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Return to Malpelo, July 20-30, 2023 on Colombia Dive Adventures, Ferox
My first visit to Malpelo was nearly exactly 2 years earlier
Trip Report - The Magic of Malpelo, July 9-18, 2021 on the Ferox
This report will be briefer. See the two gorgeous videos from my dive buddy, @Dan
Malpelo 20-30 July 2023
Diving El Arrecife in July 2023
Travel
I flew down to Miami from Philadelphia a day early because I could not get there early enough to make the flight to Cali on American Airlines. I stayed in the Miami International Airport Hotel. It was very convenient and made my check in the next morning a breeze. The flight to Cali was uneventful and we took a cab, arranged by the hotel concierge, to the Intercontinental Cali Hotel. The next afternoon, the Colombia Dive Adventures bus, included in the charter price, took us from Cali to Buenaventura. Once in Buenaventura, we were shuttled out to the Ferox in one of the RIBs. After a thorough safety briefing and being shown to our cabins, we were underway to Malpelo. The 310 mile crossing to Malpelo was much smoother than it was in 2021. The transdermal scopolamine patches were not really needed for this trip, but better safe than sorry.
The trip back to Buenaventura was also quite smooth. We spent one night on the Ferox, were bused back to Cali, spent a night at the InterContinental, and then flew back home.
Boat and Crew
I described the Ferox in detail in my 2021 review and will not repeat it all here. I would reiterate that the Ferox is not a luxury liveaboard, but a safe, sturdy, comfortable place from which to dive Malpelo. I had the starboard, main deck single cabin last trip, this time I had the port, main deck single. It was a little bit smaller but very comfortable, good bed, perfect air conditioning, good bathroom size and shower. The 12 passengers have 10 cabins, the 2 main deck singles, 6 below deck singles and 2 below deck doubles. I really appreciate the privacy of a single room. On this trip, the 12 guests were made up of 10 men and 2 women, a couple from Australia, a couple from Switzerland, a man from Canada, and 7 men from the US.
Dive days start early with fruit, breads, and coffee. Full breakfast, to order, is served after the first dive. Lunch, after dive two, and dinner, after dive three, are plated and served to the table. Though not gourmet, meals, often Colombian cuisine, are all quite good, varied, with plenty to eat. Several of us did not eat meat and got chicken or fish as the main course. There were no vegetarians or vegans on this trip. Colombian beer was available at no charge starting after the third dive and wine was available for purchase.
The all Colombian crew was very hardworking and would do anything they could to provide a safe, enjoyable trip. The cook’s helper serviced our rooms every morning during the first dive.
Diving
All diving in Malpelo is done from one of the two rugged, powerful rigid inflatable boats. Dan and I chose a half boat charter with Sten Johansson, who we had met as our guide during our 2021 trip to Malpelo. Sten is an extremely experienced guide for the Eastern Pacific with a couple of decades in the Revillagigedos and more than a decade in Malpelo. He has an uncanny ability to read the seas and plan the best dive. Above all, he is a very nice, thoughtful man. The guide for the other RIB was the very capable and experienced Jaime Orlando Lopez. You stay with your group of six divers, guide, and RIB driver for the entire trip. Our RIB driver went by the name, Popeye. He was small and sturdy, when you saw him hoist the BCs and tanks back onto the RIB, you realized how he got his nickname. The two RIBs go to different dive sites, you never see the other group underwater.
Dives are started with a back roll off the RIB. The group descends together, generally dives together, and ascends together to board the RIB. Cameras, weights, BC and tank, and finally, fins are passed up before climbing the good ladder. BCs, tanks, and fins stay on the RIB, tanks are filled in place. Dives are all with 32% nitrox. Standard tanks are AL80s, AL100s are also available for rent and are filled to the same pressure. Fills on this trip were good, an average of 3100 psi (3034-3200). I would recommend using the dive profiles I provide below, along with your gas consumption, to decide which cylinder is best for you.
