2019 November
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Malpelo is one of diving’s most iconic locations. This remote rock formation breaks the surface of the Pacific Ocean 500 kilometres from the Colombian mainland and is the centrepiece of The Malpelo Fauna and Flora Marine Sanctuary, a protected marine area and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 857,150 hectares sanctuary is the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. It is said to have one of the largest shark populations in the world giving divers the opportunity to see 200 to 300 hammerhead sharks and hundreds of silky sharks on any given dive. I had been wanting to go there ever since my first trip to Costa Rica’s Cocos Island in 2001. For the shark fan, there is an imaginary Golden Triangle between Cocos, Ecuador’s Galapagos and Colombia’s Malpelo where nutrient-rich currents from nearby deep water attract outstanding pelagic encounters. I had thoroughly enjoyed my trips to Cocos and Galapagos but still remained wary of the last corner of the triangle, Malpelo. I am prone to sea sickness and there is little protection at Malpelo from the Pacific Oceans swells but in 2019 I finally plucked up the courage to join Ron Hunter’s ‘Quest Tours” group aboard the Ferox.

Ferox was the only vessel with scheduled trips to Malpelo Island in 2019. An excellent boat, an excellent owner/skipper, an excellent crew and as Malpelo can have strong and changing currents you really would not have wanted less. Disappointingly, I only got one distant and all to brief glimpse of a school of hammerhead sharks and just one encounter with a whale shark and that in poor visibility – the pelagic life was frustratingly skittish. However, any trip with Ron is great fun and this trip was certainly no exception.