Our Crew

Bianca is the good fairy in our office, coordinating the daily relations with our business partners and clients, answering questions and everything regarding our clients satisfaction at all times.

Licenced in Tourism in the Universidad de Panama, she knows all the country and is at the same time an excellent guide on land excursions to Darien, Chiriqui, Kuna Yala and the Coiba area.

Bianca is a nature entusiast and besides dancing at the panamanian carnival, she loves to spend her free time on the islands, mountains and jungles of this marvelous country.  She is fluent in English, Italian, Portuguese and is currently studying German.

She is not a diver but she is thinking about getting her certification soon if she can fight her fears.  We hope our dive masters will convince her soon.

Captain and Dive Master

Cristiano Poali was born in Trieste, Italia 8 oct '67.

With Diploma as Captain and Engineer on merchandise ships from the Istituto Tecnico Nautico di Trieste '87

Passionate of free diving, diving and everything related to the ocean. Certified PADI Instructor. Worked in Italy and Croatia as instructor from 1992 to 1996. In 1997 in Australia as captain and Dive Instructor. Since 1997 en Costa Rica.

Administrator and Co-Owner of 2 dive centers in Costa Rica from 1997 till 2003. 2004-2008 Captain and Dive guide for Underseahunter Fleet. He dedicated to hammerhead shark tagging for Pretona and Shark Research Institution from 2006-2007.

Instructor TDI since 2008. Since 2008 Capitan, dive guide and underwater photographer in Costa Rica and Panama. Owner of his own Hatteras ’43 boat, that offers expeditions for divers, sport fishing and scientific projects.

On MV Yemaya, Cristiano is our Free Lance Captain and Dive Master since January 2009.

Dive Master

My first diving course was a gift from my grandmother for my 18th birthday. I was living in Perth, Australia at the time, and I was already spending all my free time snorkeling in the Indian Ocean. This was more than I expected: I was hooked.

When I went back to France to study, I kept on diving with the university club. Not too fond of Britanny water, I went back to Australia; Sydney this time, to continue my diving education, and start working as DM in Sydney, then Efate Island in Vanuatu for a couple of months. After about a year, I passed my Instructor exam, and went back to Vanuatu. It somehow had become easy to get up at 6am, always ready to get wet!

About six months later, a north American reality TV show was being shot on the island. I was invited to join them on what would be four a years journey of unbelievable diving places, such as Palau, Cook Islands, Dominica and of course Panama!
It was a totally different side to the diving experience I had, but allowed me to do something few professionals of recreational diving get to do: Discover virgin reefs in non touristy parts of Fiji, or look for underwater villages in China.

I have now established Panama as my home, and am really excited about the wild areas to be discovered and stunning dive sites to be found.

Dive Master

Diego was born in San Jose Costa Rica. Grew up in the city of heredia where he went to school and graduated from technical school as a machinery expert. From an early age he was passion about arts and anything that leading him to be with mother nature. The discover of Scuba diving, made a radical change on Diego's life and from the moment he put the head under water he has been all about living experiences.

Living these experiences while he is working has been his true calling. He has a wide experience as a cruise director on diving vessels, and dive expeditions. traveled French Polynesia as part of the Under Sea Hunter Crew on 1998,  also Worked in Coco's Island for a while on the same vessel. In 2005 He also became the first costarican PADI Course Director allowing him to trained Scuba instructors and now a free lancer with the Yemaya on its expeditions to Coiba, Mal Pelo and Coco's Island.

Diego finally finds balance in life when he discovers photography, working now as a professional photographer. His work has been published in several books and travel magazines. His passion for art and nature has created a new path for diego, indeed a true artist and a wonderful dive leader.

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Chef

Most popular guy on board of Yemaya is without doubt our Chef Juan Carlos.

Always laughing and joking, but a hard worker and a real magic of culinary arts.

Born in 1966 in Cuba, he discovered his passion for cuisine in early years when he assisted to Varaderos renowned Hotel Academy.

His live-long journey in search of improving his skills, brought him from his first Chefs position in a 5 star hotel in Varadero Beach/Cuba, to Cancun, Barcelona and finally to Panama, where he lives and works now for ten years as one of the best chefs in the country.

Since February 2009 we are happy and proud to have him on board MV Yemaya.

JuanCa endulges our palate with his creations based on fresh sea food, fish, local tropical fruits and vegetables.

Boat Operator

With over 30 years of experience at the sea, Julio has been working since he was a boy independently as a fisherman. Later he worked for different boats on the Pacific Ocean: commercial shrimp fishing, tuna fishing, and commercial fishing for Panama Export Industrie.

Ten years ago, he started to take out the first tourists arriving at the Coiba Archipelago to fish, surf and dive on his own little fishermen boat.

The same time, he started to work for sport fish operators around Coiba and Isla Perlas.

More than 30 years in the Gulf of Chiriqui and the Coiba region, gives him the natural experience for his job as one of the best boat operators in the area.

Julio knows every stone under water, and as an Ex fisherman, he knows where to find the best Dive Spots.

Our guests love him! While diving, we always hear the rumor of the boat, and we know, he is there, watching and waiting for us to come up.

Julio is our live insurance!

Captain and Engineer

José was born in Panama City in 1976.
Since he was a child he was attracted by the sea.
So he spent fishing for many years in  all over the country at the Pacific and at the Caribbean side, as well as in Gatun Lake, at the Panama Canal.

He worked many years as a crew member  in different kinds of ships (tankers, tuna-fishing, shrimp fishing, yachts).  During this jobs, he traveled down to Peru and southern Chile, pursuing the big tuna swarms.

Starting as a Deck Hand, his open mind and natural intelligence opened his way up to more specialized jobs on board.

Last year, with more than 15 years on the ocean, he was licensed and works now as our second captain and engineer.
He definitely loves nature and the oceans and he likes to share that passion with our guests.

As soon as his job on Yemaya gives him a bit of time, he wants to realize his next personal project: to get certified as a Diver.