Meet the Crew

Captain J. Gary "Gator" Hill

Captain Gator is our The Bitter End columnist. He was born in Virginia but considers himself a native of Savannah by osmosis.

He doesn’t consider himself a writer but rather one-part entertainer, one-part educator, and one-part historian. He has a background in fine arts, producing film and fine art photography.

Gator has worked as a kayak guide and an eco-tour guide, and has been a professional captain for around 15 years. He has a deep love for the water.

In addition to writing for Southern Tides, Captain Gator is also a full-time captain with Dolphin Magic Cruises, where he delights guests with his stories and witty dialogue.

Aside from a few months when he thought he was going to retire, Captain Gator has been writing The Bitter End since issue two and entertaining readers on a variety of topics, from sailor's valentines to boat etiquette.

And as he always says, “peace and love, and shrimp and grits.”

Captain Gator can be reached at:

TheOriginalCaptainGator@gmail.com

Michelle Riley

Michelle, who you know as our Around the Reef columnist, handles communications and public outreach for Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary. She recently celebrated her 5-year anniversary with Gray’s Reef. In 2017, she was awarded NOAA’s National Ocean Service Outstanding Team Member and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Sea To Shining Sea award for her efforts in raising awareness of Gray’s Reef. Michelle is a native of Galveston County, Texas, but wanting to live near the Atlantic, she moved to Savannah and has been here for 17 years. Before joining the Gray’s Reef team, Michelle enjoyed volunteering at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center and The Dolphin Project.

Michelle has been part of the Southern Tides family since April 2016.

You can reach her at: michelle.riley@noaa.gov

John "Crawfish" Crawford

John “Crawfish” Crawford is our Southern Tides consulting naturalist and a senior naturalist and marine educator for the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. This licensed captain has a long list of qualifications and achievements; he’s also served as a wilderness guide, and enjoys scuba and skin diving. Crawfish has a lifelong devotion to environmental education and conservation. He has extensive knowledge in areas such as marine science, botany, zoology, and archaeology. In 2017, he won the Coastal Steward Award and, in 2018, won the Environmental Stewardship Award.

Crawfish has always been Southern Tides' go-to person for all questions related to coastal flora and fauna and we're grateful for his knowledge!

Crawfish can be reached at: crawfish@uga.edu

Jennifer Farmer Amy Thurman

Jennifer is our newest addition, working as our editorial Amy is our editor and publisher. She started Southern assistant intern. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Tides Magazine in September 2015 to share her love and writing and communications. Having been born and raised passion for our coastal area. In addition to writing and in Savannah, she loves the ocean. Almost every weekend photography, she works to support coastal health with Zulu you can find her out on the water heading to Ossabaw. Marine on marine debris clean-up and living shorelines She also spends time hiking and discovering new trails projects. throughout Georgia. Amy is also a volunteer leader with Team Rubicon, a

Jennifer has a passion for writing and editing. From a disaster response organization and is passionate about young age she was always surrounded by books and poetry. helping others during times of need. Rather than writing, she wants to pursue a career in editing When she can squeeze in some free time, she loves to make books and magazines the best they can be and kayaking, fishing, throwing a cast net, and any other way highlight the talents of the writers. she can find to be on the water. She lives in a log cabin on

Jennifer can be reached at: the east end of Liberty County. info@southerntidesmagazine.com Amy can be reached at: amy@southerntidesmagazine.com September 2020 Southern Tides Magazine 17