My First Malpelo Half Charter
It hasn’t been all fun and games. I have seen a lot of things that have turned my chest hair gray. After 25 years of being a dive guide, last month was my first time to bring my own small group to Malpelo on a half charter.
Malpelo Dive Log: April 18-28, 2019
Last month I brought my first group to Malpelo on a half-boat charter onboard Ferox. I wanted to have like-minded, solid divers with no ego so that I could focus on my work as a guide and do what I am good at.
I had the best divers! We all had the right attitude and we ended up having the best trip!
Please continue reading for the Malpelo dive log of my trip.
Setting up a Mongolian Ger
Altai, Mongolia, 2016. We have been camping in our tent the past few days. On this month-long visit to Genghis Khan’s home country, our accommodations have ranged from hotel rooms and hostels to lodges and tents.
We are walking out of a valley and looking at our map to decide our next destination. Suddenly, we see a minibus similar to the Russian marshrutka from World War II approaching down the road. It’s loaded with stuff and amidst all of it a man and a woman are squeezed in.
The Great Wall Between Two Countries (Part One)
MAKING A SLIGHT DETOUR
“Let’s go to a country you haven’t been to!” My wife says.
“Let’s go to a country where I won’t meet any divers!” I said.
Mongolia: 3 million inhabitants and lots of open space! Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan), the great conqueror of the world, was born here.
But first, Beijing.
The Great Wall Between Two Countries (Part Two)
REACHING OUR DESTINATION
We arrive in the middle of the night in Ulaanbaatar, where more than half of the population of Mongolia live. It’s a very modern city and the most polluted capital in the world according to studies. Using coal for energy and heating in a valley on a high plateau might have helped them get to the top of the list. It’s not a pretty place.
The Great Whites of Guadalupe, Mexico
It was the year 2007 when Mike Lever, the owner of Nautilus Explorer made the first shark cage to be tested. I was the one tasked to be the first one to try it out.
They said it was designed by a naval architect. Perfect!
I took a look at it and said, “Wait…” Then I went and picked up my BCD and regulator. I didn’t trust the damn thing.
Top 3 Reasons Why I Have Chosen Ferox as My First Malpelo Liveaboard Charter
People have been asking me how they can dive in Malpelo or do a liveaboard charter now that Yemaya, which I considered to be the safest dive vessel at the time, is no longer operating. I couldn’t recommend anyone else.
Last month I had the opportunity to check out the operation of the new liveaboard Ferox. I fell in love with the boat very quickly!
A Rich Man Living a Simple Life
My wife and I went for a short exploration trip in our Toyota Tacoma, the vehicle that I finally managed to buy after the worst car I have ever owned, a Ford Explorer (or “The Ford Exploder,” as we used to call it.) To keep life simple, we didn’t come up with a particular plan. We just drove and let the road lead us to our destination.
R – E – S – P – E – C – T
This afternoon I went to the beach with my wife to gather some logs that got washed up ashore from some distant storm. While I was chopping the bark off one of the two stumps that I found in the arroyo (dry riverbed), a man called out to me from the beachfront property across from where I was minding my own business. He told me in no uncertain terms that I was in his yard. According to him, I was trespassing. I politely informed him that I was in the arroyo and on the beach. Both were public property.
We All Could Use a Bit of Perspective
Adventure always seems to follow me around. It shows up in different forms — a broken toe, a burglar breaking in, an uzi pointed at me, a capsized kayak, a prison cell, an underwater connection, a lifetime friendship. Things happen to me all the time, I wish for a normal life sometimes. But who’s to say what’s ‘normal’?