Dive Review of Columbia Dive Adventures in
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Columbia Dive Adventures: "Inspiring Diving In Malpelo", Jun, 2023, by Dean, CO, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 12800 has 2 Helpful votes.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
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Comments	Inspiring Diving In Malpelo Summary Malpelo is a stunning site that is special for its variety and quantity of fish and the pristine ruggedness of its location. There are many reasons that it is a UNESCO World Heritage site but the overall diving experience is what drew me here. For others it is the opportunity to see sharks such as large schools of hammerheads and silkys, Galapagos sharks, and occasional tiger sharks. So strong is the allure of Malpelo, for most of the divers onboard this was a repeat trip and some were in the middle of multiple trips for the year. I understand their enthusiasm and would highly recommend this destination and Colombia Dive Adventures. Diving Highlights UNESCO Heritage Site From the UNESCO web site “Malpelo is the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific…Widely recognized as one of the top diving sites in the world, due to the presence of steep walls and caves of outstanding natural beauty, these deep waters support important populations of large predators and pelagic species (e.g. aggregations of over 200 hammerhead sharks and over 1,000 silky sharks, whale sharks and tuna have been recorded) in an undisturbed environment where they maintain natural behavioral patterns.” Park Staff A volunteer organization, Protect Malpelo, and the park maintain a catamaran on the site for staff to protect against illegal fishing, monitor the environment, and educate divers. They often spend time on the Ferox and are a great source of information about the inhabitants of the island above and below the water along with sharing tales of illegal fishing encounters. This starts after the Ferox arrives at Malpelo where they provide an informative presentation about the island, protection measures, and what is expected from divers to ensure the quality of the marine park is maintained. No onerous restrictions: don’t touch the bottom, don’t harass the wildlife, no reef hooks, etc. They also accompany the divers to survey their adherence to the rules. Protect Malpelo has some excellent information on their web site along with pics and video. [protectmalpelo.org link] Military The military maintains a small outpost on the island and will occasionally visit the ship. It’s entertaining to watch as they access their post using a rope ladder that rises 50’-75’ from the water. They perform a vital service as they are able to scan for poachers from high atop the island and have the communication gear to call in the navy when needed. Adventure Diving Malpelo has the feel of adventure. It’s remote location, lack of amenities, tales of divers lost, and ongoing struggles against poachers remind you that this isn’t your typical Caribbean excursion. Only one LOB at a time can be moored at Malpelo and the number of divers is limited. For us, this means that the 10 divers onboard have the islands to ourselves and this group is split in two with a guide and 5 divers to each RIB. The guests on my trip are a mix of mostly Germans, two Japanese, and two North Americans. Everyone spoke English, luckily for me, so it was great meeting and sharing stories from this very experienced group. One example of their breadth of experience is when a question arose about the diving on Borneo. Someone had the answer and provided their video to support it. Many had been to Malpelo before and some were making multiple trips within a year. Diving was from the RIBs where most of your gear remains for the trip with tanks being refilled on the RIB. There is a bit of a dance getting onto and off of the RIBs as you time the rolling of the ship with the bobbing and weaving of the RIB. We all mastered this soon enough without incident. Each diver is assigned a personal locator beacon (PLB) and trained how to use it. The crew tested the locator system was working at least once during the cruise. SMB and other signaling devices are also mandatory. After typically short rides to the dive sites of about 10 minutes, we all back rolled off the sides following a count down from the dive master. Our group was enthusiastically in pursuit of big animals and hammer heads in particular. Sometimes this meant checking out a cleaning station. Other times it meant drifting in open water. Over the course of the trip we saw a wide mix of critters large and small in the open water and nooks and crannies. Water conditions were ok during the trip at the start of June. Temps were 81-83 degrees at depths which is warm for Malpelo. Clarity wasn’t the best. You could see 75 feet most days but there was a cloud of nutrients in the water which diminished the light and made it difficult to track other divers at times as they would disappear except for some colorful object they were wearing like white fins. Of course, it made it difficult to spot sharks too. Sharks The stars of the show were the sharks. On our checkout dive we saw a friendly whale shark. He circled the group and was curious about my video lights. Setting the stage for a great trip by