a mid-to-late 1800s merchant sailing ship.
Tim is a Fellow in the famed Explorers Club and is recognized for his expertise and documented contributions to the world of scientific underwater exploration. In 2008 he was awarded the clubs prestigious Citation of Merit in recognition of his explorations. He has hosted expeditions for noted marine specialists, which include Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Eugenie Clark, Wes Pratt, Frank Goddio, Dr. Robert Ginsburg, Dr. Samuel Gruber, Dr. Sue Hendrickson, Wes Skiles, Jill Heinerth, Brian Kakuk, Dr. Jeff Carrier and Philippe Cousteau.
In addition to his research projects, Tim leads and organizes expeditions for international television and film companies. He is co-owner of Aquatic Films, Inc. His filming credits include Bond movies, as well as recent filming for a TNT special on NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon cage diving with tiger sharks.
Tims experience includes 21 years as a US Coast Guard Captain, USCG Merchant Mariners 100 GT (gross tons) Captain's License/Masters Certification. Tim is a technical dive instructor for TDI, IANTD certified on closed circuit rebreathers (CCR), mixed gas blender, and technical supervisor.
When not traveling around the country lecturing or on the ocean exploring, Key West is home for Tim, his 14 year-old son Garett and 11 year-old daughter Brooke.
RB Haven
RB has spent almost his entire life on the water. Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he spent his childhood fishing on the Chesapeake Bay with his grandfather, he moved to New York at age five. At age twelve, RB starting working on party fishing boats out of Brooklyn New York. Leaving High School he joined the Navy at age 17 and was trained as an Aviation Electronics Technician in the United States Navy Reserve. During his reserve duty in the Navy and for several years after, RB worked as a consulting engineer responsible for design, construction and operations oversight of three different antifreeze distillation facilities on the east coast of the United States. After learning to dive, he moved to the Florida Keys in 1998 and after ten years of public service resigned his position as the Public Works Director for the City of Key West to join the RV Tiburon full time. RB Has been working as consultant for the RV Tiburon for more than eight years and over those years has served as a mission specialist for numerous projects including designing and building shark cages for TV productions for Jeff Gordon and Discovery Channels Myth Busters.
Today he is chief engineer and executive officer of the Tiburon. He has extensive underwater experience and holds numerous advanced diving certifications including nitrox and rebreather diver.
Richard von Trapp
Richard served in the US Army for over 30 years, holding positions as an Infantry Paratrooper and Pathfinder in the 82nd Airborne Division. He earned his Green Beret, became a Special Forces Light Weapons Leader, SF Medic, Combat Diver and Dive Medical Technician, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant.
Richard has conducted operations in nine countries, including reconnaissance in Iraq, and delivered instruction in advanced combat trauma, and field surgical skills to members form ten European and Mid-Eastern countries. He was also selected to be the principal creator and Senior Instructor of the NATO International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Medic Course, in Weingarten, Federal Republic of Germany.
During the eleven years Richard served in Special Forces, he was assigned to the Institute for Military Assistance (SERE Committee) where he played a significant part in creating the Armys Survival Evasion Resistance Escape Course. Next assignment was the 5th Special Forces Group at Ft Bragg as a member of a SCUBA SFODA (A Team) which was a SADM (Special Atomic Demolitions Munitions) nuclear delivery team, and finally to the 10th Special Forces Group, Bad Toelz, Germany.
MSG von Trapp was selected to attend the Physician Assistant Course. He graduated from this course to become an Army Medical Officer with a commission to 2nd Lieutenant after 20 years in service in 1994. He went on to serve as Staff PA in a Forward Support Battalion, and as Battalion Surgeon in Combat Engineer and Multiple Launch Rocket Artillery Battalions.
Selected for the rank of Major, and recommended for the Legion of Merit, Richard retired from the Army as a Captain while heading a training team and teaching at the Combat Medic School in Texas. Among his numerous decorations, he has been awarded five Meritorious Service and six Army Commendation medals.
He has served as staff diving instructor at the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute, Big Pine Key, Florida and the Diving Safety Officer for a Great White Shark Encounter at the Farallon Islands, San Francisco, California. Richards military and personal adventures and exploration have taken him to 34 countries. When Richard is not travelling on the high seas, he and his wife Dr. Currie von Trapp reside in Texas.
