Luca Brasi
Contributor
I’m looking at Malpelo as a next trip. I’m finding conflicting information on the internet. Some say more hammerheads in Jan- March, others say it doesn’t matter. Anyone with experience have an opinion? Thanks
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During the pandemic the vessel Silky operated by Biodiversity Conservation Colombia and Colombian National Parks was at Malpelo to monitor illegal fishing. Thankfully Malpelo was not greatly affected by illegal fishing during the pandemic. Since the park reopened we have seen massive schools of Hammers and Silkies. The Silkies were of particular concern and it is a very good sign that they are back in large numbers.I went late August/early September 2019 and it was probably the best diving experience of my life (otherwise I have done LOBs in Cocos, Socorro, deep south Maldives, BDE in Egypt, Tubbataha and elsewhere in Philippines, Rowley Shoals, Malaysia, French Polynesia etc). The water was relatively warm (I am always freezing and was very comfy in my 5 mm - temps were between 23-26 C) and we had schools of hammers on most dives, tons of other sharks on all dives (galapagos, silkies, white tips) and the occasional oceanic manta, whale shark, dolphins and more. I was told that February is the "best" month since the schools of hammerheads go up to 300some and tend to be very shallow, allowing for even longer dives (that being said, my experience was that by the time we hit 15 metres, we started seeing hammers). It is also the coldest month and can have crazy currents and very rough inclement weather (both for the passages as well as for while there as you are moored the entire time with very little shelter)
All of that being said, the 2 years during the pandemic during which time there was no LOB out there may have allowed for a ton of illegal fishing going unchecked (I know the Ferox's presence out there was initially a bit of deterrent and then they were reporting illegal fishing boats but maybe 10% of them would actually nabbed)...... A diving buddy of mine just got back from her trip to Malpelo and said she didn't see many sharks and found many dives boring which frankly is a shocking statement as my experience couldn't have been more opposite. I hope it was seasonal/bad luck more than crazy illegal fishing but I fear it may be the latter. Hopefully some others who go post-pandemic can share their experiences.