circling and then coming directly toward me. I had to drop down to get out his/her way. We often saw Galapagos sharks, who were not too shy, and could be found in groups of 5-10 in a cleaning station or patrolling around alone or in pairs. We found a few white tips sleeping in protected places too. Silkys also made appearances. A small tiger shark was spotted by a member of our group but I missed this sighting. The main event was the shy hammerheads. We would see one or two at a time every couple of dives. Usually, they would slowly turn around with graceful undulations of their tails and slip from view. There are large schools patrolling Malpelo and we did see them a few times. It was spectacular to see a large group filling the scene with maybe 100 or more creatures. As wonderful as this experience was, other divers shared their videos from previous trips where the hammerheads were not shy and would swim amongst the divers. Events like this are siren’s calls for many and lull divers back for repeat trips. Fish Gracefully gliding eagle rays are amongst the other denizens of Malpelo. They made appearances regularly and were always a joy to see cruise past. The leather bass or marbled grouper were regularly encountered too. Huge schools of barracuda slowly spinning around, butterfly fish, trevally, and snapper all were inspiring. One memorable event involved tuna. A 30’ tall wall of yellow fin tuna paraded by. This demonstration lasted for several minutes and there must have been hundreds if not thousands of individual fish. The bright yellow fins streaming off the top and bottom along with their yellow triangles protruding from the rear bodies were picturesque. Many other interesting fish can be found like the hog fish, angel fish and frog fish though some are easier to spot than others. Other Critters The topography under Malpelo is largely stone with barnacles dominating the scene. However, in places there are some brilliant orange and yellow corals, large fans, and plate corrals. Scattered amongst the bottom is a large and healthy population of eels which are anything but shy. These eels often gather together in packs of 5 or more individuals and are not afraid of free swimming directly towards divers. Other fun creatures include octopus, lobster, and the curious sea bird immersing its head under water for a better look at us strange divers. We were able to spot a small bait ball trying to hide amongst floating debris. At the surface, sea birds were plucking the unfortunate fish. Underwater, a nice gathering of sharks, mostly silkys, were feasting on the buffet. You felt sorry for the little guys until they tried to use you as a shield which lured the hungry sharks toward you. Getting There A formidable challenge is just getting to Malpelo island. For me it included traveling from Denver through Miami to Cali Colombia on American. You should arrive a couple of days early to mitigate the risks of cancelled flights and delayed luggage. Next, is a 3-4 hour bus ride to the port city of Buenaventura to board the boat. Finally, there is a transit of a day to Malpelo so diving starts two days after boarding as a result. Returning is a similar process and timing your outbound flight to provide a safe buffer time is important. Things to do in Cali Cali isn’t the most tourist friendly place. The city is clean and modern, the people are friendly, it is safe enough to walk around. However, it isn’t a tourist destination and doesn’t cater to those that don’t speak Spanish particularly well. Having said that, there is some history in Cali dating back to the conquistadors. Sebastián de Belalcázar arrived with Columbus and went on to found Quito in modern day Ecuador and three years later Cali in 1537. This long Spanish influence is still visible around the city. You can keep yourself busy on a few local tours or visit mountain towns but set your expectations accordingly. Accommodations There are several modern hotels available in the heart of the city. Colombia Dive Adventures has a special rate with the Intercontinental hotel. Be sure to ask about the details since it is good for about 50% off. This hotel is also the meeting point for the bus ride to the ship. I opted to stay at the Hampton Inn which is little further away but was also a clean and modern hotel that offered good prices and a tasty breakfast. Uber operates in Cali and it is an economical way to get around. Taxis are available too but there are warnings about the safety of using them from locals. If in doubt, book a taxi with your hotel. Tours There are a few tours to mountain towns for the day. You can research these on the web easily enough. To see the highlights of Cali, hire a driver for a half day. This is enough time to see the more interesting sites around town and get oriented to the city. Later, you can walk to many places to join the night life and sample a restaurant or two. Walk Around The Salsa Capital of the World There is a small river that flows through the city near the Intercontinental. Along its banks are paths and sidewalks that lead through an art park, near restaurants, and into the city. This can be a pleasant diversion day or night. Weekend nights are alive with Salsa bands and locals dancing in the street. Cali is the Salsa capital of the world and locals enthusiastically support the music and