Conferences, Presentations, Film Festivals.
Expeditions, Interviews and others.
Summary of part of our activities in the last 6 years
Expedition Reto Morichal 2016
First formal expedition on Curiaras
Fitting Guillermo’s special needs seat in our Curiara “La Negrita”,
We had already decided we would attempt to do our Ocean crossing aboard a Curiara from the Mainland to Los Roques, so we decided to do a small River expedition to get the feel of multi day expedition in a Curiara, but mainly because we love any excuse to get outdoors and set our minds in expedition mode.
This was a 4 days of paddle expedition covering 120 kilómeters in 20 hours by the Rivers “Morichal Largo”, “Manamo” and “Tigre”.
As always we are on the look for “Moyotus” who can build our expedition Curiaras.
Watch our documentary of the jungle trips and the saga that was trying to find our expedition Curiara.
Film Premiere MAKAREO (14 Min) 2016
A legend says that in the Orinoco Delta, in one of its furthest pipes, a river wave occurs once a year: El Macareo, appreciated for its rarity, this phenomenon occurs in very few rivers in the world.
Mentioned for the first time in Columbus's diary, seven adventurers decide to embark on a journey to verify its existence, and of course surf the wave.
The wave gives them the opportunity to discover a diverse and colorful country, rediscover their roots and feel the adrenaline of going through one of the few unexplored places in Venezuela and America.
Expedition Reto a las Islas Prometidas 2016
First Experimental Archeology Expedition in the Country
Reconstruction of the route followed by the “Valenciod’s”, an Amerindian culture living in the Valencia plains (Venezuela) between 1000 to 1500 AC who travelled 130 km of Open Ocean Routes to collect Conch for their people
We began in 2013 traveling to the last ancient tribes in the Venezuelan Jungle to learn how to build “Curiaras”. We then spent the next 3 years learning to paddle them in the Ocean.
In January 2016, for the first time in 500 years, after 2 years tranning a crew of 17 non mariners, but accomplished athletes, we paddled for 30 hours non stop the 130 km of Open Ocean to “Dos Mosquises”, the sacred and ceremonial Island of the Valenciod’s in the Los Roques archipielago.
Proving that the long distance seafaring expeditions needed to populate the Caribbean Sea were possible as the distance between land and Los Roques is the same as the longest between Islands of the Caribbean.
Arriving in “Dos Mosquises”, the sacred and ceremonial Island of the Valeniods in Los Roques, after 30 hours of continuous paddling from the mainland
BANESCO 2017
Forming & Managing high skilled teams
BANESCO is one of the biggest banks in Venezuela, they host regular talks framed within the program "Anonymous Heroes "; Our talk was a success to a full house in the BANESCO Caracas auditorium developing the theme of the formation of high-performance work teams in pursuit of unique and extraordinary results.
Chacao Cultural Center 2017
Adventure and Adversity, stories of great achievements in nature
Experiences in nature are a school for overcoming adversity, because difficulties are an intrinsic part of sports activities in nature, from external factors such as the weather, to individual fears that are within the mind.
The Adventure and Adversity conference offered the public a vision of how to face moments of adversity and difficulty, from the perspective of a group of protagonists from the world of expeditions and adventure.
Film Premier ARGONAUTAS (24 Min) 2017
A thousand years ago, the Valencioid Amerindians who lived in the Lake Valencia basin, paddled the open sea from the mainland to Los Roques in wooden Curiaras (Canoes), an extraordinary adventure of more than 140 kilometers and 30 continuous hours of navigation.
An enthusiastic team is preparing to recreate these navigations, made up of adventure athletes who will go on La Curiara, as well as archaeologists and scientists who ensure that everything is done in the most reliable way possible and with the necessary rigor.
The process faces hundreds of difficulties, such as forming a team of 20 crew members who trained very hard for a couple of years to prepare properly, do all the pertinent tests at sea with the Curiara and others of a more pragmatic nature, such as when it’s discovered with alarm, that manufacturing the right Curiara, may be the greatest of its difficulties, since this tradition faces its imminent extinction, when the last of the very old "Moyotus", or master manufacturers of Curiaras, die.
Expedition Reto Waikeri 2017
We now needed to prove that it was possible to travel over great distances. In 2017, once more on board “La Ye’kwana”, our expedition Curiara, departed Barrancas del Orinoco following what archeologist I. Rousse and J.M. Cruxent believed to be the route that the Arawak Saladoid’s used 4000 years ago on their quest of colonizing the Caribbean
We paddled 115 hours in 18 days to cover 700 kms from Barrancas via the Orinoco river to the Atlantic Ocean, on to the west coast of Trinidad and NE Venezuela, the Island of Coche all the way to Margarita Island.
