Raquel “Rocky” Dakota only lasted one charter aboard the Below Deck yacht, but she made a serious impression on viewers after getting embroiled in one of the biggest storylines of the season. Dakota hooked up with bosun Eddie Lucas in secret and was hurt when he publicly denied anything happened between them. She also memorably tussled with chief stew Kate Chastain, who has her own dodgy history, as she was arrested after a domestic violence investigation.
A hero to some fans and a villain to others, whichever way you look at it, Dakota made sure nobody would forget her any time soon. After saying goodbye to reality television (and sadly enough, you can’t catch Below Deck on Netflix), she’s focused on making her actual life as positive as possible, embracing love, heartbreak, and loss along the way.
Rocky Dakota has embraced the active lifestyle she displayed on Below Deck
According to Distractify, Dakota traveled the world and stewed in Florida before moving to Hawaii in 2016, where she was based while in college. Dakota was evidently an athletic and super-fit person on Below Deck, and she hasn’t slowed down since, frequently showing off her impressive yoga poses on Instagram. She’s also been competing in open swim competitions, sharing this past June that she’d placed fifth in her age group and was just five minutes behind the eventual winner.
Of the challenge of such open swims, the Below Deck alum recently wrote, “For five minutes you would be getting pulled one way, then the next 10 min. you’d be getting pushed inside towards the shallow reef, then you’d hit a big rip, then you’d get a little side current, then you’d get into deep water, then into super shallow water, then we swam through a couple different surf zones… (my fave!!)”
Below Deck alum Rocky Dakota has suffered a painful loss and also found love
Although she may have had difficulties on the show with Lucas, in real life, Dakota has seemingly found her ideal man. Although it’s unclear what her beau, who pops up frequently on Dakota’s social media, is actually called, she signs certain posts “Mark & Rock,” leading many to speculate her boyfriend is in fact named Mark. The happy couple is naturally very outdoorsy, but they also love getting glammed up for elegant events.
It hasn’t been all positive for Dakota post-Below Deck, however. She lost her sister, also an accomplished athlete and stand-up paddling champion, back in 2017 in a car accident. A special tribute was held for her in California, with 1,000 surfers showing up to pay their respects. Dakota read a line from her sister’s journal at the service, “Note to self: continue to be awesome,” and the advice clearly stayed with her as the Below Deck alum recently alluded to it on Insta, writing after a swim competition, “Enjoy the journey, it will be over sooner than you think!”
Source: Read Full Article