dance. Food Cali seems to pride itself on quality dining. There are some first-class gourmet restaurants offering a variety of cuisines with very reasonable prices for Americans and Europeans. One example is Gastroteca which is situated on the Cali River. There are many more neighborhood bistros too which can be found and researched on the web. Colombia also makes some notable rums which make nice cocktails and souvenirs. Language It helps if you can speak some Spanish but it isn’t strictly required. I don’t speak Spanish but was able to get around. It can be frustrating at times since the locals typically don’t speak English. Just be prepared and know the results are often worth muddling through the inconvenience. Google translate can also be helpful. You can always hide out in your hotel if this struggle is too challenging. Ferox Details The ship is named the Ferox which is a type of sand tiger shark that can sometimes be spotted at Malpelo in deep water. We didn’t see any on our trip. Colombia Dive Adventures has another identical ship now called the Vivax. Boat Details The Ferox is a retired Swedish Navy mine layer. It is ruggedly built with 11mm steel hulls designed for the icy conditions of the northern oceans. She has a reputation for being a safe and solid ship. It also has some unique features to protect the environment like an onboard waste water treatment plant which is important when anchored in a world heritage site. Safety Significant effort has been made to make the ship as safe as possible. This includes using a minimum of materials that can burn in the construction, multiple smoke detection systems, and multiple firefighting systems. We were given a safety briefing including showing the exit routes from my cabin (2 routes were available from my below deck cabin), instructions for where and when to charge batteries, and procedures for where to assemble in an emergency. My only negative comment here is that we did not perform an actual evacuation drill and the life jackets were stored under a ladder on the main deck instead of in the cabin. Comfort Though the ship is rugged and reliable it is not particularly comfortable. On the plus side cabins are mostly single beds with ensuite bathrooms which is great for those who like their privacy. However, the rooms are cramped and all metal other than the bedding. In addition, some of the bathrooms are odd shaped and small forcing some bigger folks to squeeze in to use the facilities. The lounge is also cramped but does have a big screen tv for watching movies. Dining is on the dive deck using a picnic table type configuration with fixed benches. Roll down plastic can be deployed to block wind and rain but you are still outdoors and, if it is cold or windy, doesn’t offer much protection. A couple of other outdoor spaces are also available for relaxing on bean bag cushions and bar stools. Lastly, this is a war ship at its core. It doesn’t have stabilizers to prevent rolling like cruise ships. It will roll from side to side when anchored in even mild conditions and is not uncommon to have the deck nearly touching the water on both sides while eating a meal. All of the divers quickly adjusted to the motion of the ship. I sometimes have issues with sea sickness but had no problems on this trip though some might want to use a patch or other medicines. Food The food was hearty and plentiful. The crew met the dietary restrictions of the divers and always offered alternatives for each meal. Breakfast included made to order egg options, fruits, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. Lunch and dinner were a combination of Colombian and western cuisine. Snacks were provided between meals and the complimentary beer served with snacks after the final dive. All meals were brought to the guests.
Websites	Columbia Dive Adventures
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Indonesia, Fiji, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Florida, California, Columbia, Costa Rica, Hawaii, French Polynesia, other inland reservoirs.
Closest Airport	Cali	Getting There	Denver to Miami. Miami to Cali. Overnight in Cali then 3 hour bus ride to Buenaventura to the Ferox
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	81-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	25-75 Ft/ 8-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dove as a group for safety reasons. With only 6 divers and a guide for both groups there was plenty of room to spread out. Dive times were typically 65-75 mins and max depth was 85'-100'. Park rules emphasized care of the site and wildlife. These rules were adhered to by staff and divers.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Accommodations for UWP were meager. There is a spartan camera table on the deck that is used for multiple purposes. Fortunately, on my trip there weren't a lot of camera rigs being used and they tended to be compact. Battery charging was done in a lounge above the main deck. The ribs don't have camera storage and cameras were piled in the bow. There are several medium sized rinse tanks on deck.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Columbia Dive Adventures in Colombia

Columbia Dive Adventures: "Inspiring Diving In Malpelo", Jun, 2023,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Columbia Dive Adventures in
Colombia