Greg Barron
A San Francisco Bay Area native and entrepreneur, Greg has spent his entire life living and diving along the north coast of California. He is currently our Director of West Coast Shark Operations, managing our great white shark cage diving program in partnership with Incredible Adventures. He has been involved in our San Francisco shark adventure from the very beginning. Greg helped the people at DOER Marine design and build our massive shark cage and he helped transform our boat into one of the best shark boats on the planet. He then assembled the perfect mix of people to make sure every aspect of the adventure is as perfect as it can be.
In his other life, Greg operates two of his own companies - Barron Properties and Rideable Bicycle Replicas, Inc. Barron Properties is a real estate development and management company based in Alameda and Oakland, California. Rideable Bicycle Replicas, Inc. of Alameda is a small manufacturing company specializing in making antique and specialty style cycles, mostly from the end of the 19th century. If you've been to Burning Man, you've probably seen Greg riding one of his "High Wheel" bicycles. His company has been supplying cycles for folks, film, theater and museums for 34 years, so if you see a high wheel bike in a movie or play, chances are Greg made it. Some of the recent shows featuring Greg's creations include Deadwood, Jack Ass 2, Lonesome Dove, Haunted Mansion and the stage show Wicked.
Did we mention that Greg can fix just about anything, almost before you know it's broken? He's Greg "MacGyver" Barron.
Ian Woodcock
"Woody" hails from Warwickshire, UK and has been diving for over 30 years. He holds numerous diving Instructor ratings through BSAC and PADI. He retired from the RAF after 23 years and moved to Grand Bahama Island to run diving operations for UNEXSO. His expertise in leading and organizing expeditions has led him to remote areas of Belize, Maldives, Malta and Yanbu, on the Saudi side of the Red Sea. Woody has spent the last 15 years filming large predatory animals in the wild and his knowledge and experience have made him a key man in major film and TV productions. He has pioneered hand feeding sharks using state- of the- art Neptunic chain mail suits. In addition, since 2006 Woody worked on Pirates of the Caribbean II and III as Johnny Depp's double. He now splits his time between the Bahamas and Los Angeles, California , where he and his wife Corinna live and where he runs his business Bulldog Diving.
LTC (Ret) Andy Taylor
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Andy "Opie" Davidson Taylor is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, class of 1987. He spent 21 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard. As a Command Pilot, he has logged 2000 flight hours in the F-16, and flew as a combat pilot in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Noble Eagle, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Andy earned two Meritorious Service medals, four Air medals, and two Commendation medals for his service.
During his military career he has served as an F-16 Instructor Pilot, F-16 Inspector Pilot, and F-16 Combat Alert Pilot, flying numerous combat air patrols over the nations Capital and New Yorks ground zero post 9/11. He is currently retired and working for SDS International as a support contractor for the Air National Guard in Washington, DC.
Andy is president of Hodja Media Productions providing video production services and presently developing short films and documentaries (ocean and aviation-related). He is also a founding board member of Ocean Outreach, a non-profit which focuses on outreach and education about our planet's oceans.
Christine Dennison
Christine has been diving for 15 years during which time she has gained experience in many different diving environments, including various parts of the Arctic, the Amazon, the Caribbean, Europe and the East Coast of the USA. Certifications include: Technical Nitrox, Technical Wreck, Cave Diver, Technical Gas Blender, Technical Supervisor and Divemaster. Very much an outdoors person, she enjoys many sports besides diving including climbing, hiking, cycling and walking her dog endlessly in Central Park.Christine speaks fluent Spanish, has traveled in over 30 countries and was involved in the years of research and set up that preceded her co- founding MAD DOG EXPEDITIONS. Prior to MDE, Christine was Head of P.R. and Marketing for a prominent Art gallery in New York. Christine was one of the first women to have dived high above the Arctic Circle and has now logged over 80 dives in this harsh environment, as well as being the first woman to dive in the Amazon rainforest amongst the giant piranhas and the pink dolphins. She has modeled and been featured in magazines that include Sports Illustrated, Cosmo, Outside and various sports and diving publications worldwide. She is a Fellow of the prestigious Explorers Club and volunteers her time as a student mentor and role model for young women.
