Sierra Phillips

Sierra Phillips is a United Nations Youth Delegate and National Geographic Educator who received a master's degree in Exploration Sciences. Her training includes extensive work in marine biology/ecology, nautical archaeology, marine mammal care, shark conservation, scientific diving, documentary filmmaking, and research in the psychology of extreme exploration. Sierra has also received additional training in submersible piloting, cave diving, and wildlife photography. Her various assignments have brought her to all 7 continents. Her most recent contract in the Amazon worked with the rehabilitation and release of Spider Monkeys, and Jaguars from Bolivia's pet trade.

Some of Sierra's dive certifications include AAUS Scientific Diver, Dive Master, Discover Scuba Instructor, Dry Suit, Scientific Freediver, Full Cave and Tech. She also has experience with rebreathers, side-mount, back-mount, full face comms, and DPV's. She has done scientific dive work in the Florida Keys for coral restoration, fish identification, and juvenile shark research. Her thesis monitored free divers using EEGs & analyzed how stress levels differentiated within age groups. She worked with a dive team for Paleolithic data collection in Little Salt Springs. She also helped build a report for the National Parks for the Maritime Heritage Trail shipwrecks using photogrammetry, GIS, Sub Bottom Profiling, ROV's and magnetometers. Paired with Aqua Hands she has created a documentary that investigates the untapped potential of deaf individuals in the scientific diving community.