WHY CUBA AND HOW IT ALL STARTED
In 2012, Jay flew to Cuba to meet a Cuban Ambassador and was shown around the country beyond the resorts. It was soon evident that Cuba was much more than an inexpensive 'all inclusive' beach destination. The natural beauty was more than Jay had ever imagined! It is a completely untapped gem for paddlers and adventure seekers. Over the next 2 years mountains of paper work were tackled, endless meetings with the government, the coast guard, ministry of tourism, customs etc. The challenges of getting the first container of quality sea kayaks, bikes, paddleboards and general equipment into Cuba were met with vim and fervor. Our tours started fully in Oct. 2014 and have since become a huge hit. The word has started to spread among the paddling community attracting people from Canada, France, Ireland, Germany, Norway and of course the U.S. With the great success of year one almost behind us it was time to expand and team up with another like minded company to help grow the company for 2015-2016 season. It was a cold Canadian winter day that Jay invited a great friend and colleague, Peter Whaley owner of Coastal Spirit Expeditions, for a coffee. Well, it wasn't long before Peter joined one of the trips and was SOLD on the experience and wanted to become part of this exciting venture. Peter and Jay have known each other for over 15 years and suffer from the same infectious fun loving disorder. The perfect team to infect the world with the bug called Cuba. Now, celebrating its 10th year, Cuba Adventure Company is still going strong and has expanded it’s offerings to 8, 12, 21 day adventure programs all across Cuba. Mabelyn Benavadies, a local Cuban, has taken over the helm and continues to steer ‘the ship’ to new and exciting areas of Cuba. Cuba Adventure Company is the first true Adventure Travel Company in Cuba and a proud supporter of private businesses. “Our trips begin where the tourist buses end”.
Meet the team!
Jay Mothersill
(CO FOUNDER)
Jay’s passion is paddling and his love and enthusiasm for it is infectious. Jay grew up in canoes and kayaks and graduated from an outdoor recreation program. He went on to complete his studies as a fish and wildlife biologist and has enjoyed working in a field that he has loved for over 25 years as a guide, instructor and naturalist. He co-owned Muskoka Paddle Shack, one of Canada's leading Paddle shops for over 12 yrs.and co-founded Cuba Adventure Company in 2012. He is now a proud, dedicated dad and husband, adventuring every chance he gets which is never enough!
Peter Whaley
(CO FOUNDER)
Pete aka Whales has been adventuring since the beginning of time, well his time. From paddling his grandfather’s and father's cedar strip canoes as a wee lad, to exploring Rivers, Oceans, Lakes and Mountains around the world, adventure has shaped his life. Running a Sea Kayak company for over 20yrs in Nova Scotia, Canada to co-founding Cuba Adventure Company and now building an international adventure travel company Earth Travellers, there seems to be no end to Pete’s passion. What’s next…stay tuned!
Mabelyn Benavidez
(GENERAL MANAGER)
Mabelyn or Mabe is the heart and soul of Cuba Adventure Company. She began as an extraordinary interpretive guide excelling in Cuba’s indigenous Flora and Fauna but her enthusiasm, wealth of knowledge and adventurous spirit made her the obvious choice to lead the team and ‘run the show’! Her warmth and generosity of spirit along with her attention to detail and ability to troubleshoot has elevated Cuba Adventure Company to the premiere league. To add the cherry on top, she is also fluent in English, Spanish and French and loves to dabble in Italian, Japanese, German and Russian… A true linguist! With Mabe at the helm along with the C.A.S.T (Cuba All-Star Team) you are guaranteed to enjoy a very special experience in Cuba.
Jeff Dupuis
(ADVENTURE SPECIALIST)
Jeff aka ‘Jack’…ask him, has been immersed in the outdoor world for as long as he can remember and suffers from ‘the fever’. Having ‘the fever’ is an outdoor illness that causes one to want to do anything and everything that inspires a sense of adventure in the outdoors and Jeff can’t shake it!
Jeff worked in the paddle sports industry serving the many customers searching to experience this same outdoor adventure. His reward was always the feeling he had watching a happy customer leave the store with a canoe or kayak on top of there vehicle. He looks forward to that same sense of joy serving you as one of the C.A.S.T (Cuba All-Star Team) members. Don't worry, the worst that could happen is you just might catch the FEVER!!
Meylin Cruz
(ADVENTURE SPCIALIST)
Meylin or Mey went to college to study music for six years specializing in piano, guitar and voice. She furthered her education by graduating in tourism and worked at Villa Guajimico as the entertainment coordinator, recreational guide and public relationship manager at the resort. Mey’s passions include a love of languages, dance, sports and guiding outdoor activities including kayaking, rock climbing, caving, horseback riding, scuba diving, trekking and now SUP'ing! She is very excited to be part of the C.A.S.T (Cuba All-Star Team) of Characters and looks forward to taking you on an adventure of a lifetime!
Jorge Felix Lemos Aberola
(ADVENTURE SPECIALIST)
Jorge is a super athlete attending the sports academy in Havana and swimming for the Cuba National swim team. Ask him to do the butterfly in the Ocean, he’s a human dolphin!! He went on to become a physical education teacher in primary school and high school. He moved on from teaching in school to the outdoors where he taught sailing and kayaking, making him the perfect fit for Cuba Adventure Company. His love of the Ocean or any water for that matter, his skill levels and most importantly his endearing smile and love of Cuba makes him a C.A.S.T (Cuba All-Star Team) favourite. Everyone loves Jorge! Come see for yourself.
Steph Ouellette-Rienks
(ADVENTURE SPECIALIST)
Steph has a gypsy heart and a hippie soul. She is also a bit of a body-nerd with a sneaky degree in Physiotherapy. She grew up spending summers in & on the water, and feels most at home when there is somewhere to dip her toes. "Home" is a pretty fluid concept for her, calling about 8 different countries 'home' in the last 15 years! She studied and taught yoga in India for a couple years, and started her own company Suptopia Floating Yoga in 2014. SUP yoga is where my her deep love of nature beautifully collided with her passion for yoga. Come get mindfully adventurous with Steph in blissful, unspoiled Cuba...
A trip to nourish your body, mind, and soul.
Kristen
(ADVENTURE SPECIALIST)
Kristen has a strong appreciation for the finer things in life, you know...... forests, water, wetlands and all the of the incredible living beings within them. Kristen started to kayak initially, to get closer to the wonderful critters of the wetlands exploring quietly whenever opportunity allowed. This love of kayaking deepened and soon led her to adventure racing and hours of training in the kayak. In the years to come, she wanted to share her love for paddling with others and took up guiding on the Columbia River in the Rocky Mountains. A couple years later she took a position as a Physical Education Teacher on a First Nations Reserve in Northern Coastal BC where she brought her love of kayaking to the lives of her students. Kristen embraces every chance she gets to share her passion and explore new places and can't wait to paddle alongside some new faces in Cuba!