Gene Flipse
With a lifetime of experience on the water, Capt. Gene Flipse has been a US Coast Guard licensed captain for over 18 years. He holds a 100 Ton Near Coastal Master's License, as well as STCW 95 Certification (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping). A career professional, Gene has spent the last twelve years as captain of liveaboard dive boats operating on the waters of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic on the Silver Bank.
Gene has 50 weeks of direct experience with the humpback whales of the Silver Bank, gained over the course of six seasons. He also has over a decade of experience guiding guests to in-water encounters with bottlenose and wild Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. Gene has worked and played with pacific spinner dolphins, pan-tropical spotted dolphins, minke whales, pilot whales, sea turtles, whale sharks, manta rays, and a wide variety of sharks.
Pat Ayers
Pats first dives were in the cold Atlantic waters of Kennebunkport, Maine, followed by lake and quarry dives in Ohio and then Maryland and Virginia. As life generally happens, regular work took her away from the ocean for too many years. After 34 years experience providing research services exclusively to the United States Congress as a member of Congressional Research Service (CRS), Pat came home to Key West in 2006.
Since the early 1990s, she had traveled down to the Keys to work as a Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) volunteer. As a member of their Advanced Assessment Team (AAT), she has participated in REEF fish species/abundancies surveys for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve, Biscayne National Park, NOAA projects, and various Caribbean governmental agencies. It was during this work that she first sailed with Captain Taylor on the Tiburon in 1994.
She has recently undertaken training qualifying her as a coral RECON trainer, which enables her to introduce and teach volunteer citizen scientists how to assess the health of a reef by surveying its coral components. RECON is the Ocean Conservancys Reef Condition Monitoring Program for the Western Atlantic and Caribbean regions.
Pat serves as Director for Ocean Outreach, a nonprofit aligned with RV Tiburon, Inc., which promotes educational outreach and involvement of individuals as stewards of our oceans. Pat holds several advanced diving certifications, including nitrox and TDI SCR diver.
Scott Feicht
Bill Weinpahl
Bill is a native New Yorker who has been diving throughout the world for over 15 years. He is a certified technical Trimix diver, archaeological research diver, and underwater videographer. He is also a mountain biker, swimmer and former competitive collegiate ski racer. His love of diving and his video expertise have combined to enhance the exclusive filming work he has undertaken on documentary dive projects of the luxury cruise liner Bianca C. and the freighter Roy A. Jodery. He has also worked with Duncan Mathewson on surveying and mapping of the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet consisting of the San Jose, the Enfante and the Capitana.
Having spent more than twelve years in the entertainment industry, Bill has created thousands of hours of programming, produced several independent projects, and overseen large scale productions. As executive producer, he has produced, directed, shot, and edited content for clients, including L'Oreal, Victoria's Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Elie Tahari, Virgin Records, and diverse sports figures such as Bode Miller, Jeff Gordon, Greg Norman and Venus and Serena Williams. He has worked with numerous charities, such as Amfar, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, and Gods Love We Deliver. Bill has produced entertainment packages for the 2002 Olympics, NY Giants, NASCAR, the Dave Mathews Band, the Rolling Stones, U2, and Paul McCartney, among many other artists and corporations.
Walt Stearns
In addition to publishing the online magazine Underwater Journal, Walt Stearns experience in the marine and outdoor environment is well represented through a wide and highly prolific range of underwater and top side imagery that have grace the covers pages belonging to a broad array of publications. His most prolific stories, write-ups an images in magazines like Boating, (as a contributing editor 1985 to 1993), to Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Field & Stream, Nature, Mens Health, Mens Journal, Outdoor Photographer, Caribbean Travel & Life, Caribbean World, Skin Diver (1995 to 1999), Scuba Diving and Sport Diver, since their premiere issue in 1994 to present. In addition to his work these widely-recognized magazines, Walt has also served as a key participant in several marine sport related films and documentaries from African Shark Safari, Mystery of the Whale Cave to Discovery Channels Shark Week - Perfect Predators (lemon sharks in Florida).
Walts travels have taken him across a broad extent of the Bahamas & Caribbean, Central America and Eastern Pacific to corners of Tropical Western Pacific and South Africa, when asked where his favorite place to dive is? His answer will be, Preferably in the water.
