Expedition Leaders
Mexican Marine Expedition in the Caribbean Sea

Daniel Ponce-Taylor - Country Director - Mexico

Daniel holds an MSc in Sustainable Development of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems from the University of Cádiz (Spain) and a BSc (Hons) Oceanography with Marine Biology from the University of Southampton. Before taking up his position with GVI, Daniel worked as Marine Science Coordinator for CCC and carried out research and conservation projects in Australia, Costa Rica and Mexico. He was also the Marine Biome Coordinator for the WWF/Spain Valencia’s Local Group, where he grew up, and is a qualified PADI Dive Master, Emergency First Responder (EFR) Instructor and a certified boat skipper.

For the past 5 years, Daniel has been working in making sure the coastal and marine communities of the Mesoamerican region remain as pristine and diverse as possible, working alongside coastal communities from Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico and Honduras. This added to Daniel’s native grasp of the Spanish language and his knowledge of cultural aspects of Central and Latin America, makes him a very valuable addition to the GVI Team.

Cynthia Arochi Zendejas - Administrative Officer

Cynthia is GVI’s Regional Office Administrative Officer. She is a graduate in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). While studying her degree, she volunteered for a wildlife group at the university, worked at an ecological park, and was a volunteer for an organization that focused in community development and natural resources conservation. Cynthia holds a Master’s degree in International Environmental Sciences at Lund University, Sweden and recently finished a Diploma in Conservation Strategies and Methods, by the Tecnologico de Monterey and The Nature Conservancy. She has also experience as a French teacher and as Team Building Facilitator. In 2006 she joined GVI’s expedition as a National Scholarship member. She likes challenges and loves travelling, meeting people, and the knowledge input of new experiences.

Lluvia Soto - Expedition Manager

Lluvia is from Veracruz, Mexico, where she undertook her degree in Biology at the Autonomous University of Veracruz (UV). Lluvia came to Pez Maya as a participant in the National Scholarship Programme in Octuber 2007. After falling in love with the charm of the place and the work GVI does here, she successfully applied to become an intern in January 2008. During this time she continued sharing her biological and local knowledge with the EMs and the nearby community, while finishing her Divemaster qualification. Before GVI, Lluvia worked in the north of Mexico with dolphin craneometry, in the south of Mexico with coral growth, and in her home town took part in various environmental education programmes, reinforcing her passion for the ocean and its conservation. This life long dream of hers was finally realized with an offer to become scientific staff at Pez Maya, where you can find her these days teaching underwater biology, Spanish and even some salsa moves!

Stuart Fulton - Field Staff

Stuart began diving in 1997 in the English Lake District, but soon vowed never to dive in the cold again. In 2003, Stuart gained his PADI Open Water and Emergency First Responder Instructor qualifications. He also holds a Master Degree in Oceanography from the university of Southampton, with a particular interest in biochemistry and pollution. After working in Malawi, Honduras and Thailand, Stuart is looking forward to being part of the Mahahual team and to continue developing his interest in anthropogenic impacts on coastal waters and related ecosystems. He is also a RYA level 2 boat handler.

Sam Hope - Field Staff

Sam holds a BSc in Marine & Freshwater Biology from the University of Essex and an MSc in Applied Marine Science from the University of Plymouth. After finishing school he travelled around the world, which gave him lots of experience. He taught school children in Singapore and Malaysia about Marine and terrestrial conservation and dived in the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. He finished his trip in USA, Belize and Mexico where he completed his Instructor Development Course. He is now joining the GVI team in Mexico as a Dive Instructor and Science Officer. Sam is also a qualified boat driver and DAN Oxygen Provider and Neurological Assessor.

Jaen Nieto Amat - Field Staff

Jaen is a Franco-Mexican Marine Biologist, Dive Master and boat driver. She was born in Mexico and studied marine biology in France, in the University of La Rochelle and the Marseille Oceanology Center. After having done many university exchanges and internships aboard (Costa Rica, Azores, Sardinia), she then worked in the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores in a project dealing with an Invasive Alien Species, Caulerpa webbiana. She likes to travel, be in contact with nature and do many different artistic activities. Since March 2009, Jaen has been part of the Pez Maya Expedition marine staff.

