Diving Malpelo - questions

[FairyBasset]

Dear Divers,

I am thinking about making a trip in early Jan to Malpelo island, Colombia, and have several questions which hopefully someone out there may be able to answer!

1. Is it correct that only one boat is allowed into the marine park at a time? If yes, I guess I will have to see if I can get a place on a boat which is going in my time schedule.

2. I know about two liveaboards which go from Panama (The Inula and The Yemaya from Coiba Dive Expeditions). Can anyone recommend any other liveaboards either from Panama or Colombia?

3. What are the diving conditions like in early Jan? Water temp, typical viz etc. Would all the big stuff be out to play there at that time?

4. I am a rescue diver with around 80 dives, quite a strong swimmer, reasonably fit - so would I have any problems with diving conditions there?

5. Is there anything particular I should know / be aware of about Malpelo?

I would appreciate any help you could give me!
Thanks in advance.

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

You should have a great time at Malpelo in January - weather should be at its best and water at its warmest, though you can get some wicked thermoclines whish can drop a surface temp of 28C (82F) down by 10 degrees to 20C (68F). 5mm should be comfortbale but bring some layesr just in case.
1. Yes the Malpelo Park regulations allow only boat to Malpelo at any time.
2. Inula and Yemaya operate from Panama, and Nemo and Sea Wolf operate from Colombia. No boats operate from Costa Rica any more. We now have permits to run som trips from Ecuador to Malpelo in 2011 but dates are not yet set.
3. Diving conditions should be excellent at that time. Malpelo can be very changeable so hard to give exact answesr on when is best. Typically you should see schools of hammerheads and silkies by the hundreds (maybe thousands), and lots of jacks, rays, huge free swimming morays and lost more. Many people prefer Jun thru November and we recently had whalesharsk and humpback whales on same trip - but all in all Malpelo is pretty special.
4. Everyone's ability is different but you need to be very good to dive at Malpelo. Conditions can be very challenging for even the best and most experienced divers, with strong currents, sudden drops in water temps, and even some choppy seas, though January should be calmest period. I am not saying you should not go, but be aware that it is not a caribbean dive setting and it is a destination that I usually recommend to only experienced divers.

These are the current trips going to Malpelo in January:

Jan 7-16 9 nights - Yemaya – Malpelo+Coiba from Panama 12 spaces
Jan 23-31 8 nights - Sea Wolf – Malpelo from Colombia – charter available
Feb 1-11 10 nights - Yemaya – Malpelo+Coiba from Panama 15 spaces

Let me know by e-mail if you need more info and I can send you details of trips and more info on Malpelo.

Best, Dom
dom@diveadvice.com
DIVE ADVICE TRAVEL - Welcome to Dive Advice Travel

 

[FairyBasset]

Hi Dom,

thanks for the infos!

I think I am a pretty decent diver, quite calm also, especially once I am in the water. However it is still quite difficult to interpret what others write about conditions in comparison to your ability. You can see on my profile where I have dived - so maybe you can judge by that if I would be OK at Malpelo.

RE the currents; is it mainly drift dives at Malpelo, ie being pushed along fast, or do you mean the currents can push you down or off your dive plan?

Have you seen people having bad experiences etc there and if so, what were they and what caused them?

I really appreciate your help!
THX

 

[Maxposeidon]

