Rafael’s career at sea, started as a dive instructor & commercial diver in his native Mexico. He also has a serious passion for underwater photography and has had his work used and published by the BBC, National geographic and many other books & magazines. He has been a dive instructor for 28 years and involved in many conservation projects around the world. Being around boats, sailing from a young age and having the diving experience, his progression to the luxury yacht world was a natural step. He has cruised extensively throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, Galapagos, Cocos, Malpelo, Central America and the South Pacific for the last 28 years. Rafael has a strong engineering background which has been very helpful for successfully and efficiently completing large refits and developing a successful relationship with the engineering teams. He has excellent proven management skills and has operated large vessels with and without support from a shore side management team. He strongly believes in the power of a crew working as a cohesive group to get the best experience possible both for themselves and the guests. Mentoring new crew and teaching them how to do the job safely and properly has been one of his endeavors from the beginning of his career.
