Topsfield, MA 01983 * Info@thewhalemobile.com * 617-838-2646
Chief Navigator and Founder
cynde mcinnis
Cynde McInnis grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Oddly enough, although surrounded by farms, she fell in love with whales at the age of eight. In 1994, she graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Psychology, focusing on learning and development.
In 2002, she completed a master’s degree from Lesley University, in Interdisciplinary Studies, creating her own program of study focusing on whale watch education. For her thesis, she developed a curriculum for whale watch trips; to cultivate respect for our oceans, to educate about their environmental threats and to inspire people to make a commitment towards their protection.
Over the last 3 decades, Cynde has traveled all over to study whales, as well as taught hundreds of thousands of people about them. When she's not teaching with Nile, you can find her at 7 Seas Whale Watch leading whale watch tours!
In May of 2023, Cynde was featured on the show Chronicle, which airs nightly in Boston and is the insider's guide to New England! The theme of this segment was local Guinness World Record holders. Huge shout out to Clint Conley for including us in this episode!
First Mate
Chrstine Bradley
I grew up loving all things ocean, from the largest of whales to the tiniest of corals. I got my degree in Marine Biology and was in the animal care industry for nearly 10 years. I have worked with hundreds of species from sharks, octopus, eels, seahorses, and coral reefs to name a few. I also spent some time in Indonesia restoring coral reefs and educating the community on sustainability and their direct impact on the environment. I have always valued the importance of marine education and am thrilled to help Cynde bring the ocean closer to children everywhere!
Our Curiosity Team
kristin daley
michaela tremblay
amanda johnston
Educator Extraordinaire
Kristin grew up by the water, fostering a deep love for all ocean animals. As a child, she visited the New England Aquarium countless times, mesmerized by the Giant Ocean Tank, home to nearly 100 species. But no matter how many fascinating creatures swam before her, she always found herself drawn to the sharks.
In 20
Educator Extraordinaire
Kristin grew up by the water, fostering a deep love for all ocean animals. As a child, she visited the New England Aquarium countless times, mesmerized by the Giant Ocean Tank, home to nearly 100 species. But no matter how many fascinating creatures swam before her, she always found herself drawn to the sharks.
In 2017, she took her first step into marine biology by interning on a whale watch boat, dipping her toes into the world of ocean research. Two years later, in 2019, she spent a winter in Maui, Hawaii, working on a whale watch and snorkel boat, studying the Pacific humpback whale population in their breeding grounds.
Eight years after that first internship, Kristin’s passion for the ocean remains as strong as ever. She loves being on the water so much that she recently earned her 100-ton captain’s license. She is currently working on her Master's Degree from Unity Environmental University where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Marine Biology & Sustainable Aquaculture. And a childhood dream came true in the summer of 2023 when she traveled to South Africa to study sharks—something she promised herself she would do when she was just eight years old.
Kristin’s favorite part of her work is seeing students’ faces light up when they realize just how massive whales truly are. She firmly believes that with determination, anything is possible, and she hopes to inspire the next generation of ocean advocates.
During whale watch season, you can find her sharing her passion as a naturalist at Newburyport Whale Watch.
See Kristin's Story in her words
amanda johnston
michaela tremblay
amanda johnston
Exceptional Educator
Amanda has been a naturalist and educator for The Whalemobile since 2016.
Amanda’s love for whales began when she was four, and from that moment on, she knew that working with whales was her true calling. Fueling her passion, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Wil
Exceptional Educator
Amanda has been a naturalist and educator for The Whalemobile since 2016.
Amanda’s love for whales began when she was four, and from that moment on, she knew that working with whales was her true calling. Fueling her passion, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, complemented by a minor in Education.
She has a deep understanding of the whales in the Gulf of Maine and loves spreading her enthusiasm about them. Additionally, she has had the honor of studying the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales off of San Juan Island, Washington.
Amanda loves to travel and has sent the past two winters with humpbacks in their breeding grounds. In Maui, she saw the Pacific humpbacks that summer in Alaska. In 2024, she spent time in the Turks and Caicos swimming with some of the humpbacks that we watch in the summer. One mom in particular she swam with was a whale named Indiana! (A state she has spent lots of time educating kids in in the past 2 years.
During the whale watch season, you will find her almost daily at 7 Seas Whale Watch in Gloucester, MA.
michaela tremblay
michaela tremblay
michaela tremblay
Eminent Educator
Michaela grew up in Beverly, MA loving the ocean. She graduated from The University of Tampa in 2019 with a degree in Biology with a concentration of organismal and evolutionary ecology. After going on her first whale watch in 2016, Michaela has pursued many adventures on the ocean! She has been a whale watch naturalist
Eminent Educator
Michaela grew up in Beverly, MA loving the ocean. She graduated from The University of Tampa in 2019 with a degree in Biology with a concentration of organismal and evolutionary ecology. After going on her first whale watch in 2016, Michaela has pursued many adventures on the ocean! She has been a whale watch naturalist in Massachusetts and Alaska, and traveled around the world with a non-profit organization called ORCA.
When Michaela isn't with Nile, she can be found aboard cruise ships all over the world, collecting data on the whales and dolphins to further understand species, populations, locations, behaviors, and threats so we can safeguard their future. Her most recent trips have been to the Caribbean, Brazil, Tasmania, New Zealand, Alaska, and Antarctica.
Her favorite thing about The Whalemobile is talking to kids about the importance of whale poop! Not only does it make them gasp and giggle, but they learn about just how important whales really are.
Ambassador of Awe
Nile--the real humpback whale
Nile is an adult female humpback whale that lives in the North Atlantic (NA). In the Western NA, humpbacks are named after marks on their tails. Nile has a large black line on the left side of her tail that looks like the Nile River. She was born in 1987 to a whale named Mars. Mars was first sighted in 1979; we aren't sure how old she is because she wasn't seen as a calf. Mars has returned to the coast of Massachusetts with at least 13 different calves (including Nile) over the past 40 years and counting. Nile herself has been a mom seven times, with her most recent calf in 2022.
Nile is one of Cynde's favorite whales. The first trip she did as naturalist by herself was in early October, 1995. It was a beautiful calm day, and Nile surfaced head first right next to the boat. She was a very friendly whale, meaning she would come spend time next to the boat, seeming to check it out. Cynde remembers when Nile returned with her first calf in 1998, a whale given the name Amazon. Cynde continues to see Nile every year (except one), and has had many memorable experiences with her. It's no surprise that Nile is the whale that Cynde chose to make a replica of.