Nicole Rosser

Owner and Managing Director, ZigZag Whitsundays

BSc (Hons) Marine Biology (Distinction)  ·  Master of Environmental Management (in progress)

Nicole Rosser is the founder and Managing Director of ZigZag Whitsundays, a role that sits at the intersection of everything she has spent her career building: marine science, conservation, education, and a deep love of the Whitsundays. Since launching the business in 2017, she has grown ZigZag into one of the most highly regarded tour operations in the region, recognised not only for its guest experience but for the environmental leadership it brings to the industry.

Her work extends well beyond running tours. Nicole is an active researcher, a conservation practitioner, a government advisor, and a regular voice in national conversations about reef resilience and sustainable marine tourism. She was featured in the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s “People of the Reef” series, a recognition reserved for individuals making a genuine difference to reef health and awareness.

Background and Education

Nicole grew up in Perth, Western Australia, in a household where the ocean was simply part of life. Her mother is a marine biologist and Nicole was snorkelling before most children had started primary school. She came to the Whitsundays in 2009 for a holiday and never left, spending several years working on overnight yacht charters before deciding to pursue her passion for marine science.

She enrolled at James Cook University in Townsville to study Marine Biology, completing her undergraduate degree with a GPA of 5.95 out of 7.0, before staying on for an Honours year in which she was awarded a Distinction and the prestigious AIMS@JCU Pilot Research Award. Her Honours research focused on the abundance and availability of micro- and nanoplastics entering the marine food web, developing novel techniques for sampling and quantifying these particles and assessing their ingestion by recreationally targeted fish species across the Burdekin and Mackay-Whitsunday coastlines.

Nicole is currently completing a Master of Environmental Management through the University of Queensland, focusing on water quality and marine protected area management.

Qualifications:

• BSc (Honours), Marine Biology, James Cook University (Distinction; AIMS@JCU Pilot Research Award)
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Biology, James Cook University (GPA 5.95/7.0, Academic Medal)
• Master of Environmental Management, University of Queensland (in progress; water quality and marine protected area management)

Conservation Work

Nicole’s commitment to reef conservation shapes how ZigZag operates day to day. The boat is regularly made available for reef health surveys, coral restoration fieldwork, and seagrass research, and all crew are trained and encouraged to become Eye on the Reef surveyors, giving guests a more informed, science-backed experience on the water.

ZigZag is a partner of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Boats4Coral program, which sees tourism operators and researchers work side by side to collect coral spawn, cultivate larvae using the Harrison larval re-seeding method, and deploy baby corals onto degraded reef sites. Nicole is proficient in the full process: coral spawn collection, gravid coral identification, and larval deployment.

Nicole also served as a research assistant to Central Queensland University’s seagrass nursery at Coral Sea Marina, a project delivered under the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative. She managed the day-to-day operations of the nursery, which has been described as one of the most successful seagrass-growing systems on the Great Barrier Reef, supporting ongoing restoration of seagrass meadows in Pioneer Bay and across the wider Whitsundays region.

Conservation involvement includes:

• Eye on the Reef Surveyor, Reef Health and Impact Surveys and Tourism Weekly monitoring (2021 to present)
• Boats4Coral Coral IVF program: larval re-seeding, coral spawn collection, gravid coral identification
• Seagrass nursery management, CQU and GBRF Reef Islands Initiative
• Tourism Reef Protection Initiative participant
• COTS and Drupella control
• Whitsunday Healthy Heart Project partner, monitoring and reducing ZigZag’s carbon footprint
• Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre (volunteer, 2014 to present)

Advisory Roles and Speaking Engagements

In 2023, Nicole was appointed as a Technical Advisor to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) for the development of the Safety Guidelines for Marine Adventure Tourism Operators, a nationally significant document supporting best-practice safety management systems across the sector.

She is a committee member of the Whitsundays Local Marine Advisory Committee (LMAC) of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a formal body that meets four times per year to advise on reef management issues and facilitate information exchange between stakeholders and government. She also served on the steering committee for the Whales of the Whitsundays initiative, working towards designating the Whitsundays as a Whale Heritage Area.

In 2024, Nicole was selected as a Plenary Speaker at the Reef Resilience Symposium in Cairns, presenting on research and tourism partnerships for reef resilience. She also served as a panel member at the same event. Her full talk is available to watch on YouTube.

In 2025, Nicole was invited by the Australian Marine Conservation Society to travel to Canberra to speak directly with federal politicians about water quality issues affecting the Great Barrier Reef, a reflection of her standing across both the scientific and marine tourism communities.

Her business profile as a Whitsunday Regional Council Community Champion further speaks to her leadership in sustainable tourism practice across the region.

Professional Qualifications and Certifications

• Coxswain Grade 1 NC, Whitsunday Maritime Training Centre
• Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency (MROCP)
• Elements of Shipboard Safety
• Rescue Diver
• Oxygen Provider
• CPR and First Aid
• Eye on the Reef Surveyor, Reef Health and Impact Surveys and Tourism Weekly
• Food Safety Supervisor
• Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA)
• Responsible Manager of Licensed Venues (RMLV)
• Safe Food Handling Practices

Specialist Marine Science Skills

• Larval re-seeding reef restoration (Harrison method)
• Gravid coral identification and coral spawn collection
• Reef Health Assessment
• Seagrass nursery management
• Climate change risk assessment for business
• Crown of Thorns Starfish and Drupella control
• Microplastic and plankton sampling, enumeration and ingestion analysis
• Scientific communication and engagement

Recognition and Awards

• TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award (2024)
• Best of Queensland Experience Award (2024 and 2025)
• Highest Reviewed Tour on BookMe Australia (2023 and 2024)
• James Cook University Academic Medal
• AIMS@JCU Pilot Research Award, BSc Honours
• Healthy Heart Reef Partner Recognition, Whitsunday Regional Council
• Silver Sponsor, Whales of the Whitsundays (2023 and 2024)
• Queensland Tourism Council Member (2025 and 2026)
• Featured in the Great Barrier Reef Foundation “People of the Reef” series (2024)
• Over 4,400 guest reviews averaging 4.9 stars across booking platforms