George Sranko, B.Sc., MA (Hons)
George Sranko, B.Sc., MA (Hons), naturalist, photographer and speaker, is a popular lecturer on cruise ships throughout the world, with hundreds of presentations under his belt.
Read George’s new book –
“The Octopus Paradox: 9 Brains, 3 Hearts, and 8 Arms Make for a Fascinating Creature” Learn how octopuses make nine brains work as one!
Dive into the mesmerizing world of octopuses with this captivating book! Explore their incredible abilities, from problem-solving to tool usage. Discover the intriguing behaviors that hint at their possible consciousness. Immerse yourself in a journey that unveils the mysteries of these fascinating creatures. Get ready to be amazed and gain a whole new appreciation for the extraordinary octopus.
See the Book page for more information on recent books
George’s style of writing and speaking is dynamic, fun, and entertaining – a celebration of science and joyful human spirit. His experience includes over 40 years of writing and speaking to large audiences, with hundreds of highly rated talks for top cruise lines since 2007. He has appeared as a featured lecturer on several world cruises.
George’s articles and presentations are based on real-world knowledge and adventures from over 90 countries throughout the world, including Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, Asia, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, UK and regions throughout the Mediterranean.
His presentations are visually rich, with stunning images and satellite fly overs from around the globe. His Google Maps portfolio of photos and videos has attracted over 80-million views and receives over 1-million views per month.
George has an MA in environmental governance (Griffith University, Queensland) and a BSc in biology (UBC, Vancouver). He has over forty years of professional experience; as a Naturalist with Canada’s National Parks, as a Registered Professional Biologist, and as a Senior Consultant for terrestrial and marine strategies in British Columbia.
Jan Cadieux, BSc. MEd.
Jan Cadieux, BSc, MEd, is a naturalist, environmental researcher and writer. She has a life-long passion for all wild creatures from wild bees, butterflies and birds to endangered Orcas, Whale sharks and Asian elephants.
With her science degree in Environmental Studies she enjoyed working for National Parks as a naturalist and became Canada’s first female National Park Warden. Working in Pacific Rim NP, she fell in love with life on the wild edge of the continent; exploring the Broken group of islands, pursuing subjects for underwater photography, and discovering her life-long passion for whales.
Jan enjoys using humorous personal stories like, “How I Learned to Raise a Teenager from a Mother Leopard,” to bring awareness and care to endangered wildlife.
In her spare time she torments her husband and son by expanding a wild organic garden in the back lawn.
Join us as we research and explore wild places worldwide. We have visited over 90 countries and happily share our experiences and insights through our writing and speaking. Our passion is to present wild stories that inspire and create awareness in a dynamic and entertaining style.
Some More Info on George
Hello – thank you for your interest! Here’s some more info –
Cheers, George
I have over 40 years of international experience in government organizations, academia, and the private sector. My academic research focused on the role of collaborative governance in developing innovative policy solutions for intractable resource conflicts (MA Hons, Griffith University, Queensland). My professional experience includes Naturalist and Wilderness Specialist with Canada’s National Parks, Registered Professional Biologist in British Columbia, and Senior Policy Consultant.
We live in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Accomplished photographer
I have over 90 million of views of my online images and receive over 100,000 views per month. See my portfolio of photos posted on Google Maps.
Here’s one of my 360 panoramas taken in an amazingly scenic spot – on the massive granite boulders of Porongurup National Park in Western Australia. You can spin the image on your phone or tablet or with your mouse!
Close encounters with grizzly bears, active volcanoes, Komodo dragons, and trumpeting elephants continue to add spice to our lives!
Bird photos continue to provide a great challenge – check out my portfolio.
World Explorations Guest Speaker
I’ve appeared as a featured guest speaker on cruise ships since 2007.
This is the most amazing way to see the world! We’ve had the good fortune of visiting over 200 ports in over 90 countries on six continents. But the very best part is that we’ve had the chance to visit many of the top nature spots, National Parks, and World Heritage Sites in the world.
