Justine thrives on expeditions – both as an explorer and an adventure filmmaker. She has 10 years experience of filming kayaking and mountaineering expeditions. Her documentaries have aired on the BBC and National Geographic Channel and won multiple awards at Film Festivals including “Banff Mountain Film Festival”, “Kendal Mountain Film Festival” and the “Reel Paddling Film Festival”. You can read about some of her past expeditions here.

  • VANCOUVER ISLAND– In May 2016, Justine will attempt to kayak around Vancouver island, solo. This is her first solo trip since Iceland in 2002 which is an exciting and scary prospect! More…
  • INDONESIA – In Feb-April 2016, Justine will join Sandy Robson for a small section of her 5 year journey from Germany to Australia. Justine will paddle with Sandy from Sorong in Papua and hopes to reach Jayapura before Sandy continues into Papua New Guinea.
  • ALEUTIAN CHAIN– In 2014, Justine and Sarah Outen paddled 1,500 miles from the westernmost inhabited Aleutian island to the Alaskan peninsula and onwards to the first road at Homer. This world-first 101-day expedition saw the girls paddle 50 miles days between uninhabited islands through uncharted waters. They survived close bear encounters, sudden winds and being swept away from land by strong currents.
  • IRELAND – In 2013, Justine, Barry Shaw & Roger Chandler kayaked 1000 miles around Ireland. This beautiful island provided incredible scenery, with plenty of wild camping options, as well as the chance to camp near to a pub and enjoy a home cooked meal and a guinness! We completed the trip in 43 days.
  • ENGLISH CHANNEL & CROSSING FROM RUSSIA TO JAPAN – In 2011, Justine joined Sarah Outen on the kayaking legs of her round-the-world human powered loop. In April, they kayaked from London to France in 3 days, including a night-time crossing of the world’s busiest shipping lane. In October, they kayaked 24 miles from mainland Russia to Sakhalin and 40 miles from Sakhalin to Japan. The film is on “This is the Sea 5”.
  • TIERRA DEL FUEGO – In Jan-Feb 2011 and Jan-Feb 2012  Justine and Barry Shaw kayaked 1000 miles around “Isla Grande”, Tierra Del Fuego. On our first attempt, we went home due to injury but we returned the following year and became the first people to kayak the coastline of this wild Patagonian island. That’s despite endless red tape & a kayak theft in one of the windiest places on  earth. This trip is featured in ‘This is the Sea 5’.

  • SARDINIA – In April 2009 Justine and Barry Shaw kayaked 900 km around Sardinia. The Italian island is the second largest in the Mediterranean, after Sicily, and is famed for it’s rugged coastline, warm climate, strong winds, beautiful beaches and being fought over for centuries by different cultures. It also contains 70% of Italian military bases.

  • NEW ZEALAND – In January 2008, Justine Curgenven and Barry Shaw paddled 2,400km around the South Island of New Zealand. Surf, surf and surf are the main dangers, along with remote uninhabited coastline & strong winds. See the award winning documentary on “This is the Sea 4”.

  • HAIDA GWAII ( The Queen Charlotte Islands) – In 2007, Justine Curgenven, Shawna Franklin & Leon Somme paddled 500 miles around this remote and beautiful island chain in British Columbia, encountering dozens of whales, hot springs, standing totem poles, 3 metre swells & miles of remote uninhabited coastline. See footage of this expedition in “This is the Sea 4”.

  • The North Face TASMANIA Circumnavigation – In Nov and Dec 2004, Trys Morris, Gemma Rawlings & Justine became the first all female team to circumnavigate Tasmania. They coped with 3 storey-high swells, long portages over sand bars & relentless headwinds to complete the 1350km journey in 37 days. ‘See a 30 min documentary of this expedition on ‘This is the Sea 2’.

  • KAMCHATKA – In July 2003, Justine, Hadas Feldman and novice Russian paddler Alexey Sitnokov successfully completed a 650km sea kayak journey up the Pacific coast of Kamchatka in remote Siberia. Highlights included intimidating surf, brown bears, and being taken away on a tank. ‘see a 16 minute documentary of this expedition on ‘This is the Sea 1’. Also look out for an hour long program about the journey on the National Geographic series, “Total Adventure”.

  • GREENLAND – Justine filmed 5 British women skiing into the Schweizerland mountains and climbing new rock routes. National Geographic produced a 30 minute documentary about the adventure.

Other Expeditions Include:

  • Kayaking & Climbing in the Lofoten Islands, Norway, including crossing the Maelstrom tidal race, July 2004 (featured in “This is the Sea 2”).
  • Kayaking across the Bass Strait, between mainland Australia and Tasmania. The 340km trip island hops across the eastern Bass Strait, with the longest crossing being 70km. This 14 day trip is featured in ‘This is the Sea 4’.
  • Seakayaking around some of the beautiful Faroe Islands, really stunning islands, challenging tides & puffin hunting! A film of the journey is in ‘This is the Sea 3’.
  • Seakayaking between mainland Scotland and Shetland; island hopping through Orkney, then 25 miles to Fair isle and another 25 miles to Shetland in some of the strongest tides and most notorious tidal races in the UK.

  • The first circumnavigation of Wales by sea kayak with Fiona Whitehead, June 2001

  • Kayaking 64 miles around Anglesey in 10 hours

  • Climbing 6,952m Mount Aconcagua, Argentina, February 2001

  • Solo Seakayak Circumnavigation of Iceland’s West Fjords, August 2002

  • Kayaking with an award winning wildlife photographer alongside humpback whales in Alaska, Sept 2001

  • Sea Kayaking to Orkney & climbing Old Man of Hoy, September 2003

  • Cycling across the Pyrenees mountains from coast to coast, 1999

  • Trekking in the Nanda Devi region, Indian Himalayas, November 2000

  • Sea kayaking from Jersey to Alderney to see the total eclipse of the sun, 2000