Follow the link below to watch our documentary on the history of the expeditions on “La Ye’kwana”
Present day Amerindians building our training Curiara “La Wajibaka”
Caño Tigre, Delta of the Orinoco, Venezuela
Second Experimental Archeology Expedition in the Country
P-A-Í-S - Conferences 2018
Pasión, Aventura, Identidad, Sueños
1- Gastronomic Tourism Forum - April 2018
2- Guayamuri High School - June 2018
3- Cacao de Origen open spaces - July 2018
A talk designed to motivate us through adventure projects that pursue our dreams with passion and enhance our identity.
SIGO Corporate University Margarita 2018
Margarita Startup week Program
REINVENTING THE PIRAGUA MARGARITEÑA
Presenting our project "Reinventing La Piragua Margariteña". A social enterprise that seeks to reactivate this boat that was a pillar of the economy of its time and that very well could become one again.
We will talk extensively about the history and origins of La Piragua Margariteña, the project "RETO GUAIQUERÍ" and the progress we have made to put this boat to navigate the horizons of our beloved Venezuela.
And we will sail together in the future aboard this magnificent boat!
Film Premier AMERINDIAN PASSION (16 Min) 2018
For the past five years we have been researching the pre-Hispanic navigational routes of our Amerindians, building autochthonous replicas of their Canoes and of course, navigating them, in the first ever Experimental Archaeology expeditions in Venezuela. Amerindian Passion is a summary of the project and its expeditions since its inception.
SOS Pampatars Sewage waters 2018
The sewage (wastewater) collection and management system in the Maneiro Municipality is completely collapsed and there is not a single operating substation of the 7 that are on the Pampatar coast.
In an effort to raise awareness about it, I was invited by the Guayamuri College to give a lecture to high schoolers, as a result of this we went on a field trip to visually verify the state of the non-existent sanitation system.
Film Premier KUNAYAK, (18 Min) 2019
Documentary short from my solitary expedition in 2011 kayak paddling from Colombia in the Caribbean to Panama City in the Pacific Ocean and the wonderful experience of crossing the virgin territory of the Darien Jungle through the Kuna Yala, sharing with its people and their fantastic culture.
Our paddling & hiking treks to get to know Cubagua
Expedition Cuagua 2020
My history studies of Margarita, Coche and Cubagua, including the Diploma that I completed with the Academy of History, made me develop a very special interest in the island of Cubagua & the primal city of Nueva Cádiz.
Today I follow several lines of research in Cubagua and have participated on many expeditions to Cubagua to dedicate myself to get to know her in depth. The first was in times of pandemia, I decided to escape with a partner and we paddled from Pampatar to Cubagua and then around the entire island, a total of 130 km, we also walked around the entire perimeter plus some visits to the remains of the Ancient city, 35 kms in total. A total 6 days of expedition with 165 km traveled on foot and kakay in 50 hours of activity.
This was the first of about a dozen trips where among other things we produced our documentary and opened many lines of investigation.
Original Plan of the Church of Santiago and virtual proposal of our ally Miguel Yabrudes
Talks on tourism Promotion 2020
Creating Unique Experiences
Presentations on the unique opportunities offered by nature and adventure tourism and their potential for our region.
As a speaker for the department of tourism of the Municipality of Maneiro and for OVETUDA, the Venezuelan Organization for Adventure Tourism
Universidad Metropolitana Caracas 2020
Closing class on Aboriginal Art Diploma
My dear and respected friend, Anthropologist Natalia Díaz, Faculty Member of Humanities & Education and of the School of Arts of the Central University of Venezuela invited me to give the closing class of her Aboriginal Art Diploma, at the Metropolitan University of Caracas. .
Talks on Tourism Promotion - OVETUDA Forum 2021
Not considering myself an expert on the subject of Tourism, I was very honored to be sharing with such an excellent group of speakers and grateful to those who are connected.
Trying to understand why people always associate me with the subject of Tourism, I came to a reflection that I find interesting to share: Since there is no tourism that suits my tastes, I have had to create my own experiences. And although I do not call it Tourism, the truth is that I dedicate a good part of my time to "Creating Unique Experiences" that give "Content to my Life".
And although I do not offer them as a tourist offer, the truth is that they could be marketed for this purpose and, furthermore, they conform to the new guidelines of the World Tourism Organization whose approach says: "Discovering the natural beauties of our own territory & connecting with expressions of their culture and identity”
Expedition Coche 2021
Continuing with our project to explore and produce a documentary of the “12 COASTAL LAGOONS OF EDO. NVA. ESPARTA” we paddled to Coche to explore the El Saco Lagoon, located on the south coast in the town of Bichar. It is a "U" shaped body of water 2.3 km long and 1.1 km wide and an approximate area of 200,000 M2.
It communicates with the sea through a wide mouth about 1 km wide and is separated from east to south by a sandy bar. More than 77 species of fish live in this lagoon and the shows that the birds that live in it gave us were sublime!
