The final itinerary choices are, of course, always dependent upon weather, sea conditions and where the best animal sightings are at any particular time of year

Diving in Malpelo is for advanced divers. The strong and quickly changing currents demand experience to react to them. In some places like the Gringa and David, located on the south side of the island, you’ll do direct descents to 30 meters and it’s not uncommon that due to strong winds and rough seas only one side can be dived on the island. That having been said, there’s little in the world more exciting and rewarding for a diver than a good trip to Malpelo.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DIVING

3 Musketeers : Three majestic rocks, poking their noses out of a turbulent ocean, provide, perhaps, the most iconic diving in the Malpelo waters. Whale sharks love to gather here and when the currents are right (not too strong) you’ll dive with massive schools of jacks, batfish, goatfish, grunts & groupers … plus Galapagos sharks, plenty of lovely silkies & eagle rays. The Cathedral, a coral & sponge-covered swim-through in the center rock, with its undulating sweepers and endemic fish, is a real beauty.

Acuario : South of 3 Muskateers is a site well-known, first, for its amazing white anemones but also its schools of silky sharks, large schools of snappers and …. from May to September, visiting whale sharks.

Arrecifes (Virginia’s Alter): A wall with Malpelo’s best corals starts this off as a unique diving site. The smaller versions of Malpelo marine life in the reef (angelfish, surgeonfish, Moorish idols, damselfish, snappers, trumpetfish) attract swarms of bluefin tuna, barracudas and groupers, which attract hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. Then, there’s the cleaning station for hammerheads for added interest. (Currents can be extreme here and the conditions don’t always allow for diving at Arrecifes).  Nearby is Fantasma, where you’re likely to see the largest school of barracuda imaginable … plus snapper shoals, whitetip reef sharks and some hammerheads … and at Bajo del Monstruo you have perhaps the best opportunity of spotting sand-tiger sharks

Ferreteria: If you love moray eels, you’ll love Ferreteria. There’s a great population of them here inhabiting virtually every crevice, but also big schools of lumberjacks, leatherbass, yellowfin tuna, Pacific dog snappers plus scorpionfish and Creolefish. You’re also likely to encounter silkies and there’s an excellent good chance of running into whale sharks in season.

La Gringa: The strong currents at this site tend to attract big animals …. silky sharks & hammerheads … as well as mantas, large wrasses and jacks amongst others. The swim-through adds to the excitement of diving with this crew.

Nevera (The Fridge): Perhaps best-known for its cleaning station, La Nevera is almost guaranteed to offer up super shark action due to the number of animals which come to be cleaned. The ever-present silky sharks & scalloped hammerheads should be here, with black-tipped reef sharks & Galapagos sharks being strong possibilities. Add in eagle rays darting around and even dolphins … then throw in a whale shark or two in season. Brightly colored Creole fish add their startling color to the mix

Scuba: The very best opportunity for spotting (and ideally photographing) the red-lipped batfish.