He attended Cessnock High School[2] and won a scholarship to study at the University of Sydney taking a B.Sc.

[2] In 1967, Endean accompanied the Belgian Scientific Expedition that conducted studies of the Great Barrier Reef.

[13] Endean was a member of the World Health Organisation's Expert Advisory Committee on Food Additives.

He was a spokesperson on reef ecology,[14] and had advised the community widely on toxins and marine pharmacology and biology.

[1] Endean died on 6 October 1997 on Heron Island, shortly before he was due to give an address at the Australian Coral Reef Society.