Caribbean Correspondent
Gran Roque, Los Roques
Elena Vasquez is a Venezuelan marine biologist who graduated from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Caracas in 2004 with a degree in marine biology. She is a PADI Divemaster with over 1,500 logged dives across the Caribbean basin. Elena grew up on Margarita Island, where the sea was never more than a bicycle ride away, and moved to Gran Roque in the Los Roques archipelago in 2010 to study coral reef recovery following a severe bleaching event. Her peer-reviewed research on reef fish population dynamics in Los Roques was published in the Caribbean Journal of Science in 2013 and remains one of the most cited studies on Venezuelan marine ecology. In 2015 Elena transitioned from academic research to sailing journalism, combining her marine science background with first-hand knowledge of islands that most travel writers have never visited. She contributes destination guides focused on the Venezuelan archipelago, marine ecology features, and sustainable tourism reporting. Her articles for ExploreYachts ground charter advice in genuine ecological understanding — she can tell you not only where to anchor but why the reef system beneath your keel matters and how to protect it. Elena speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese fluently and divides her time between Gran Roque and Cartagena, Colombia.