Malpelo description

Malpelo fauna and flora sanctuary – world heritage site (UNESCO)

Malpelo is the only oceanic island of Colombia and is the most western point of the country. It is located 330 km (188 nautical miles) from the pacific coast at coordinates 3° 58′ 36″ N, 81° 35′ 29″. This rocky mountain of approximately 2 km long is the top of a mountain range known as malpelo dorsal which rises from sea bottom to more than 4 km high. Diversity of marine fauna, which is possible to observe at malpelo, is due to a variety of marine currents such as equatorial current, panama current, north equatorial  current, Colombia current. Malpelo started to appear in world maps from around 1550, so its discovery has been established approximately around that period.

There is not certainty about the word Malpelo, but nowdays  there are two explanations. First of all, it could come from “ye mallabry” that is related with the term “mal abrigo” (bad shelter), which was used by map makers and sailors to refer to inhospitable places such as shores, islands and bay . Second, Malpelo could be a derivation of “malbolo”, related to the latin word “malveolus” which means  inhospitable.

Because its geographical and biological value, the Colombian government declared Malpelo island as a protected area in the category of fauna and flora sanctuary (SFF). In 2002, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognized Malpelo as Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). In 2006, Malpelo was declared  as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Among countless species of Malpelo, divers can see: whale shark, the rare small tooth sand tiger shark (odontaspis ferox), galapagos shark, schools of silky sharks, schools of scalloped hammerhead shark, whitetip shark, dolphins, tuna, different species of jacks, different species of snappers, rays, giant manta rays, The red-lipped batfish and many more.