Greg Aranea

Greg was born in the large Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to the Galápagos in search of a better future for their family. Greg grew up in Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz, where his parents worked in the tourism industry.  His father often took Greg with him on the vessel he worked on and thus Greg was able to discover the wildlife and beauty of the Galápagos. This awoke in him a passion for nature from an early age.

In 1992, he moved back to Guayaquil where he studied tourism administration at the University of Guayaquil. It didn’t take long for him to realize that his passion was to work out in the field. He returned to Galápagos in 1995 and in 1999 he took the course for Galápagos National Park guides. He has since dedicated his life to the protection of the flora and fauna of the Galápagos Islands.

In his free time Greg has always enjoyed aquatic sports including surfing, kayaking, and scuba diving. Greg is a dive instructor and underwater naturalist of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Guiding groups under the sea over the years has nurtured Greg’s interest in marine biology.

He has been living in Miami since 2008 and is pursuing his undergraduate degree in marine science at Florida International University. He also works as a research assistant in the University of Miami/Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.  He enjoys spending his holidays back in the Galapagos, exploring the nature he loves.