Santiago Sandoval

Santi was born in Chile’s capital Santiago, although not quite the outdoorsy paradise, his parent’s passion for rivers, mountains and nature in general, took him, from a very young age into Chile’s most pristine wilderness. Spending holidays on the BioBio, Futaleufú, Pucon and the Maipo valley, this experiences forged a deep relationship with the rivers he felt so deeply connected with.

Santi was lucky enough to attend World Class Kayak Academy in his senior year of High School and had the opportunity to travel through Canada and Costa Rica while learning Pre calc, English and paddling some of the best whitewater on the planet. From then on, he knew he wanted to paddle every single day of his life.

He has been on a constant quest to paddle and document his journey around the world; Canada, USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Italy and remote corners of Chile have been some of his destinations.

In recent years though, he started to grow some roots in a small town called Pucon, which is one of the most amazing whitewater destinations for kayakers, where he is the Sales Manager in Rivers Lakes & Oceans, the biggest kayak shop in South America.

Pucon is a beautiful place that allows you to go kayaking in the morning, work all day and then walk 2 blocks after work to catch the sunset on the lake.

Santi will be joining WCA for the upcoming 2025/2026 year as the Spanish and Media teacher where he can combine his passion for teaching, kayaking, filming and traveling.