Malpelo Island

Malpelo Island is a remote volcanic outcrop in the eastern Pacific, roughly 500 kilometres off the Colombian mainland, and its surrounding waters form a marine sanctuary and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is known primarily for large pelagic encounters, including big schools of hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, and Galapagos sharks, along with schooling jacks and the occasional whale shark passing through. The site is reachable only by liveaboard, given the distance from shore, and dives are typically drift dives along steep rocky walls and pinnacles in open water with strong current. Depths commonly range from the surface down past 30 metres, and because of the current, depth, and open-ocean exposure, it is considered an advanced destination suited to experienced divers.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Hump CoralPorites lobataReported here · unconfirmed
• Shoulderblade CoralPavona clavusReported here · unconfirmed
• Blue-and-gold SnapperLutjanus viridisReported here · unconfirmed
• Black-nosed ButterflyfishJohnrandallia nigrirostrisReported here · unconfirmed
• King AngelfishHolacanthus passerReported here · unconfirmed
• Galápagos GregoryStegastes arcifronsReported here · unconfirmed