This has been our passion throughout our lives and we are truly thankful for the awesome wildlife viewing opportunities we’ve had in the most amazing habitats on earth; from the Amazon rainforest… to the savannahs of Africa… the deserts of North America… the jungles of Asia... the natural wonders of Australia and NZ… and many, many more.
We consider ourselves truly blessed and love to share our experiences exploring the natural wonders of our planet with a wide audience.
Click here for the page of resources I refer to in my presentations
“Hopefully we can help inspire people to respect, protect, and preserve as much of the natural beauty and essential life support systems of this planet as we possibly can.“
Jan Cadieux & George Sranko
Photo by Jan Cadieux
Interested in my Presentations?
Thanks to Jan and the various cruise lines, I have quite a few of my presentations on video and you might be interested in taking a look at a couple of examples.
The following is a short 2 minute excerpt focused on the potentially deadly cone snail. Who would think that a snail could kill you?! If you travel in tropical regions of the world, you might want to check this out!
Here’s one of my favorite presentations when I’m on board a ship along the shores of Africa. Our experiences in Africa have provided us with some of the greatest highlights of our world travels. Please take a look at my video below on African Wildlife, and also take a look at my article on Kruger National Park and why it is such an exciting destination for nature enthusiasts.
For more videos, check out the Animals FYI YouTube Channel.
Lecture Assignments
Here’s a complete list of cruises we’ve taken plus upcoming assignments. Perhaps we’ve shared one or two of these cruises with you in the past!? Or perhaps we’ll meet on board during one of my upcoming assignments?
Upcoming Assignments:
- 2024 – March/April Viking Sky – World Cruise – Ho Chi Minh City to Lisbon – 40 days
- 2025 – August Viking Saturn – British Isles Explorer – Bergen to London – 14 days
- 2025 – August Viking Saturn – Into the Midnight Sun – London to Bergen – 14 days
- 2025 – Aug/Sept Viking Saturn – Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes
Past Assignments:
- 2023 – Dec Viking Star – Panama Canal – Miami to Los Angeles – 17 days
- 2023 – June Viking Venus – British Isles Explorer – Bergen to London – 14 days
- 2023 – Jun/July Viking Venus – Into the Midnight Sun – London to Bergen – 14 days
- 2023 – Mar Seabourn Odyssey – Australia / Queensland Coast – Sydney to Cairns – 16 days
- 2023 – Feb/Mar Seabourn Sojourn – South Pacific Cruise – Fiji to Sydney, Australia – 17 days
- 2022 – Nov/Dec Seabourn Sojourn – Caribbean Gems Of The Leeward Islands – 11 days
- 2021-Dec-Jan 2022 Viking Star – Ft Lauderdale to LA – World Cruise first leg
- 2021-Nov Viking Star – Panama Canal – Ft Lauderdale to Panama return – 21 days
- 2019-Dec Seabourn Ovation – Dubai to Singapore – 19 days
- 2019-Apr Viking Sun – Durban, South Africa to London – 28 days
- 2019-Feb Zaandam – Buenos Aires to San Antonio & Punta Arenas -17 days
- 2018-Oct Westerdam – Vancouver to Yokohama – 16 days
- 2018-May Seabourn Sojourn – Kobe to Vancouver – 21 days
- 2018-Apr Amsterdam – Grand World – Cape Town to Dakar – 15 days
- 2017-Nov Seabourn Odyssey – Caribbean – Miami Return – 12 days
- 2017-Sep Volendam – Transpacific – Vancouver to Yokohama – 16 days
- 2017-Jul Zuiderdam – Baltic Adventure – 12 days
- 2017-Apr Noordam – South Pacific – Sydney to Honolulu – 16 days
- 2016-Oct Rotterdam – Transatlantic – NYC to Piraeus (Athens) – 25 days
