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 - Regional Office 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 Tulum’s expedition as a National Scholarship member. She likes challenges and loves traveling, meeting people, and the knowledge input of new experiences.

Laura Mears - Base Manager

Laura is a marine biologist, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, EFR instructor and RYA boat captain from the UK. Laura joined GVI in August 2007 after spending the summer teaching marine biology and diving on a teen sailing program in the British Virgin Islands. She has a degree in Marine Biology and Spanish from Swansea and a Masters in Marine Environmental Protection from Bangor. She has worked previously in the Red Sea resort of Dahab, putting together an eco-diving course, spent time in Abu Dhabi at their environmental agency assisting with fishery data collection and processing and has also worked with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro, Panama, helping with mangrove studies and education initiatives. Laura is looking forward to sharing her passion and knowledge with everyone at Pez Maya, and waking up everyday to the sound of the Caribbean waves, as well as becoming the envy of all her friends.

Gianna Noguera - Expedition Staff

Gianna came to GVI Pez Maya in July 2007 as a PADI dive master and boat captain, straight after finishing her degree in marine biology at Swansea University. Originally from Gibraltar, she is fluent in both English and Spanish and loves everything about the sea and first started diving at the age of 15. After taking part in a marine expedition in Madagascar she decided that a career in marine conservation was definitely the way forward. Now in her second year at Pez Maya, she is head of fish science training and recently completed the PADI instructor course and is very excited to be able to teach people how to dive and pass on her love of fishes. GiGi, as we all know her, is also an Emergency First Response Instructor.

Luke Walsh - Expedition Staff

Luke joined GVI Pez Maya in October 2007 as an Expedition Member, after completing a degree in accounting at Swansea, his home town. During the expedition he completed his PADI Rescue and Dive Master courses and learned how to monitor corals. As a result of his hard work and enthusiasm around base he was given the chance of an internship at Mahahual in January 2008, where he learned to drive boats and furthered his scientific knowledge by studying fish identification and monitoring techniques. In April he returned home to Pez Maya for a second internship. Luke is now a permanent member of staff and recently completed the PADI instructor course and EFR Instructor certification, and is enjoying the new challenge of teaching people how to dive as well as continuing to pass on his own personal ways to remember all those tricky Latin coral names.

Lluvia Soto - Expedition Staff

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!

Sam Buxton - Expedition Staff

Sam grew up in Tenerife where she learned Spanish before moving back to the UK to study for a BSc. (hons) degree in Zoology and MSc. Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Leeds. She developed a love of wildlife research and travel on various field trips around the UK, Kenya and the Cook Islands and working as a conservation volunteer in the UK and Botswana. She discovered diving whilst re-visiting Tenerife in 2002, became thoroughly addicted and so stayed on to train and work in the resort. She has spent most of her time in or on the water ever since and is now a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, EFR instructor and RYA level 2 powerboat driver. Sam adores the freedom and beauty of the underwater environment and really enjoys teaching others to dive, introducing them to this amazing world and learning more herself! Sam joined GVI Mexico in April 2008.