My name is Andrey Coto, I am from Costa Rica. I grew up next to the Sarapiqui River. At age nine I started going down the rapids on the river in an inner tube, playing with my friends, enjoying eating fruits and living in the jungle with nature.

When I was 15, I started paddling a kayak. After that moment, my life changed. First paddling a kayak was a passion and then it became my source of income to help pay the expenses of the house and because my mother had health problems and could not work.

In the first 3 years I gained a lot of kayak experience, sometimes up to 3 trips a day on Class 3 sections of the Sarapiqui River. In Costa Rica you can go to the river and work all year long.

In those 3 years I met many guides from other countries who taught me new techniques and invited me to travel to other rivers.

My first trip outside the country was throughout Central America from Costa Rica to Mexico. I went by land because I did not have enough money for the plane and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I traveled through several countries following my passion for kayaking and my love for the river. After Central America I went to Europe, thinking that the trip would be for 3 months and then return to Costa Rica. It became 9 years of adventure without returning to Costa Rica.

After Europe I went to South America, starting in Brazil and then went by land to Costa Rica. I spent 2 years on my return trip home enjoying all the rivers along the way.

When I arrived in Colombia I couldn’t continue by land and had to either fly or go by boat. Then I met Tyler Bradt, a kayaker who holds the world record for kayaking down a waterfall. He offered to help me get home and accompany him on his sailboat. The trip was an adventure from start to finish. We crossed the Panama Canal and arrived at my house.

As soon as I arrived home my dream became clear ~ to create a kayak academy that would help more people have a life full of adventure and travel. For me, the river is the best medicine and therapy to share kayak love.

I have been in 2 extreme kayak world championships and 1 freestyle championship.

My biggest expedition was 40 days down the Marañon River in Peru, the longest tributary of the Amazon, making a film for Red Bull Stand Up for the Amazon.

I am a white water rescue instructor, rafting instructor, kayak instructor for more than 13 years

I am a wilderness first responder

I am one of the people who knows the most rivers in Costa Rica, having managed to make several first descents in rivers that no one knew about. My passion to help children world wide know and love kayaking, nature and rivers will never stop, making the world better one kayak at a time.