FERNANDO SANCHEZ

Fernando was born in Quito and completed his schooling there before moving to the Galápagos archipelago. The islands have always been a magical place for him since his grandparents arrived in San Cristobal in 1973. He vividly remembers visiting them on his childhood vacations and exploring this environment full of unique flora and fauna.

Living in the Galápagos Islands has given him the opportunity to be involved in field trips with scientists from both the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park Service. This intimate exposure to the islands motivated him to take the training course run by the National Park Service and Quito San Francisco University to become a naturalist guide in 2002.

He recently completed a degree in management and aims to further his education in the field of sustainable development. In 2010 he had the chance to do an international course at Colorado State University on the management of national parks and leadership in conservation. During this time, he travelled to many national parks and reserves in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.

Fernando’s passion for extreme sports has led him to become a surf guide with the Galápagos National Park.  He is also a PADI open water diver. He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop.  Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.