C
aptain John moved to the Outer Banks in 1984 where he and his wife, Wendy, raised their three children. He became a United States Coast Guard Master in 1998 and bought the Nags Head Dolphin Watch in 2008.
Currently, he is on the Board of Directors for the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research. Even after more than 30 years of living here, he still marvels at the beauty the Outer Banks has in store and can’t wait to show some of it off to you.
Captain Carl is a United States Coast Guard licensed 100 ton master, and has been following the path of the Bottlenose Dolphin, Manatee, Whales, and other marine wildlife from the east coast to the Gulf of Mexico for the past twenty years.
Carl is looking forward to having you on board!
Jessica Weiss Taylor has a Bachelors of Science in Marine Science from Rutgers University and a Masters of Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University. Her Masters research focused on studying the specialized feeding behaviors of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota, FL. She has also participated in several field research studies of bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, Stellar sea lions, and predatory fish in Florida, South Carolina, Australia, Alaska, and New Jersey. Jessica has worked as a naturalist with the Nags Head Dolphin Watch since 2007.
In 2008, she incorporated the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research (OBXCDR), a non-profit dedicated to conservation of bottlenose dolphins in the Outer Banks, and currently serves as President and lead Principal Investigator of the organization. Jessica has 6 years of teaching experience in Dare County Schools; through the OBXCDR, she has presented educational programs related to dolphin conservation to local schools and organizations. While not out on the water, Jessica lives with her husband, Jay, and their two children in Kill Devil Hills.
Sarah Elbon is a graduate of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise where she received her 
Bachelorof Science in biology. Her focus of interest was in conservation biology where she participated in field research projects of the Hellbender salamander in Wise, VA. Last summer, Sarah was an intern at the Hatteras Island Ocean Center where she served as a sea turtle educator. Sarah hopes to attend graduate school next fall to obtain her Master of Science in Marine Biology. She is looking forward to a great summer at the OBXDRC where she can gain experience in marine mammal conservation, as well as public outreach and education.
Alaina Young graduated from Lafayette College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, where she researched lake trout fisheries and worked as a Conservation Education intern at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. She is now a first year student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, working towards her Master of Environmental Management with a concentration in Coastal Environmental Management. She is passionate about marine mammal ecology and conservation, and looks forward to combining her love for cetaceans and environmental education to inspire visitors aboard the Nags Head Dolphin Watch and to conduct research at OBXCDR