Ricardo Miguel Garcia Castro was born in La Punta de Tijarafe, on August 7, 1973. tijarafera runs through his veins blood manifested in the deep devotion he has for his people, whose name it bears always proud in every Empre-sa rushing. That blood boils peculiarly restless and Ricardo takes to embark on exploits that set the bar for high always a little more expectations, overcoming adversity has always found throughout his life.
Overcoming and is a constant concern in the biography of Ricardo. After three years he drank hot water, which caused him severe mesenteric adenitis, narrow gut, who accompanied him to 14 years when the disease itself disappeared. This disease affected significantly to the development of his childhood, which was not long in bed with fever and vomiting, and unable to attend school normally.
Over time it grew, combining concern with new dreams and new goals even though they still had to get tough obstacles in his life. Just you cured of his disease a hand fracture because of a prank, but the worst would come at age 17 when his mother died, I made that affect the whole future life of Ricardo and will serve as an incentive, especially if ca-be, his desire to excel. And as if that were not enough, a serious accident destroys her leg. At the risk of not being able to walk properly, Ricardo undergoes three operations to try to recover the tip, resulting in a loss of muscle mass of 45%, 20% mobility and a shortening of 5 centimeters.
Adversities do not get discourage Ricardo in love for his people, Tijarafe, and that leads him to participate in every possible way in the organization of the holidays. That's when linking to the Devil Party begins, first dancing the bigheaded and giants. But his greatest illusion, since when she went with her mother to parties, was to run the Devil, and that goal seethed in his veins.
On September 7, 2001, Ricardo ran the Devil for the first time and has not stopped doing it ever since. The feat causes him to put his physical integrity at risk, carrying a weight of between 70 and 80 kg, holding temperatures of up to 50 ºC, supporting the smoke generated by the burning of the various pyrotechnic elements (discomfort Ricardo ingeniously solved in 2003 providing Of a little bottle of oxygen), and being the center of the party for about 40 minutes. This was one of the first challenges of Ricardo, the one he had promised his mother.
Victorious over the fire, Ricardo defies the ocean and the wind, and is that he is passionate about the sea. Since 1997 he has obtained the degrees of Master of Recreational Craft, PADI Diver Guidance, Advanced Divermaster, Medical Assistant, and FEDAS Level 2 Diving Instructor. With this, and with his eternal restlessness, he left Daring to challenge various medium and long distance sea routes such as those made in 2002 (La Palma-El Hierro and La Palma-La Gomera) and in 2003 (La Gomera-Tenerife), alone on board a zodiac. It was then that he began in the sport of water skiing, between jokes and real, in the pond of his house. He soon went from small crossings in the open sea to face the First Crossing of La Palma on skis with breaks (2003). The following year he ventured with the 40 miles between Fuencaliente and Valle Gran Rey (La Gomera), a successful crossing thanks to his remarkable effort and the excellent work of his team.
In 2005 Ricardo decided to face his most difficult and most important challenge in the world of water skiing: to be the first to unite the seven Canary Islands in stages and without a harness, helped only, for more than 187 miles, by force Of his arms. With the favorable sea and excellent physical condition, on August 5 traveled the route between Fuencaliente and La Estaca (El Hierro). But on August 6, between El Hierro and Valle Gran Rey, the sea was not so generous. The waves, up to two meters, prevented support boats from providing food and water. Almost fainted, he managed to get to La Gomera. On the Colombian island he recovered enough to be able to arrive on August 7 at Las Galletas. Only to have completed this first stage could already be considered an important achievement, a consequence of the determination of Ricardo and his support team that nourished him physically and morally and that, of course, he sang in full lung happy birthday as he approached Tenerife on the skis. But that triumph was still not enough. Ricardo was taking revenge on the adversities that had systematically hit his life.
On September 30 it can be said that Ricardo released the Devil to put on his skis. Although he started tired, between Playa Blanca and Corralejo and with the company of Hector Masuti, champion of speed mono-ski, he overtook the fast ferry of Fred Olsen that links Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The next day, without support boats due to the economic difficulties that the project encountered, Ricardo rushed the 50 miles that separate the tip of Jandía from the port of Las Palmas. Fortune and the sea smiled at her and, with a gentle time, managed to reach Gran Canaria. But the end reserved an unpleasant surprise: the planned crossing between Agaete and Radazul was strewn with waves of three meters above which blowing winds of up to 20 knots. Ricardo, completely exhausted, was sustained by the spirits of his captain and his team. It was still impossible to reach Radazul, so the team looked for another port more favorable. And what better solution than seeking the protection of Our Lady of Candelaria, patroness of Tijarafe and the Canary Islands? So they set sail for Candelaria and arrived at the dock at 10:55 in the morning. They had achieved
Having overcome the suffering of the Crossing of the Seven Islands, on July 2, 2006 Ricardo faces the 62 miles between Teno and Tazacorte. This twist in his quest for improvement was further encouraged by two powerful motives: he wanted to dedicate the voyage to his mother and his captain, cousin and friend, whom he had lost recently. The crossing was very hard but again, with his willpower and the inestimable support of his team, he managed to surpass the new goal. The friends who came to meet Fuencaliente could see him arrive almost fainting but spending his last breath in a gesture dedicated to them and his team: he entered the dock grabbing the line with his teeth.
After these innumerable feats a new adventure that took place on September 30, 2007, where he made us live a moment of tension and discover how far the tenacity of a person can reach, making the bypass to the island of La Palma with a total Of 72 nautical miles making of this one of the longest realized until then.
On 23 and 24 September 2008 he took a new feat on es-quis, joining Lanzarote-Tenerife-La Palma, the first stage in 7 hours and 28 minutes. In spite of the distance between these two islands And Ricardo's time again makes us live something unusual. Without sleep and with discomfort began the test without energy, but as the hours and miles passed, as if a miracle was Ricardo did not decay and it seemed that The vitality, the energy and positivism were with him ... everyone shouted at him that at least he made a stop and there was no way ... his perseverance and his strength made him reach Tenerife, almost breathless, but without a stop. The second stage of Tenerife to Palma in 3 hours and 20 minutes. Equally non-stop.
Achieving the greatest of its achievements in this category of water skiing, as it covered the incredible amount of 242 nautical miles.
In October 2013,
After his tragic accident suffered in January 2012 in which it almost cost his life. (Since he was run over and was admitted for a month in the US with a pneumothorax, lots of burns, fractures ... etc)
Ricardo proposed a new challenge, with a double meaning, on the one hand to demonstrate to himself and the others that, despite everything that had happened and of all his fractures, pains etc. still had much to give of Itself and, on the other hand, to do something different to its previous challenges, as it is to leave outside its Canary Islands to venture in other seas
Thus, on October 7, 2013, it unites the Island of Ibiza (San Antoni) with Jávea, covering a total of 56 nautical miles. Achieving thus to unite Baleares with the Peninsula.
August 15, 2015 continues with its purpose to encourage people in difficult situations to continue with their dreams. Once again he surprised Magaluf (Mallorca) with Ibiza despite the weather conditions that were not on his side.
Overcoming adversity, overcoming himself, has been everything in the life of this Palmero who deeply loves his land and his sea.
Ricardo embodies the will to fulfill the goals and dreams, overcoming the difficulties and putting all the meat on the grill in the most compromised situations because the dreams are worth nothing if they do not come true.