Meet Rocío: why Ocean Calling exists
Rocío Ruiz is the founder of Ocean Calling Retreats. She grew up by the sea in a family of forest rangers. Her grandfather and her uncle protected nature and wildlife, and they taught her early that wonder and responsibility belong together.
She did not arrive fearless. She learned to meet the ocean slowly, and that changed everything. Today she plans small ocean retreats for six guests at most, with local professionals in the water.
“These retreats are for those who want to explore the ocean with consciousness. A space designed with safety, sensitivity, and the sea in mind.”
You do not need to arrive fearless. Only open.
Training in different countries taught her that progress is not about pretending fear has disappeared. It comes from breathing, learning, trusting the people around you and becoming comfortable with discomfort.
That is what she wants guests to feel: supported enough to try, and free to move at their own pace.
The ocean came later
The ocean came into her life later. Deep water made her nervous. Learning to scuba dive, and then to freedive, changed that. The sea became a place where she feels grounded, clear and at home.
She went to Bali to learn freediving properly, carrying a childhood dream of swimming with whales.
Then she met a pod of about fifteen pilot whales. That day shaped how she thinks about wildlife tourism.
Presence
Freediving taught her presence.
Reverence
The wreck taught her reverence.
Humility
The pilot whales taught her humility.
What freediving looks like
A few moments from the water: some training, some just for the joy of it.
From boardrooms to boats
Before creating Ocean Calling, Rocío spent years coordinating operations, travel and events in multinational organisations and high-profile environments. She worked with leaders, international delegations, athletes and artists in music and television.
The setting changed, but her role stayed the same: create structure, ease and safety so other people can focus on what they came to experience.
Beauty needs substance.
She wanted to create ocean journeys that feel premium but human, adventurous but responsible, and magical without making promises nature cannot keep. She thinks about the whole experience, from the first question to the boat, the water, the meal afterwards and the story someone carries home.
“The ocean is the protagonist. I am the human guide connecting the experience, the guest and the responsibility to protect it.”
What Rocío holds
The guest journey, destination planning, logistics, communication, partnerships and the details that make a complex trip feel calm.
What local experts hold
Instruction, navigation, wildlife knowledge and in-water decisions within their professional role and local conditions.
What nature holds
The weather, the rhythm and whether a wild animal chooses to appear. Wildlife is a privilege, never a guarantee. Every time in the water with wildlife follows local regulations and the guidance of experienced local professionals.
Built around what she needed herself
Clear structure, warm guidance, safety and no judgement. Ocean Calling is built around these, so guests can focus on the sea.
Guests do not need to arrive fearless, only open. They can pause, rest or skip an activity whenever they want.
On her hosted retreats, in Moʻorea and La Ventana, certified local professionals lead every session in the water. Rocío plans the trip, chooses the partners and looks after guests from the first message.
For Coron, Bali, Gili Trawangan and Moalboal, she does not host. Through Ocean Match (from CHF 19) she matches you with a local team, and you book with them directly.
Humpback whale season in Moʻorea, September 2027
From CHF 4,500 per person