One of the reasons I chose this particular charter was that it provided 7 days of diving rather than the more usual 6. We were able to do 21 dives on this visit, we had 18 dives in 2021. Based on my experience in 2021, I took my full 5 mm full suit and my 5/3 mm hooded vest. It turned out that the minimum temperature on dives this year was a full 4 degrees warmer than in 2021, 79 degrees (77-82) vs. 75 degrees (72-82). I wore my 5 mm wetsuit without the hooded vest and was just a little too warm on a few of the dives. I did wish that I had my 3 mm wetsuit. A pair of light, rugged gloves helps with a rock hold in surge or strong current.
The average maximum depth for all dives was 100 feet (76-114). The mean average depth was 59 feet (49-68). The average dive time was 66 minutes (59-75). I dive one computer running Buhlmann ZH-L16C at a GF high of 95 and one computer running DSAT. The average remaining NDL times were 11 minutes (1-30) and 13 minutes (3-30) respectfully. My average surfacing GF was 61 (46-78).
Here is a summary of the entire trip itinerary:
July 18 Fly to Miami from Philadelphia
July 19 Fly to Cali from Miami
July 20 Bus from Cali to Buenaventura, board the Ferox, sail to Malpelo
July 21 Sail to Malpelo
July 22 Arrive Malpelo, dive day 1
El Arrecife
D’Artagnan
La Gringa
July 23 Dive day 2
La Nevera
La Ferreteria
La Pared del Naufrago
July 24 Dive day 3
Bajo del Monstruo
Acuario
La Nevera
July 25 Dive day 4
El Arrecife
David, Three Kings
El Mirador
July 26 Dive day 5
David
La Catedral/Three Musketeers Porthos
La Ferreteria
July 27 Dive day 6
La Gringa/El Bajon
La Nevera
Baja del Ancla
July 28 Dive day 7, sail to Buenaventura
David, Saul, Sahara
Bajo del Monstruo/La Cara del Fantasma
Arrecife/La Cara del Fantasma/Bajo del Monstruo
July 29 Arrive Buenaventura
July 30 Bus to Cali
July 31 Fly home
(continued)
My first visit to Malpelo was nearly exactly 2 years earlier
Trip Report - The Magic of Malpelo, July 9-18, 2021 on the Ferox
This report will be briefer. See the two gorgeous videos from my dive buddy, @Dan
Malpelo 20-30 July 2023
Diving El Arrecife in July 2023
Travel
I flew down to Miami from Philadelphia a day early because I could not get there early enough to make the flight to Cali on American Airlines. I stayed in the Miami International Airport Hotel. It was very convenient and made my check in the next morning a breeze. The flight to Cali was uneventful and we took a cab, arranged by the hotel concierge, to the Intercontinental Cali Hotel. The next afternoon, the Colombia Dive Adventures bus, included in the charter price, took us from Cali to Buenaventura. Once in Buenaventura, we were shuttled out to the Ferox in one of the RIBs. After a thorough safety briefing and being shown to our cabins, we were underway to Malpelo. The 310 mile crossing to Malpelo was much smoother than it was in 2021. The transdermal scopolamine patches were not really needed for this trip, but better safe than sorry.
The trip back to Buenaventura was also quite smooth. We spent one night on the Ferox, were bused back to Cali, spent a night at the InterContinental, and then flew back home.
Boat and Crew
I described the Ferox in detail in my 2021 review and will not repeat it all here. I would reiterate that the Ferox is not a luxury liveaboard, but a safe, sturdy, comfortable place from which to dive Malpelo. I had the starboard, main deck single cabin last trip, this time I had the port, main deck single. It was a little bit smaller but very comfortable, good bed, perfect air conditioning, good bathroom size and shower. The 12 passengers have 10 cabins, the 2 main deck singles, 6 below deck singles and 2 below deck doubles. I really appreciate the privacy of a single room. On this trip, the 12 guests were made up of 10 men and 2 women, a couple from Australia, a couple from Switzerland, a man from Canada, and 7 men from the US.
