Home

Vanya
Mikey Houdini. Obviamente, el del pelo corto
Mikey Houdini. Obviamente, el del pelo corto
Rescue exercise in Zierbena (Spain)
Ejercicio de rescate en Zierbena

This is the personal web site of Yvan Figueiras-Ruiz, writer –winner of the I and the VII International Prizes of Historical Divulgation Juan Antonio Cebrián, commercial diver, sonar technician in submarines, photographer and graphic designer, as well as being a collaborator of the Radio Nacional de España program Espacio en Blanco and a member of the remembered radio show Dimensión Límite or Ángulo 13.

The site is created as a photo portfolio, with special emphasis on pictures os my voyages, like the Pacific Ocean crossing that the crew of the  SV White Pigeon managed to accomplish in 2018, Easter Island, Cape Horn, Namibia, the Middle East o any other place on Earth that I’ve had the pleasure to travel to.

In the section dedicated to my literary work there a some synopsis of the books I’ve had published: Los Enigmas de la Isla de Pascua, R.M.S. Titanic, Jack el Destripador: caso abierto, Enigmas y Misterios de la Mar and the recent Operaciones Nucleares Submarinas. I don’t want to forget to mention one of my hobbies: home robotics.

In the blog there are also links to my participation in several media, specially radio and the videos that i upload to my YouTube channel.

Thanks for visiting our site. We hope that the continuous renovations aren’t too annoying.

To view the web in spanish press here.

Y.F.R.

At the helm of the SV White Pigeon

New Russian “Submarine” in the Alboran Sea | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

We didn’t have to wait long. Just five days after three Russian oil tankers caused an ecological catastrophe, we have had the sequel. This time it was two cargo ships from the already famous Dark Fleet that took center stage off the Spanish coast, amid breakdowns and shipwrecks. This is what happens when we forget to carry out the necessary maintenance. Waiting for the next episode of the Putovich boys Enjoy!

 

Ep 1: Russian Invasion | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

On February 24, 2022, news shook the world: Russian forces had invaded Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a “Special Military Operation.” This is the story of those early days. At the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many expected a swift victory, but Ukrainian forces put up unexpected resistance, especially on the land front. However, Russia initially dominated the Black Sea with its powerful navy, destroying the Ukrainian fleet. The Ukrainians quickly adapted, creating a form of naval guerrilla warfare. By January 2022, Russia had reinforced its naval presence with amphibious ships, such as the Pyotr Morgunov and Ivan Gren classes, as well as submarines. Russian naval operations aimed to maintain a deterrent presence in the Black Sea to prevent NATO intervention, including military exercises and missile launches aimed at weakening Ukrainian morale. On February 24, 2022, Russia captured Snake Island, a key location near Odessa, after a famous exchange between Ukrainian border guards and the Russian warship Moskva. The Ukrainian soldiers’ refusal to surrender became a symbol of resistance, and later, Hrybov, the soldier who famously told the Moskva to “fuck off,” was awarded Ukraine’s highest honor. The defenders were initially reported dead, but were later found to be alive, and the Ukrainian Postal Service issued a stamp in their honor. Russia also imposed a naval blockade in the Black Sea and attacked third-country ships. On the eastern coast, Russia conducted amphibious landings near Mariupol, but despite positioning forces near Odessa, no large-scale assault took place. In response to the advancing Russian forces, the Ukrainian Navy sank its flagship, the Hetman Sahaydachniy, to prevent its capture.

 

Ecological catastrophe in the Black Sea | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya


Recently, the Russian “Shadow Fleet” has become an ecological time bomb, the most serious example of which was on December 17, when three river oil tankers sank near the Kerch Strait. What were these tankers doing sailing in a sea for which they were not authorized and in weather conditions far worse than their old hulls could handle? We will explain how something like this could have happened, from the point of view of a professional navigator and diver. There are no “filler” images; all the video clips correspond to the real events that occurred. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

 

La Escóbula de la Brújula – Evanescent Islands and Ships | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

There are islands that seen to play cat and mouse with sailors. Islands that are inscribed in maps for a long time untiel it is confirmed that they do not really exist. On occasion they are called “ghost islands”, the same that happens to boats and ships with crews that vanish without leaving a trace, creating al kind of speculation.