- 2016-May Maasdam – Panama Canal – Ft Lauderdale to Seattle – 20 days
- 2015-Oct Statendam – Transpacific – farewell – Hilo to Singapore – 22 days
- 2015-Apr Volendam – Transpacific – Kobe Japan to Vancouver – 17 days
- 2015-Feb Amsterdam – Grand World – Sydney to Singapore – 23 days
- 2014-Nov Maasdam – Transatlantic – Ft Lauderdale/Rome – 22 days
- 2014-Apr Volendam – Transpacific – Yokohama /Vancouver – 17 days
- 2014-Jan Prinsendam – Grand S. America – Ft Lauderdale / Lima – 10 days
- 2013-Nov Maasdam – Transatlantic – Civitavecchia /Lauderdale – 23 days
- 2013-Sep Volendam – Hawaii – Vancouver/Honolulu – 11 days
- 2013-Mar Amsterdam – Grand World – Seychelles/Cape Town – 11 days
- 2012-Nov Rotterdam – Caribbean Odyssey – Rotterdam/Barbados – 23 days
- 2012-Mar Amsterdam – Grand World Voyage – Sydney / Singapore – 21 days
- 2012-Jan Rotterdam – South Pacific – Honolulu /Papeete – 21 d
- 2011-Nov Nieuw Amsterdam – Transatlantic – Venice/ Ft Lauderdale
- 2011-Feb Rotterdam – S. America – Puerto Vallarta /Calloa (Lima) – 12 d
- 2011-Jan Prinsendam – Cruise up the Amazon – Barbados / Forteleza
- 2010-Aug Maasdam – Voyage of Vikings via Iceland, Greenland – 23 d
- 2010-May Azamara Quest – Mediterranean Athens /Civitavecchia – 12 d
- 2008-Dec Amsterdam – South America – San Diego /Santiago Chile
- 2008-Oct Volendam – South Pacific – Honolulu /Auckland 18 d
- 2008-Apr Amsterdam – Grand World – Lisbon / Ft Lauderdale – 21 d
- 2007-Dec Zaandam – San Diego /Honolulu 14 d
- 2007-Sep Westerdam – Mediterranean – Civitavecchia /Return 22 d
- 2007-Jan Statendam – Sydney – Auckland 14 days
Books by B.B. Brilliant
Using the pen name, B.B. Brilliant, George writes books designed to “Spark Imagination and Brighten Minds.” He believes in the transformative power of storytelling to inspire young readers to explore the boundless realms of creativity and knowledge.
By crafting enchanting narratives filled with magic, adventure, and valuable life lessons, B.B. Brilliant aims to ignite the spark of imagination within each child, encouraging them to dream big, think creatively, and embrace their unique brilliance. Through his books, B.B. Brilliant seeks to provide a gateway to a world where young minds can delve into the wonders of imagination, learn important values, and ultimately emerge with a brighter outlook on life and an insatiable thirst for discovery and nature.
Biography of B.B. Brilliant
Introducing the one and only B.B. Brilliant, the electrifying author behind the mind-bending masterpiece “Weird Animal Facts”! B.B. Brilliant is not your average author – oh no! This eccentric genius is a renowned adventurer, zoologist, and all-around animal aficionado. From the steamy jungles of the Amazon to the icy tundra of the Arctic, B.B. has fearlessly roamed the globe in search of the world’s most peculiar and extraordinary creatures.
Legend has it that B.B. Brilliant once survived heart-stopping encounters with Komodo dragons, cassowaries, saltwater crocodiles, eyelash vipers, and funnel web spiders. But that’s not all – this intrepid explorer has also witnessed charging bull elephants, migrating monarch butterflies, and amazing hornbills in their natural habitats.
When B.B. isn’t out in the field, you can find this enigmatic figure sharing captivating stories and mind-boggling trivia about the animal kingdom, inspiring readers to marvel at the wonders of the natural world. So, hold on to your hats and get ready to be whisked away on a whirlwind adventure with B.B. Brilliant, the zany zoologist who’s as unpredictable as the creatures in “Weird Animal Facts”!
