Malpelo Island
Colombia · Colombian PacificNear Malpelo
An isolated rock stack in the middle of the Pacific. Its coral reefs are small and not very diverse, but they are extremely well preserved: they survived the El Niño bleaching events of 1983-84 and 1997-98 that killed most of the coral in the Galápagos and Cocos.
Depth
10–40 m
Recommended level
Advanced, drift diving
Average visibility
25 m
Water temperature
26 °C
Current
Very strong
Access
Liveaboard
Best time
January-June
Recommended certification
Advanced Open Water
Approx. price
320 USD / dive
Protection status
Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Malpelo: la mayor zona de veda pesquera del Pacífico Este Tropical. Declarado Zona Marina Especialmente Sensible (PSSA) en 2003
UNESCO designation
Patrimonio Mundial (Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Malpelo, inscrito en 2006)
Did you know
Alberga la mayor colonia del mundo de piquero enmascarado. Desde 2005 forma parte, junto con Coco, Coiba, Gorgona y Galápagos, de un corredor biológico marino impulsado por la UNESCO y Conservation International.
Sources consulted: UNEP-WCMC World Heritage Datasheet; Smithsonian Ocean; UNESCO
Location
See on the interactive map1 park within 30 km — see the related spots section for more detail.
18 species documented in Malpelo Island
EndangeredOrca
Orcinus orca
Least ConcernTiburón de Galápagos
Carcharhinus galapagensis
VulnerableTiburón sedoso
Carcharhinus falciformis
Least ConcernDelfín mular
Tursiops truncatus
EndangeredTiburón ballena
Rhincodon typus
EndangeredTortuga verde
Chelonia mydas
Bonito listado
Katsuwonus pelamis
Cangrejo Sally Lightfoot
Grapsus grapsus
Coral de lóbulos
Porites lobata
EndangeredManta gigante oceánica
Mobula birostris
Pez erizo
Diodon hystrix
Pez piloto de la fragata
Nomeus gronovii
Ecosystem
Nearby parks
What is there to see on land, near this site?
Malpelo
2 km away
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