About me
Photo by Ria Mishaal Cooke
Hello.
My name is Helen Scales. I am a marine biologist, writer and broadcaster. I live in Cambridge (the English city) which i admit is rather a long way from the sea.
My first book, Poseidon’s Steed, the story of seahorses from myth to reality, has recently been published (by Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin).
In it I peer into the extraordinary world of seahorses and ponder the many ways these ‘queer fish’ have captivated our human imaginations for thousands of years.
In the 15 years since I took up scuba diving, you might say that I have been cultivating a devotion to the oceans. I’ve been lucky enough to dive and research in some breathtaking corners of the world feeding my obsession for marine life of all kinds.
I was an undergraduate and a grad student at Cambridge University. My PhD was on the lives and loves of a fish called the Napoleon or humphead wrasse, a rare & endangered giant on coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
And then, for the past 8 years or so I have been developing the compulsion not only to study the oceans, but to tell people about them too, in both written and spoken words.
These days, among the many things I get up to on a regular basis, I am a presenter on The Naked Scientists – an award-winning radio show and podcast. I also appear on the BBC Radio 4 show Home Planet and I write features and news stories for various print and online outlets including National Geographic News and Geographical magazine.
Some of my time I also spend working as a consultant for conservation organizations (including TRAFFIC International and IUCN), specialising in the international trade in endangered wildlife.
And, when I find the time, I like to dance Argentine tango, I like to ride my bike, play piano and saxophone, and I am currently training to be a printmaker.
You’re not really that far from the sea, the North Sea even. It is only about and hour and half or two hour drive for you isn’t it? I think you taking the time to do all that you do especially for the environment make you a special human being in my book.
Well yes, I did once cycle to the seaside from Cambridge – it took about 8 hours, but at least it was mostly pretty flat!
I have always loved the ocean as well. I enjoy reading your blogs you have so much to say to the world and it’s a wonderful thing. I will have to look for your articles in National Geographic and listen for you on the BBC. All that I can say is don’t stop doing what you are doing. Thank you for being you!
I live at least 1,000 miles from the ocean! I’m delighted to be reconnected through the miracles of modern technology, have your book to read and to have found a dive shop here so I can learn to SCUBA dive and see more of the ocean than just through a snorkel. Thank you for all the work you are doing and for the endangered species you help. What can we be thinking as humans when we do astonishingly bad things to our web?
Hi Carolyn, Thanks so much for getting in touch. Good luck with your scuba classes – you’ll love it, I’m sure!
All best wishes
Helen
You have a wonderful site. I love your seahorse page. Thank you very much