Nikki Taylor - Field Staff

Nikki has been a water baby all her life, taking any opportunity to be in, on or by the water. She completed a Business Studies Degree at university but wanted to combine these skills with her interest in conservation and the extent of human impact, particularly in the marine realm. During her time at uni, she joined the conservation club and began scuba training in the warm, clear waters of the UK (!!!!) which fast became her primary interest. This eventually led to her joining the GVI Marine Conservation Expedition as a volunteer in January 2007 in Mahahual. Post phase she travelled the region, learning some Spanish (¡un poquito!) and taking in the local culture.

After applying for a scholarship position, she was accepted for the 073 phase, otherwise known as Hurricane Dean’s phase. Having dealt with moving the Marine base to another site, and then dealing with having to move again after the hurricane’s passing, she decided to go back home to England to do an MSc in Marine Environmental Management, spending her summer at the Jordan Marine Science Station on the Gulf of Aqaba progressing the Artificial Reef and Human Impact studies. After the year stint back in the UK, she was still intent on returning to the region she fell in love with and applied for a staff position on the Marine Expedition. She has now rejoined the Punta Gruesa team as a PADI Divemaster, qualified boat captain and all-round science guru.

Baruck Figueroa - Amigos de Sian Ka'an - GVI Projects Liaison Officer

Baruch has had a special connection with the sea since he first plunged in its waters as a little boy. Seeking to discover its underwater mysteries, he decided to study a Licenciature in Marine Biology, surfing and diving in the striking south pacific coasts of Mexico. Some years later, he undertook a Masters degree in Marine and Coastal Resources Evaluation and Management in Costa Rica and Mexico. He has worked in some research projects regarding marine ecotoxicology, marine turtles, coral reef ecology assessment and coastal vegetation loss assessment. Baruch´s main interests are research projects focused on biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and ecotourism management; he enjoys painting, water sports, travelling and underwater photography.

Chance led Baruch to find out about GVI´s Marine Expedition in Mahahual, at its very beginnings in 2004 and he became the first Mexican on the National Scholarship Programme. He then learned about Caribbean reef ecosystems ecology and the MBRS monitoring methodologies. Not ready to leave Mahahual, Baruch got chosen for an internship position and afterwards became a staff member as Community Work and Science Officer. During that time, he did his PADI dive master training and gained experience in boat driving, while also introducing volunteers to reef ecology and monitoring techniques. He has been working for Amigos de Sian Ka´an for the last two years, and currently works as the liaison between them and GVI, as well as aiding in the coordination and development of the marine conservation programmes in Mexico.

Edward Hulcroft - Field Staff

Growing up in landlocked Birmingham doesn´t really explain why Ed ended up on a beach in Mexico. Ed has been passionate about the natural environment since he was a child. It was whilst studying for his BSc in Zoology that he realised conservation was where he wanted to focus his energy. Whilst working as a Volunteer Officer for a conservation charity he helped carry out urban and rural projects, and learnt about managing volunteers and working with community groups. He then worked for the government Environment Agency to save money to fund an adventure abroad.

A dream was realised when he gained work on the longest running turtle monitoring programme in the world; based in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. A love of the tropics was born, as too was an obsession with diving having completed some PADI dive courses after his time in Costa Rica. He then returned to the UK to complete is PADI Divemaster before returning to the tropics to work as a Marine Science Officer on a project in Fiji. His desire to pass on his experiences to others lead him to complete his Dive Instructors course following a 3 month internship on the dive boats in Australia. A move to Thailand to focus on gaining experience as an instructor was then followed by a short return to teach diving in the UK.

The call of the reefs was never far from thought so Ed got in touch with GVI Mexico and now finds himself back where he belongs – passing on a love of diving and the natural world, living as a community and waking up with a stunning beach on his doorstep. Ed is also a qualified boat driver and soon an EFR instructor as well.