Dive days start early with fruit, breads, and coffee. Full breakfast, to order, is served after the first dive. Lunch, after dive two, and dinner, after dive three, are plated and served to the table. Though not gourmet, meals, often Colombian cuisine, are all quite good, varied, with plenty to eat. Several of us did not eat meat and got chicken or fish as the main course. There were no vegetarians or vegans on this trip. Colombian beer was available at no charge starting after the third dive and wine was available for purchase.
The all Colombian crew was very hardworking and would do anything they could to provide a safe, enjoyable trip. The cook’s helper serviced our rooms every morning during the first dive.
Diving
All diving in Malpelo is done from one of the two rugged, powerful rigid inflatable boats. Dan and I chose a half boat charter with Sten Johansson, who we had met as our guide during our 2021 trip to Malpelo. Sten is an extremely experienced guide for the Eastern Pacific with a couple of decades in the Revillagigedos and more than a decade in Malpelo. He has an uncanny ability to read the seas and plan the best dive. Above all, he is a very nice, thoughtful man. The guide for the other RIB was the very capable and experienced Jaime Orlando Lopez. You stay with your group of six divers, guide, and RIB driver for the entire trip. Our RIB driver went by the name, Popeye. He was small and sturdy, when you saw him hoist the BCs and tanks back onto the RIB, you realized how he got his nickname. The two RIBs go to different dive sites, you never see the other group underwater.
Dives are started with a back roll off the RIB. The group descends together, generally dives together, and ascends together to board the RIB. Cameras, weights, BC and tank, and finally, fins are passed up before climbing the good ladder. BCs, tanks, and fins stay on the RIB, tanks are filled in place. Dives are all with 32% nitrox. Standard tanks are AL80s, AL100s are also available for rent and are filled to the same pressure. Fills on this trip were good, an average of 3100 psi (3034-3200). I would recommend using the dive profiles I provide below, along with your gas consumption, to decide which cylinder is best for you.
One of the reasons I chose this particular charter was that it provided 7 days of diving rather than the more usual 6. We were able to do 21 dives on this visit, we had 18 dives in 2021. Based on my experience in 2021, I took my full 5 mm full suit and my 5/3 mm hooded vest. It turned out that the minimum temperature on dives this year was a full 4 degrees warmer than in 2021, 79 degrees (77-82) vs. 75 degrees (72-82). I wore my 5 mm wetsuit without the hooded vest and was just a little too warm on a few of the dives. I did wish that I had my 3 mm wetsuit. A pair of light, rugged gloves helps with a rock hold in surge or strong current.
The average maximum depth for all dives was 100 feet (76-114). The mean average depth was 59 feet (49-68). The average dive time was 66 minutes (59-75). I dive one computer running Buhlmann ZH-L16C at a GF high of 95 and one computer running DSAT. The average remaining NDL times were 11 minutes (1-30) and 13 minutes (3-30) respectfully. My average surfacing GF was 61 (46-78).
Here is a summary of the entire trip itinerary:
July 18 Fly to Miami from Philadelphia
July 19 Fly to Cali from Miami
July 20 Bus from Cali to Buenaventura, board the Ferox, sail to Malpelo
July 21 Sail to Malpelo
July 22 Arrive Malpelo, dive day 1
El Arrecife
D’Artagnan
La Gringa
July 23 Dive day 2
La Nevera
La Ferreteria
La Pared del Naufrago
July 24 Dive day 3
Bajo del Monstruo
Acuario
La Nevera
July 25 Dive day 4
El Arrecife
David, Three Kings
El Mirador
July 26 Dive day 5
David
La Catedral/Three Musketeers Porthos
La Ferreteria
July 27 Dive day 6
La Gringa/El Bajon
La Nevera
Baja del Ancla
July 28 Dive day 7, sail to Buenaventura
David, Saul, Sahara
Bajo del Monstruo/La Cara del Fantasma
Arrecife/La Cara del Fantasma/Bajo del Monstruo
July 29 Arrive Buenaventura
July 30 Bus to Cali
July 31 Fly home
(continued)
