Rafael Coumbe grew up in the mountains of Northern California, where he was riding horses before most kids learned to read. That early connection to the outdoors shaped a life of adventure and service. In 1975, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving for 20 years as a Naval Air Crewman and Rescue Swimmer. He circumnavigated the world three times, served during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, the First Gulf War, and the War on Terror—and on one unforgettable afternoon off the coast of Oceanside, California, he saved a fellow sailor’s life.

A sailor since 1976, Rafael has spent decades exploring the waters of the Sea of Cortez, frequently basing out of San Carlos, Sonora. He holds B.S. degrees in Animal Science and Natural Resources Management and has worked in stream habitat restoration and trout behavior. His adventures on the water and in the air—he also holds a private pilot’s license—have given him a deep well of experience to draw from in his writing. Rats 2: Roaches and Missionaries is the story of a man running from his past, and the sea that refuses to let him hide.