To dive deep into these amazing topics, we talk to the writer and commercial diver Yvan Figueiras, author of the book “Enigmas y Misterios de la Mar”, who will tell us about the Caleuche, the mysterious freighter Ourang Medan or the adventures of the ship-of-the-line San Telmo in Anctarctica

In the department of islands we couldn’t miss Saint Brendan, the 8th o 9th of the Canary Archipelago, Sandy Island or the Auroras.  Fernando López del Oso will tell us about pumice isles in the Pacific Ocean and Carlos Canales will mention islet Podestá and Ferdinandea, a volcanic island submerged (or not) in the Mediterranean.

 

 

Audio Player

Descarga directa

La Rosa de los Vientos – Mysteries of the Sea | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

Going back to La Rosa de los Vientos is like being back home after a long journey, because to Silvia Casasola & Bruno Cardeñosa. Thank you for some funny radio moments talking about the enigma and misteries of the sea.

Audio Player

 

Descarga directa

Espacio en Blanco – A Sea of Mysteries | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

Teacher, friend and the best travel companion. Sharing moments on the radio with Miguel Blanco is one of these gilty pleasures of life, this time talking about a sea of mysteries.

Audio Player

Audio Player

 

Part 1

Part 2

New Book! Enigmas and Mysteries from the Sea | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

Buques Fantasma; Desapariciones Misteriosas; Criptozoología; Faros encantados; Submarinos perdidos; Expediciones malditas

Are there rogue waves and other sea phenomena capable of engulfing a ship in seconds?
What is really the Flying Dutchman? Do Ghost Ships actually exist?
Do more ships go missing in the Bermuda Triangle than elsewhere?
What was the fate of the missing Franklin Expedition?

The sea is full of mysteries and unusual events that science has not yet been able to explain. Events that, even for seafarers or scholars, are still unknown. Since ancient times, many legends about the enigmas of the oceans have been passed from generation to generation and, although some have been classified as mere myths, others continue to put the scientific community in check.

The purpose of the author, a professional sailor and diver himself, is none other than to analyze many of the most famous arcana that occurred in the seven seas from the perspective of healthy skepticism.

In these pages we will discover that much of what we think we know is nothing more than noise that diverts our attention from the real unknowns. We will embark on an amazing journey to the ocean depths to discover all its immensity. Embark. You will never see the ocean the same way again

Sputnik Crisis and Vanguard – Space Race 1957 | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

The soviet success in putting not one, but satellites in earth orbit in less than a month started a general anxiety among US citizens. It looked as in any moment a nuclear bomb could fall over their heads. Anyway, there was an apparent huge gap in military technology between both countries…

Well, no. Both countries where paired. In fact Wernher von Braun’s and his team had been prohibited to attempt to launch any satellite, in spite of having the capabilities to do so a year before Sputnik was flown. But nothing stopped the fear, fueled by a disinformed and sensationalistic media.

Eisenhower’s answer was to be the Vanguard, a satellite/rocket civil project meant to show US citizes that their country was up to the challenge. The problem was that it all blew up to the sky… literally.

 

Sputnik 2 and Laika – Space Race 1957 | Yvan Figueiras

Vanya

A month after changing history with their Sputnik, Soviet engineers, led by Sergei Korolev, once again surprised the world. This time it was not a simple ball with a radio; they had managed to put a living being into orbit: the dog Laika.

We will learn how and why it was decided to sacrifice Laika at the same time that we will clarify some of the myths and lies that even today continue to hide what really happened before and after the Sputnik 2 mission.

Laika was not –far from it– the first living being to reach space, which is not the same as entering orbit. We will know something about other animals, such as monkeys or dogs that were released beyond the Karman line before the Russian dog; some managed to return, although many were not so lucky.

Laika had led the way. It wouldn’t take long for her to be followed by a human.