Captain Octavian Tarabuta was born on May 27th, 1966 in Roman, Neamt county.

He graduated from "Roman Voda" Mathematics and Physics College in Roman in 1984. Upon completion of the military service, between 1985 and 1990, he attended the Naval Artillery, Missiles and Underwater Weapons study program at the Military Technical Academy in Bucharest.

After graduating from the Military Technical Academy, between 1990 and 1991, he was second technical officer on board 111 "Marasesti" Frigate. Between 1991 and 1998, he was an assistant lecturer in the Department of Underwater Weapons at "Mircea cel Batran" Naval Academy.

His professional training began with a surface warfare course at the Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego, U.S.A., between September 1998 and February 1999. In June 1999 he attended a course on mine countermeasures at Ecole Navale de Guerre de Mines, in Ostende, Belgium, and in September 1999 the Naval Operation Planning course according to Nato/PfP standards at the Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport U.S.A.

He completed a post - universitary course - Defence Systems Engineering at the Military Technical Academy in Bucharest in 2002, and a course on operating Sting Ray anti-submarine warfare torpedo at BAE Systems Portsmouth in Great Britain in 2003.

In September 2005 Captain Tarabuta participated in the "Academic Instructor" course at the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, and in May 2007, he taught part of the "Sea mines and minefield planning" module of the "Mine Countermeasures" course at the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Quebec, Canada.

Between 1998 and 2007, he was a lecturer for the Underwater Weapons study program, and between 2007 and 2009 Chief of Information and Public Relations Department.

Between 2002 and 2009 he pursued his doctoral studies at the Military Technical Academy in Bucharest and obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

In 2009 he was elected head of the Naval Academy's Department of Electrotechnics, Communications and Naval Weapons, and in 2013 he was promoted to deputy commander (vice-rector) for international programs and relations of "Mircea cel Batran" Naval Academy.

On July 5th 2016, Captain Tarabuta was confirmed as Rector of "Mircea cel Batran" Naval Academy, and was appointed on August 15th 2016.

Captain Octavian Tarabuta is married with two sons. He is a fluent English speaker.