Dive Malpelo Coiba Island Liveaboard Diving Marine Life Wildlife Panama Colombia Pacific hammerhead silky whale shark- Aqua-Firma

Malpelo & Coiba Island Dive Liveaboards

White-fronted Capuchin

Sub species of Black Howler monkey endemic to Coiba Island

Cell 12 in the former prison on Coiba Island

Frog fish disguised amongst sponges

The Eastern Pacific has some of the most prolific fish life you will find anywhere

Standard cabin

Malpelo Island

Malpelo Island is simply one of the best dive sites on the planet, in the same class as Cocos and the Galapagos but dived by far far fewer people. This Colombian Island is one of the cornerstones of possibly the most pristine tropical pelagic regions as marked out by the islands of Galapagos, Cocos, Malpelo, Coiba and Gorgona.

It takes us about 28 hours to reach Malpelo Island – an eroding mid-ocean table mountain far out in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Colombia. Beneath the water the reefs here are visited by schools of sharks - difficult to equal anywhere in the world. Enormous schools of silky sharks often share space with up to 300 hammerhead sharks. White tips, Galapagos sharks, whale sharks and a rare deep water ragged tooth shark are also found here, as well as giant schools of angel fish, Creole fish, tuna and jacks.

One of the most striking features of Malpelo is its shear sense of ocean wilderness. This far from a continental shelf the visibility can be superb, ranging from 20 to 40 metres. Ocean currents contribute enormously to the rich marine life here, but also make it a demanding dive site which is not suitable for beginner divers. Summer water temperatures are more comfortable than the Galapagos at between about 25^o – 28^o Centigrade, but in the Northern Hemisphere winter when marine life can be particularly prolific, water tepmeratures can drop below 20^oC. Thermoclines can reduce temperatures further at any time of the year.

Coiba Island Marine Life

Whilst Coiba Island is news to many divers, sports fishermen around the world know that the waters off this part of Panama are home to some of the largest schools of the biggest specimens. This includes some huge black and blue marlin, Pacific sail fish, dorado, groupers, wahoo and yellow-fin tuna.

Of even greater interest to the scuba diver, these waters are excellent for finding sharks including bull sharks, white-tip reef, black-tip reef, tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks, scalloped and great hammerheads and whale sharks. The coral reefs here include the second largest coral reef in the Eastern Pacific.

Whales, dolphins and four types of marine turtle are also found in the waters around Coiba, with some of the best opportunities coming in the form of humpback whales – in particular between May and October. Other marine mammals include fin & pilot whales, large pods of bottle nose, pan-tropical spotted dolphins, common and spinner dolphins, and seasonal visits from orcas, sperm whale and toothed whales.

The Rainforests of Coiba

Whilst the focus of these trips is the diving, but you will have the chance to experience something of the primary rainforest which covers 85% of the island of Coiba. Once the site of a lone prison, Coiba is now fully protected and a refuge for large flocks of scarlet macaws, the elusive crested eagle and endemic mammals which include the Coiba Agouti (Dasyprocta coibae), a subspecies of the howler monkey (Alouatta palliata coibensis), the opossum subspecies Didelphis marsupials battyi, and a subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus rothchildi).

There are large populations of bat here and some 147 species of bird of which one is endemic and 20 have sub-species here found nowhere else. The plant life is equally exuberant with mangroves enjoying a 5 metre tidal range and an interior rainforest which remains largely unexplored.

Extending your stay in Latin America

Aqua-Firma is a specialist at above and below water travel. There are some excellent wildlife opportunities in Panama and nearby Costa Rica, as well as active volcanoes, cloud forests and beaches. For further information about these and other countries in Latin America, please contact us.

Dates - Malpelo & Coiba

2012    11^th - 22^nd Jan
              (12 days with 7 days diving Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
               Special offer: 11 - 22 Jan trip is at our 10 days price
           30^th Jan - 8^th Feb
             (10 days with 5 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
               5^th - 15^th Mar
               (11 days with 6 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            20^th - 30^th Mar
               (11 days with 6 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            5^th - 15^th Apr
               (11 days with 6 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            4^th - 13^th Aug
               (10 days with 5 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            17^th - 26^th Aug
               (10 days with 5 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            29^th Sept - 9^th Oct
               (11 days with 6 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)
            5^th - 15^th Dec
               (11 days with 6 days Malpelo & 1 day Coiba)

2012 liveaboard only itineraries are Panama City – Panama City.
Add US$295 pp for transfers starting and ending Panama City airport, 2 nights in a Panama City hotel before your trip and 1 night in a Panama City hotel after your trip.

