Afelandra Gonzalez is a marine biologist, field producer in film and television, and PADI Instructor at Cortez Expeditions in La Paz, Mexico. She specializes in the study of opisthobranchs (sea slugs and nudibranchs) and is responsible for the discovery of several new species of nudibranch in the Sea of Cortez. Her passion for marine life has led to her collaboration with various institutions, and her broadcast credits include productions for Animal Planet and BBC. Research aside, her objective is evident: to make more people fall in love with and conserve the ocean.

Q: How’d you get into diving?

Afelandra Gonzalez: I became a scuba diver because when I was studying marine biology, I started to do marine research that required diving. I loved it so much to the point that now I’m a diving instructor.

READ MORE: An Inside Look at the Process of Discovering New Species of Nudibranchs

Q: What do you like most about scuba diving?

Afelandra Gonzalez: Well, I love the investigation. I love to see the small things. I’m a fan of the opisthobranchs, and I love everything about the little world. I can spend hours on a rock looking for tiny organisms and their interactions.

Q: Why did you choose to specialize in the study of opisthobranchs?

Afelandra Gonzalez: I love the group because I find it very interesting that such a small organism is excessively beautiful and vibrant but also has the magic of being able to pick up and steal cells of other organisms to later protect itself. I’m always amazed by their shapes and colors. It’s not only the big things that matter in the ecosystem — small things have their function in the food chain, and that’s what I love about investigating things that are not so visible. Many people overlook a small organism like the nudibranch and see it as irrelevant because they are so focused on the giant organisms — what they don’t realize is that the little things are the basis of the giant.

Q: Why did you become a diving instructor?

Afelandra Gonzalez: I fell in love with diving! I love that I can combine what I already know about marine biology with teaching people to dive. My goal is not only to teach them how to dive, float, relax and enjoy the amazing underwater world, but also show them how important it is to take care of and maintain the ocean. I hope to make more people fall in love with nature so they know the wonder of the aquatic world through diving. I believe you cannot want to take care of something or respect it if you do not know it. I love that throughout a dive I can see how people totally change their perspective about the underwater world. It is the perfect time to raise awareness and send them back home with a new vision. By doing so, they can then share their passion with more people and form a huge chain of awareness and love for wildlife.

Q: What is your dream dive destination?

Afelandra Gonzalez: Indonesia.

Q: With the upcoming PADI Women’s Dive Day, do you have any advice to women who are curious about diving or looking to start diving?

Afelandra Gonzalez: My advice is not to be afraid before trying it. It may be normal for you to have doubts, but do not hesitate to pursue things that you are interested in. Don’t mentally block yourself. Like many other things, you don’t know until you try! Also, don’t give in to taboos about women and diving, because women can do any type of diving at any time. When I did my first double-tank course, I initially thought, Two tanks? How am I going to carry them? It’s going to be very rough, very heavy and very complicated; I might not be able to do it. Once I actually tried it, I had so much fun and loved it. It was so satisfying to be able to dive with two tanks and see how easily I could actually do it. I think that if you have passion, you can do anything.

Q: Any future diving goals?

Afelandra Gonzalez: My next goal is to raise my level of diving instructor and to do deep diving. I would love to dive the sunken ships here in La Paz that are still unexplored.