Project Baseline UK has three Trustees, who are responsible for running the charity, and two regional coordinators.
Marcus Rose – Trustee
Marcus is passionate about diving and the health of the marine environment. Project Baseline allows him to combine these interests and share with others the wonders of the underwater world. His love of the oceans has taken him to some amazing dive locations, including French Polynesia, the beautiful caves of Mexico and Florida, and many stunning sites around the UK. He is also an avid project diver and enjoys putting his dive skills to good use by collecting images and data in support of conservation efforts.
Marcus hopes that Project Baseline UK can motivate other divers to explore and document the state of the oceans, to show those not fortunate enough to dive that they are worth protecting. He acts as Chairman for PBUK and is on the Board of Directors for Project Baseline globally.
Owen Flowers – Trustee
Owen experienced the changes occurring in our marine environment on his first ever dive as a PADI Open Water Diver in Borneo, witnessing real-time coral bleaching alongside healthy reefs. His diving has since taken him from reefs, to wrecks, to caves where he combines his hobby of photography and filmmaking with Project Baseline’s aim of documenting baseline environmental conditions.
He has an MSc in Aquatic Science and has experience in underwater survey, sampling and environmental statistics. He hopes to help build Project Baseline UK’s capacity to support and engage with scientific and conservation-orientated collaborators. Owen is PBUK’s Treasurer.
Martin Maple – Trustee
Martin’s interest in marine conservation stems from what he has seen diving beneath the seas around the UK’s coasts. Having started diving shipwrecks he was first struck by the impact ghost fishing gear has on the marine environment. This led to an ongoing involvement with net removal projects. Martin has since developed an interest in aquatic wildlife and has dived in a variety of environments from Red Sea reefs to Floridian caves.
Martin studied chemistry at university gaining a PhD in 2003. He is an enthusiastic citizen scientist too, and Project Baseline provides him with a framework for monitoring change in the environment over time. He is happy underwater collecting data or samples, and above the water in helping to communicate the results to others. One of Martin’s roles is to carry out the duties of Secretary.
The PBUK Trustees are well supported by lots of dedicated volunteers, including our regional coordinators.
Dan McMullen – Northern Coordinator
Dan first became interested with the underwater world at a young age after spending many an hour reading his grandfather’s “Diver” magazines. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps he completed his first scuba diving course at the age of 12 and his interest in marine life and shipwrecks grew from there. Working through the ranks Dan has became an established CCR diver in the North East of England, travelling when he can to see what the UK diving scene has to offer. Dan also collects data on a number of his local wrecks which is submitted to Project Baseline’s data base to document change over time.
Dan’s professional background in the renewable energy sector sees him working on offshore wind turbines at various sites across the UK working towards a more sustainable future for the UK’s energy demand.
Vanessa Charles – Scotland Coordinator
Vanessa has lived in Scotland for over thirty years and a move to the Isle of
Skye in 2012 enabled her to spend many hours exploring both below and above the
water. She set up a Project Baseline monitoring site in Loch Alsh in 2019 with
her husband, Martin Hynd, with a focus on recording rare and vulnerable sea
loch species. She loves shore diving, particularly when seeking out new
locations to carry out surveys for Seasearch, a UK marine species recording scheme for
recreational divers.
Her previous life as a conservator in the heritage sector provided skills also applicable to project diving, including an aptitude for public engagement and an eye for the minutiae that surrounds us. She is now studying for a degree in Marine Science and is
continuing to focus on the recording and conservation of Scottish marine life.
Project Baseline UK 