Amaya Black was raised on a farm, in a cabin in the woods of Penticton, in unceded Syilx territory in the Okanagan Valley. Despite being born in the mountains of the interior, she’s had a lifelong love of the ocean and all creatures it sustains.

After graduating high school she lived in Thailand during a Rotary Youth Exchange and later graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in Geography and Environmental Studies. Highlights during university included working in the Applied Conservation Science Lab, being a Community Leader in Residence, Wilderness First Aid Training and the Clayoquot Field School. She has worked as a natural resource technician for the Penticton Indian Band, a lifeguarding and has travelled around BC music festivals on a Thai food truck. Her travels have taken her from diving in the Red Sea to sailing the Southern Gulf Islands. If she’s not head down in a tide pool you can see her biking, surfing, doing yoga or playing the violin.

Amaya is deeply passionate about photography, environmental education, music and hiking!

P.S. I’m really looking forward to being a part of Raincoast Education Society’s awesome programming and outreach! If you see me around Tofino please say hello!