David McGuire, MEH, Director Shark Stewards, Founder Shark Stewards
A marine biologist and shark advocate, David McGuire is the founder of the Ocean Health and Shark Conservation non profit Shark Stewards dedicated to saving sharks and protecting critical marine habitat. As a sailing captain, dive master and filmmaker, David has explored the world ocean on numerous sailing voyages producing media with an emphasis on sharks and ocean awareness.
David’s undergraduate work in Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara lead him to study whales in Mexico, and join an expedition across the Pacific. He has a masters degree in environmental health from UC Berkeley, where he worked for over a decade in the Department of Integrative Biology. A Research Associate of the Department of Aquatic Biology at the California Academy of Sciences, David is conducting a shark research program that includes shark population studies, movements and fisheries impacts. David teaches marine protection policy and marine ecology at the College of Marin and is an advisor at the Fung institute at UC Berkeley.
He has participated in numerous trans-oceanic sailing and scientific diving expeditions with scientists, filmmakers and Academy researchers communicating the wonders of the natural world and ocean life and the need to protect them, including a two month biodiversity expedition to the Philippines where he filmed and produced an Emmy award winning documentary Reef to Rainforests.
David is the writer, producer and underwater cinematographer of several award winning documentaries focusing on sharks, including an online series in Borneo. He has published numerous articles on the state of the ocean and sharks including a National Geographic Explorers column on sharks and ocean adventure.
David selects and emcees films and hosts conservation and education panels at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival and is a popular public speaker sharing his ocean stories and images.
He has received numerous awards for his work including an award for Journalism with KQED for the investigative story Sea Horse Sleuth, the 2011 Hero of Marin Environmental Stewardship Award, and an Emmy award for his work on the documentary Reefs to Rainforests. David has been recognized by Congressman Jared Huffman for his work in shark conservation, and was awarded the Hero of Marine Award for catalysing shark fin trade bans in North America. He has also been recognized as a Hero of the Environment by the Town of Pacifica for his educational and ocean conservation work reaching youth. As a boardmember of the Pacific Island Cultural Association, he directed the education programs and helped host the Aloha Festival, the largest annual Pacific Islander arts and cultural event on the mainland.
An ocean adventurer and athlete, David has competed in numerous endurance events including 7 Trans Pacific Yacht Races, Hawaii Ironman, and he is an open water marathon swimmer, swimming for sharks. Current projects include an adventure film on conservation and diving with Hawaiian sharks and a book on sharks, rays and Sanctuaries of California.
Read about David’s awards and Shark Steward’s accomplishments here.