Alberto Garcia

Originally from a landlocked area such as Madrid (Spain), I developed a deep fascination for marine life—especially sharks—while watching nature documentaries as a child. I took my first scuba diving experience at the age of 12 and immediately fell in love with the underwater world. After graduating with a degree in Biology in 2014, I was involved in several marine conservation projects in Costa Rica and Malaysia, including sea turtle conservation and coral reef rehabilitation. In 2021, I moved to La Paz, Mexico, to pursue a master’s degree in Marine Resource Management. During this time, I began collaborating with Whale Shark Mexico, which allowed me to return to hands-on marine conservation and research. I am currently enrolled in a PhD program in Marine Sciences in La Paz, where my research focuses on the foraging ecology and habitat use of whale sharks in the Mexican Pacific. By integrating satellite telemetry, stable isotopes analysis, and photo-identification techniques I am hoping to provide novel insights on differences in movement patterns and foraging habitats in a sex and size-segregated whale shark population. I am also an experienced scuba diving instructor and have dived in diverse marine ecosystems around the world. Through my research work, I aim to contribute to the conservation of marine megafauna and the sustainable management of ocean ecosystems.

November 2024