In the early 1970s, I worked in Saudi Arabia on a fisheries project in the Red Sea. During that time, Sir Peter Scott visited Saudi, to talk about setting up a Marine National Park in the Red Sea. We were detailed to take him snorkelling on the reef beside our coastal laboratory. So, I was told to stay close to one side of him and a colleague took the other. The idea was to protect him if any sharks got interested! God knows what we'd have done if one showed up!
He was a truly genuine and warm person. Also, I was amazed that, whilst we were in the water, he made a note of all the fish we saw. Dozens of different species, all with their Latin names. I obviously knew that he was a bird expert - but he was far better at identifying fish than I was - and I was employed as a marine biologist!