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What most see, at most, on a flat screen, Rafael Fernández Caballero (Madrid, 1994) has seen and portrayed underwater.

Like that day in the Sea of ​​Cortez, Mexico, when killer whales feasted on a thresher shark in front of their target.

The

world champion in underwater photography

is also an outreach (@rafafdezjr) and fervent protector of the sea, a commitment he shares with North Sails, the responsible sailmaker and fashion brand.

In their latest Go Beyond environmental campaign they join forces to air the urgency of finding

sustainability

solutions

for our oceans

.

RAFAEL FDEZ. GENTLEMAN.

How can we each contribute to caring for the seabed? Everything we do adds up, no matter how little. From worrying about where the fish we eat comes from to reducing the use of single-use plastics. Those of us who have seen what is down there also have a duty to make it known. One of the greatest threats to the sea is the great ignorance that hangs over it. If more people knew the beauty of the marine world and what happens down there, the atrocities that are committed every day would not be committed. Since when do you go down to the depths of the sea with the camera? My father, an underwater photographer too, instilled in me since childhood this passion. The first time I dived with a bottle I was only 7 years old. But it wasn't until I was 15 when I picked up the camera while diving, practically never letting it go again.You say that diving into the sea is like traveling to another planet. Yes, the sea is an incredible place and it is much less explored than outer space. No need to go to exotic places. I will never tire of diving into the Ruidera or La Herradura lagoons in Granada. Still, there are two places where I would make my home by the sea: the Strait of Gibraltar and Baja California. The first, for the cetaceans that can be seen from Tarifa or diving from Ceuta. The second for being, as Cousteau said, "the world's aquarium."the Strait of Gibraltar and Baja California. The first, for the cetaceans that can be seen from Tarifa or diving from Ceuta. The second for being, as Cousteau said, "the world's aquarium."the Strait of Gibraltar and Baja California. The first, for the cetaceans that can be seen from Tarifa or diving from Ceuta. The second for being, as Cousteau said, "the world's aquarium."

RAFAEL FDEZ. GENTLEMAN.

What is the strangest thing you have seen underwater? Luckily, I have been able to live quite strange moments, at least, difficult to witness, with orcas. Being with these incredible animals in the water is already brutal, but if you add moments of predation to this, then it becomes crazy. Last November we saw a group of killer whales in the Sea of ​​Cortez that, to our surprise, came towards us with the thresher shark that they were eating. In the Strait of Gibraltar, in my first encounter with killer whales, with permits from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, we could also see a huge cañabota, a five-meter shark being carried in their mouths. Has it been in danger in the depths? At sea it is safer to be with large predators than on land.Sharks are more afraid of us than we are of them. Keep in mind that they kill less than ten people a year and usually by mistake. Meanwhile, the dogs kill 25,000. Another feared animal like the orca, the killer whale, has not even attacked a human in the wild. Killer whales come out again ... Yes, they are my great obsession, along with other large cetaceans. The moments that I have spent with them have been unforgettable. They are the most intelligent and impressive animals I have ever seen. What is that elusive animal that you have not yet managed to portray, and would you like it? The list is long. For example, the iconic Antarctic leopard seal. A pinniped mammal of more than three meters, endemic to that area.Meanwhile, the dogs kill 25,000. Another feared animal like the orca, the killer whale, has not even attacked a human in the wild. Killer whales come out again ... Yes, they are my great obsession, along with other large cetaceans. The moments that I have spent with them have been unforgettable. They are the most intelligent and impressive animals I have ever seen. What is that elusive animal that you have not yet managed to portray, and would you like it? The list is long. For example, the iconic Antarctic leopard seal. A pinniped mammal of more than three meters, endemic to that area.Meanwhile, the dogs kill 25,000. Another feared animal like the orca, the killer whale, has not even attacked a human in the wild. Killer whales come out again ... Yes, they are my great obsession, along with other large cetaceans. The moments that I have spent with them have been unforgettable. They are the most intelligent and impressive animals I have ever seen. What is that elusive animal that you have not yet managed to portray, and would you like it? The list is long. For example, the iconic Antarctic leopard seal. A pinniped mammal of more than three meters, endemic to that area.The moments that I have spent with them have been unforgettable. They are the most intelligent and impressive animals I have ever seen. What is that elusive animal that you have not yet managed to portray, and would you like it? The list is long. For example, the iconic Antarctic leopard seal. A pinniped mammal of more than three meters, endemic to that area.The moments that I have spent with them have been unforgettable. They are the most intelligent and impressive animals I have ever seen. What is that elusive animal that you have not yet managed to portray, and would you like it? The list is long. For example, the iconic Antarctic leopard seal. A pinniped mammal of more than three meters, endemic to that area.

RAFAEL FDEZ. GENTLEMAN.

Does one feel freer underwater? Without a doubt. It is the closest thing to flying. You can go in any direction, you hear nothing but the sound of your breathing (if you go apnea not even that). It's you, in a different environment, and nothing else. For me it is the ultimate essence of freedom. Where did you weather the worst of the pandemic? Like the entire planet: at home. I was in the Maldives when the planet bolted, but once I was able to return to Spain, I dedicated myself to researching my native community. As a high-level athlete, I had permission to photograph amphibians and freshwater ecosystems in the north of Madrid. It was quite an experience. Inspire us with your next underwater destinations. Luckily I finish one adventure and I'm already embarking on the next one. My first trip is going to be the remote submerged paradise of Malpelo, in Colombia.Belize and South Africa will come in July. In August Mozambique to see the great annual migration of humpback whales. Later the Maldives and different areas of Mexico.

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