Afelandra Gonzalez

Afelandra´s professional life started as model, however she always knew that science would be her calling.

She is a Marine Biologist, specialising in the study of Opisthobranchs (Sea Slugs and Nudibranchs). Afelandra has been responsible for discovering several new species of Nudibranchs in the Sea of Cortez. These finds led to her collaborating with various national and international institutions.

Afelandra combines her investigations and scientific publications working assistant as a field producer in Film and television broadcast. Afelandra´s broadcast credits include Animal Planet and the BBC. This has led a somewhat dramatic increase in the size an type of animal se investigates. Afelandra´s passion for the ocean is evident.

"I am currently a PADI Instructor at Cortez Expeditions in La Paz, México and I continue to do courses that increase my level of knowledge in diving. Taking a diving course with me goes beyond learning a dive, in my courses I like to make my students fall in love and who buy the importance of respecting and caring for marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This is achieved by giving curious and ecological data of the organs with which we interact, thanks to my knowledge of Marine Biology and also with the example of our sustainable practices when we go diving."

"My mission is to make more people fall in love with nature, children or adults, than they know the wonderful of the aquatic world through diving. I believe that you can not want to take care of something or respect it, if you do not know it. Through the dive I can see how people totally change their perspective and is the perfect time to raise awareness and send them to their homes with a new vision and so they can spread more people and form a huge chain of awareness and love for wildlife and thus ensure the future of ecosystems."

"To ensure more people fall in love with the ocean and conserve it"

• Discovering and naming species of Nudibranch
• Becoming an PADI Instructor
• Working on and appearing on a BBC Natural History Unit with Sir David Attenborough voice....."Light on Earth"
• Becoming a Tec diver and learning to use double tanks, deep diving