John Hopkins

All manner of creatures dwell within the bounds of the coral shelves that encircle the islands.

While in the deep water beyond the reefs, larger animals move beneath the waves.

Humpback whales and spinner dolphins, tiger sharks and blacktips.

Due to their ecological richness, the Cook Islands are home to numerous environmental charities and NGOs.

One such organization is the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, which is run by American marine biologist Nan Hauser.

Today, on this bright, sunny Thursday, the sprightly 63-year-old is making her way along the jetty of Rarotonga's main harbor.

With her tattoos, sun bleached hair, and golden brown tan, Nan clearly isn't the kind of scientist who spends her days cooped up in a lab.

Her line of work demands active research in the field, observing whales and dolphins in the wild.

She's lived in the Cook Islands for 20 years, and while the place has become her home, it's far from her native habitat.

Though she grew up around animals, it was the more elusive creatures that fascinated Nan, those whose lives played out beneath the waves, mysterious and rarely glimpsed.

On childhood holidays to Bermuda, she became enchanted by the huge, gentle mammals that occasionally surfaced beyond the reef, clouds of water vapor erupting from their blowholes.

And yet, for many years, Nan's interest in whales and dolphins would remain just that, a curiosity.

She pursued other opportunities, first getting a degree in nursing and becoming a midwife, then retraining as a therapist, before later joining the U.S.

Coast Guard.

During this time, Nan got married, moved to Maine in the northeastern U.S., and raised a family.

But throughout all these career changes and life milestones, one thing never wavered, her fascination with marine mammals.

Eventually the time came to turn passion into vocation.

Soon that dream was her reality.

Nan took a grassroots, hands-on approach to conservation.

Though she now holds a PhD in marine biology, the early days were largely self-taught.