I was reunited with Brad and Eric, whom I have previously met separately in Socorro. It wasn’t long ago when I last saw Brad, but it was great to see Eric again after over 10 years. Sergey, Katia and Denis completed another amazing team underwater and onboard Ferox. They are all wonderful people and it was a pleasure to guide them.
It was also nice to see my fellow guide and good friend, Arthur, whom I haven’t seen for many years.
Weather and Water Conditions
We had quite a lot of wind that made the seas a bit choppy. It also caused us to experience slightly rougher boat rides getting to our spots, especially to the south. When the stars are aligned, the south end of Malpelo is my favorite. Aside from the current that poses a challenge, there are also risks involved if you’re with inexperienced divers. You need to have the right conditions and the right divers, which I had.
This time, the current was almost negligible, which was good in one way, but sometimes it scatters out the animals a bit more.
Life Underwater: Fish and Sharks in Malpelo
We had a lot of life, that’s for sure! Not only were the sharks here, but we also encountered the big-eye jacks at Three Musketeers and the mullet snappers at the Aquarium. These are groups so big that we sometimes lost sight of each other in the schools.
At La Cara de la Fantasma, we also witnessed leatherbass, moray eels, and blue-fin Trevallys hunting together and being accompanied by some huge, very-excited Galapagos sharks.
Yes, we saw a whale shark nicely meeting us in the blue. It was a she and she was big!
Hammerheads Aplenty, But Hard to Get to
At almost every dive site we saw hammerheads, but often at a distance. They were not really getting in to the cleaning stations. I could see shadows of 50 – 100 individuals at a time, but they didn’t really count until the last day, when we got this nice group of over 300 hammerheads slowly moving over us. It is hard to get to them sometimes; you have to read the current, the way they move, where they come from. You also have to read how the cleaning fish are reacting. It is tricky and after so many dives, I am still learning. It is like being a hunter, and hunting as a group. Our group was great and understood well how to work together.
Being a Photographer Here
It’s very challenging being a photographer in these conditions. We have to think about the light, the current, the surge. It’s not all clear blue water like in the Caribbean, so it sets you on edge. There are plenty of animals, but capturing them is another matter. I brought my Sony RX100 III point-and-shoot camera with a Fantasea housing on the last two dives of six diving days and the photos in this article are the result of that. My diving friends were able to capture a lot more images.
Poachers of Underwater Life at Malpelo
Silky, the catamaran that guards Malpelo on a private initiative and support from people like you who come and dive here, was undergoing repairs. We were the only ones here now and we had more work chasing off illegal fishing boats this week than I had seen in a while. We even saw them multiple times a day. I tag along on these high-speed chases, which can get pretty dramatic. Our skiff captains are very dialed in, and we also have faster boats than the one that Silky has. It is actually a bit nerve-wracking when you think about what will happen in case we catch up to them and they are armed. We don’t have anything to defend ourselves with other than cameras, since we can’t have onboard our skiffs the marines that are based on the island. Our park ranger always comes with us, but he’s a civilian.
We picked up their fishing gear after they scooted away. This time, Ecuadorian long liners came to poach in the marine park. They launch small boats (maximum of 30 feet long) with powerful outboards from a bigger mothership that we never see. The big fishing boats stay behind the horizon with their AIS (Automatic Identification Signal) switched off, so they are out of sight and beyond the reach of our radar.
We will keep on diving and bringing divers here because every time you come here, you support the protection of the Island. And I thank you for coming.
Thank You!
Thank you, Brad, Eric, Sergey, Katya, and Denis. 3 nations in peace, just sharing time above and underwater. I hope we meet again soon!
If you would like to join me in January for a chance to see hammerhead sharks in greater numbers and closer to the surface, please email me or send me a message on my website. More information on the trip here: Malpelo Liveaboard Diving
