#MeetTheTeam: Cristóbal González Comella

For our #MeetTheTeam series, this month we are introducing Cristóbal González Comella, our Regional Director for Latin America.   

Cristóbal was born and raised in México, and is of Cuban and Spanish heritage. He studied at Les Roches International School of Hotel Management throughout three of its global hubs; Marbella (Spain), Bluche (Switzerland), and Chicago (Illinois), obtaining his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the latter. He lived in Ireland before graduating, doing professional trainings at Ashford Castle and the Ritz-Carlton at Powerscourt Estate, both resorts centered around nature and local culture. He was the General Manager at the award-winning eco-resort, Imanta Punta de Mita, where he fulfilled the duty of GM for nearly 10 years, hosting multiple Hollywood celebrities, elite entrepreneurs, high-level government officials, and even European royalty on a consistent basis throughout his time there.   

Cristóbal has always had a deep passion for nature and the sea. Being raised in Banderas Bay, he has always been in close contact with the natural world, from observing migrating humpback whales since he can remember, to hiking the tallest mountains and deepest ridges of Sierra Madre mountains, along with scuba diving every hidden corner in México. He has field experience with all type animals like; blue whales, dolphins, manta rays, macaws, coatis and multiple species of reptiles, including crocodiles.

Cristóbal learned to scuba dive in 1995 at the age of 8. He has reinforced his passion for scuba diving with professional training by doing a PADI Eco-Divemaster course in the town of Mahahual (México) while submitting and publishing a scientific research paper on Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (also known as Skittle-D) to complete his course in September of 2020. He immediately continued his training, this time on the island of Cozumel (México) where he became a PADI Instructor in the month of November 2020.

Within the Whale Guardians organization, Cristobal focuses on project leadership in Latin America, working closely with biologists, port authorities, key local players, government officials, and other environmental organizations of the region to create navigational routing documents that safeguard whales from unintentional strikes from vessels approaching ports. He also plays an integral part within the marketing team, leading key projects during website development and social media rebranding. Fundraising within the region of Latin America is also one of his principle duties.

Cristóbal currently lives part time between Mexico City, Banderas Bay and Mahahual, with his dog called Naya, a rescue he named after the jungle he found her in, the Nayarit jungle. He is also a big tennis aficionado, and has played since he was young, enjoying the sport that his father professionally competed in back in the 1970’s.