Hi,

I just spoke with Jimmy a Instructor who worked 1 year on board of the Seawolf.
Visibilty usually is pretty good, but the water can drop down to 17°, water on the surface usuallly really rough so if you a suspectible for sea sickness this is not the time to go.
There is also another boat going whih is called Nemo a Catamaran operated by Aviatur.
Alle the big ones are there except for the whale sharks.
I know the all 4 boats, i have been on the Inula.
From clients I know that the Seawolf has really cold cabin due to central a/c. and if they take more than 16 divers on the trip the diving deck is too small.
I va been twice with Arvid on the Inula and this guy knows really what he is doing.
Nitrox, Trimix and Rebreather if you want, he get´s all. Good and plenty food.Excellent crew. The Cat stabile , max 9 divers on boat. Extremly safe orientaded diving, long experience, recharge for 110/ and 220V.
The only operator who never lost divers in Malpelo, from this note please exclude
Nemo and Seawolf, and the other Panama boat like they started their operating just
1/2 years ago.
With 80 dives should be ok, for example one point dive with Arvid that descends are pretty quick, all dives usally deeper than 30m, normally three dives per day, no nightdives allowed in Malpelo.
Most diving with current but on some spots against and sometimes holding on.
The big venatge which have the Col operators is the travel time to Malpelo, from Panama around 32 h, Seawolf around 6h to Gorgona and then 17h to Malpelo
One recomendacion, go for it, this is the ultimative spot and you never forgot it.
If you are lucky you don´t see water just hammerheads.

Max from Taganga

 

[Maxposeidon]

Forgot:
The Inula, no luxus but absolutey ok and funcional, in case definetly choose the upper beds ( the more expensive ones).

Max

 

[FairyBasset]

Hi,
The only operator who never lost divers in Malpelo, from this note please exclude
Nemo and Seawolf, and the other Panama boat like they started their operating just
1/2 years ago.
Max from Taganga

Sorry, I am not sure I understood this part of your message, which companies have not lost divers? I am particularly interested to hear about Yemaya. THX!

 

[Maxposeidon]

Noone of the companies we talking here have lost divers there,
the difference is the oprating time,
Inula since 2001
Seawoolf since 2009
Nemo since 2009
Yemaha since since 2009 but nor 100% sure

Lost divers happened in Malpelo and some of them are never found again.
Are you from Minga

Max

 

[FairyBasset]

Lost divers happened in Malpelo and some of them are never found again.

Are you from Minga

Is Malpelo similar to the Galapagos conditions then?
Lost divers due to currents, panic etc?

And hahahaha, I live in Minga... but am English! We just finished Oktoberfest!

And you are over towards Venezuela past cartagena, no? Nice there?

 

[Maxposeidon]

I live in Taganga,

what´s exactly happened is unknown, I just know that one colombian female divers ( I think she was the last one around 3 yeras ago ) just got missed during descent on the beginning of the dive. Diveside where it happened is relatively calm and easy. Other divers started search immediately but she was never found.
Accidents happens but with the right attitude, knowledge and experience diving skills Malpelo will be the highlight of diving experience, there are some pictures and reports in taucher.net

Prost
Max

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

Good info Taganga - sound advice - thank you. All the boats that currently operate to Malpelo are run by professionals and Arvid is amongst the best, but a lot of reasons for picking specific operations is to do with their availability. Here are osme optiosn for all boast to Malpelo and if you want a list of everything for the next 18 months - send me an e-mail.
Feb 1-11 10 nights - Yemaya – Malpelo+Coiba from Panama 15 spaces
Feb 9-16 7 nights - Nemo – Malpelo from Colombia – charter available
Feb 12-20 8 nights - Sea Wolf – Malpelo from Colombia – charter available
Feb 13-20 7 nights - Yemaya – Coiba from Panama 9 spaces
Feb 18-25 7 nights - Nemo – Malpelo from Colombia – charter available
Feb 21-28 7 nights - Yemaya – Coiba from Panama 11 spaces
Feb 24-Mar 7 11 nights - Inula – Malpelo
Mar 4-14 10 nights - Yemaya – Malpelo+Coiba from Panama 4 spaces
Mar 11-18 7 nights - Nemo – Malpelo from Colombia – charter available
Mar 16-24 8 nights - Sea Wolf – Malpelo from Buenaventura Colombia 10 spaces
Mar 16-23 7 nights - Yemaya – Coiba from Panama 10 spaces
Mar 22-Apr 5 14 nights - Inula – 6 days Malpelo/5 days at Coiba Panama - 2 spaces cabin #5

Cheers, Dom