Totals: 4 days, paddling 59.7 km & 16:19 hours
Film Premier AVENTURA LLAMADA NUEVA ESPARTA (14 min) 2021
Almost 4 years ago I came to live in Margarita. Far was I from imagining the enormous wealth of projects and adventures that I was about to experience.Beyond common tourism activities, in this short I want to invite you to discover with me all the unconventional and unique alternatives that these three islands of our insular state offer.
We will kayak through its fantastic Coastal Lagoons, reservoirs of hundreds of species; We will trek the summits; We will row along its coasts in the Piragua Margariteña "Fernando Cervigón";
We will discover the fascinating history and legends of Nueva Cádiz de Cubagua, the first city in the continent;We will paddle on board our expedition Curiara "La Ye'kwana", to our devoted and most important Guaricha and captain, La Virgen Del Valle;
And we will show you a sample of the diversity of adventures offered by these blessed islands and some of our projects oriented to rescuing our insular identity in our film "An Adventure called Nueva Esparta".Welcome aboard!
ELCO Film Festival Master Class - 2021
Low Budget Filmmaking by David Bottome
At some point, without realizing it, I went from enjoying documentary filmmaking to becoming a documentary filmmaker….
For more than a decade I have produced a dozen Shorts, most of which have been selected and awarded at Festivals. In most of them I have done the complete work of Production, Direction, Editing and I have done a good part of the camera as well….
For a while I was overwhelmed by the amount of amount of technical personnel and equipment that apparently went into producing a film work. I had no budget for large film productions so for me the only way to make the Short Films for my Adventure projects and Experimental Archeology Expeditions was to learn how to make them myself.
My passion for Adventure then had to learn to live with my other new passion, Cinematography. Along the way I learned a lot about how to make movies on the cheap that I want to share with those who might be facing that dilemma.
The complete 2 hours course in 9 lessons is available free of charge in my YouTube Channel
An adventure of leadership 2021
With the psychologist Lucia Galota
Lucía is an expert in leadership issues and we have been working together with groups of companies for more than a decade on the subject of building high-performance teams through practical experiences, especially with exercises that require groups to consolidate to achieve results.
This time we talk about my personal experiences leading my Caribbean Challenge tribe of 29 people on our last 10-day Expedition.
Film Premier CUBAGUA HISTORIA Y LEYENDA (26 Min) - 2021
The D'Buceo team, in its interest for investigating the effects of climate change, organizes the Cubagua, history and legend expedition. The main objective of this expedition is to verify the state of the coral reefs, both natural and artificial, located on the coast of the island of Cubagua, in the northeast of Venezuela.
Nueva Cádiz de Cubagua, the first colonial settlement in Venezuela and South America, of ephemeral existence, remains incrusted in the popular imagination, due to the legend of the sunken city that comes to life thanks to a series of submerged monolithic structures known as the Pillars of Cubagua.
The remains of the city are also documented and explored to bring awareness of their abandonment and proposals for their rescue.
1st Congress of Neospartan Culture - 2022
MY PRESENTATION ⁃ The Renaissance of La Piragua
Good morning, it is a pleasure to be here with you even if it is virtually within the framework of the 1st Congress of Neoespartana Culture of the "Yo Soy Identidad Foundation".
In view of the fact that I have a lot of audiovisual material, I opted for what I thought would be an original and interesting way of giving my presentation "The Renaissance of La Piragua Margariteña";
So for the next 15 minutes I will present you with a collage of shots from the beginning of my investigations to the first expedition of the Piragua and I will let these sequences tell you the story with some minimal interventions from me, I hope you enjoy it…
The complete Congress & Concert in my YouTube channel.
Rotary Club presentation 2022
Nueva Esparta & Reto CAribe, what are we up to…
In response to an invitation many times postponed from the Rotary Club Maneiro to present my activities and projects, we met thanks to the space provided by courtesy of the Hotel UNIK and for a very valuable hour I talked about my projects and the ways in which both the Rotary Club and Reto Caribe could integrate and continue to create wellness opportunities in our communities, each in our own way.
Lecture for the office of the State of Nueva Esparta 2022
"Macanao, Tierra de Gracia"
Discussion on Insular Identity Entitled "Macanao, Tierra de Gracia" in order to raise awareness about the defense and protection of our Insular Heritage and to strengthen the Cultural Heritage of the Insular Region
Reto Caribe, hand in hand with the SDGs 2022
Cultural Management and Sustainable Tourism Conference
The journey starts here, the time has come to take action globally for results locally.
In this presentation we evaluate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) one by one and verify how the agenda of the projects we manage are in perfect harmony with the SDGs.
Collaboration at the global level is crucial to achieve the SDGs and in this presentation we review each SDG to review how Reto Caribe can strengthen its means of execution through its projects and revitalize the global alliance for sustainable development.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the heart of the 2030 Agenda and show a comprehensive, indivisible perspective and a renewed international collaboration. Together, they build a vision of the future we want.
