Sofia Merino

Ana Sofia Merino was born in the metropolis of Guadalajara but raised in one of Mexico's smallest communities, Zacatecas. She comes from an adventurous family that loves traveling and being close to the ocean. As a result, Sofia spent almost every vacation on Mexico's Pacific Coast, immersed in this salty world with her cousins, to whom she was always asking questions about the animals she was observing.

From those childhood moments forward, Sofia's dream was to study marine life, especially whales. She moved to the Baja Peninsula to enroll in the marine biology program at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur. Since then, she has balanced her passion for the ocean in two arenas, research and guiding. As a researcher, Sofia pursued her bachelor's thesis in blue whale acoustics. In pursuit of her guiding passion, she leads natural history and whale-watching expeditions in Baja's La Paz Bay and San Ignacio Lagoon. Along with guiding, Sofia is helping the local fishing communities in these areas achieve their own goals in ecotourism. She is also very keen to share science in order to inspire young students, and each year she returns to her high school to give talks about whales, ecotourism, and other current projects with which she is involved.

When she isn't working, Sofía loves to spend time traveling with her family and planning new adventures, especially on the Mexican coast. She also enjoys hiking and snorkeling with friends on the rocky coasts and coral reefs around La Paz.

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