Dave Katz

Dave is an explorer, naturalist, visual storyteller, and lifelong learner who grew up and still lives in New York's Finger Lakes region. His early love for nature was shaped by weekend hikes through local gorges with his family. His mother, a high school earth science and biology teacher, turned every hike into a natural history lesson. Those experiences sparked a lasting fascination with geography and the way landscapes, ecosystems, climate, and culture intersect to shape the world.

That curiosity led Dave to study geology and ecology at Binghamton University, building a scientific foundation that continues to inform how he observes, interprets, and shares the places he visits. Through travel, he deepened his interest in geography as lived experience, exploring 87 countries and observing how people, cultures, migration, and diaspora shape, and are shaped by, the land itself.

Photography and videography are central to Dave's storytelling. What began as a personal passion grew into professional work with Cornell University, where he has led more than 20 expeditions into forest canopies around the world. On the ocean, Dave has served in multiple expedition field staff roles on more than 160 voyages from the Arctic to Antarctica, including Naturalist, Expedition Leader, Videographer, and Photo Instructor. His experiences combine science, exploration, and visual storytelling to help guests better understand the connections between landscapes, wildlife, and people.