Prices - Malpelo & Coiba (2012)

US$3,490 pp sharing 11 day trips
add US$290 pp for en suite cabin
add US$580 for a master cabin en suite

Add US$290 for 11 day trips
Add US$580 for 12 day trips

Single supplement if you are willing to share a cabin with someone of the same gender then the supplement is $265 to cover single rooms and transfers in Panama City.

Prices include
All meals onboard.
Breakfasts in Panama City
Non-alcoholic drinks
Dive master service
Up to 4 dives per day.
Air fills, tanks and weights and if needed, fins, mask and snorkel.
Use of kayaks.
Land excursions.

And if selected:-

All transfers from arrival in Panama City to delivery back to Panama City Tocumen airport
All boat based and hotel accommodation (3 star)

Prices exclude
International flights
Alcoholic drinks
NITROX add £65 / $100 for whole trip
NITROX tuition
Dive kit rental
Onboard telecommunications
Visas
Tips
Items of a personal nature
Malpelo National Park entry fees of US$85* per day there
Coiba National Park entry fee of US$20*.
A fuel surcharge may apply of oil prices increases. At the time of writing no fuel surcharge applies.
International departure tax (US$20 at latest check)

*correct at time of writing

Flights international flights currently available with Aqua-Firma for £685 pp inclusive of taxes. Please call if you are interested to discuss potential extensions in Panama, Costa Rica or elsewhere in Latin America.

Photographs kindly provided by Kadu Pinheiro, Alexander Balaguer & Cristiano Paoli

Panama - Colombia - Costa Rica - Latin America - Venezuela - Malpelo - Galapagos - Coiba - Gorgona - Eastern Pacific - Belize

Dates - Malpelo & Coiba

Prices - Malpelo & Coiba (2012)

US$3,490 pp sharing 10 day trips
add US$290 pp for en suite cabin
add US$580 for a master cabin en suite

Add US$290 for 11 day trips
Add US$580 for 12 day trips

Single supplement if you are willing to share a cabin with someone of the same gender then the supplement is $265 to cover single rooms and transfers in Panama City.

And if selected:-

All transfers from arrival in Panama City to delivery back to Panama City Tocumen airport
All boat based and hotel accommodation (3 star)

Prices exclude
International flights
Alcoholic drinks
NITROX add £65 / $100 for whole trip
NITROX training & certification
Dive kit rental
Onboard telecommunications
Visas
Tips
Items of a personal nature
Malpelo National Park entry fees US$85 per day there
Coiba National Park entry fee of US$20*.
A fuel surcharge may apply of oil prices increases. At the time of writing no fuel surcharge applies.
International departure tax (US$20 at latest check)

*correct at time of writing

Day 1
Arrive Panama City where you will be met and transferred privately to your hotel.

Day 2
(B)
Day in Panama City. Overnight in city hotel.

Day 3
(B,L,D)
From Panama City we will drive west to the Gulf of Mentijo. This is the closest navigable point on the Panamanian mainland to Coiba Island. The waters here are deep and around the edges are some excellent mangroves recognized as a RAMSAR site due to its rich birdlife.

Here you will board the liveaboard and head to Coiba island. Lunch onboard, boat orientation and safety briefings before arriving at the Park Ranger Station on Coiba Island.

PM: Check out dives at Frijoles or Rancheria Island.

Day 4
(B,L,D)
Daytime diving at the Pinnacles and Reefs of Northern Coiba Island, Isla Rancheria and Punta Hermosa. A night dive may also be possible. Today’s dives will offer an opportunity to encounter white tip sharks, turtles, schooling rays, frog fish, sea horses, schools of reef and pelagic fish and possible Manta Ray encounters.

Day 5
(B,L,D)
Depending upon sea conditions, you will dive on one of the most famous game fishing sites in the world, the Hannibal Banks, or the sea mounts and pinnacles of Jicaron and Jicarita islands. Staying within safe diving limits you would drift dive at Hannibal Banks which start at 45 metres and drop off abruptly to 1,800 metres. This is a good location to see schools of barracuda, snappers and sharks.

In contrast Jicaron and Jicarita offer an abundance of coral reef, sea fans, sponges, the occasional hammerhead and giant schools of fish.

At the end of the day the boat will head north west to Malpelo Island.

Day 6
(B,L,D)
Onboard en route to Malpelo. A chance to relax and enjoy the open Pacific Ocean, looking out for dolphins.
Arrive at Malpelo Island in the eveving.

Days 7 - 10
(B,L,D)
Up to 3 dives daily at Malpelo Island.

Set sail back top Panama at the end of day 10.

Day 11
(B,L,D)
Most of the day at sea, but you should reach the Gulf of Montijo by the evening.

Day 12
(B)
After breakfast you will be taken ashore and then driven back to your hotel in Panama City.

Day 13
(B)
You will be transferred to the international airport for your flight home … or continue your journey in Panama, Costa Rica or beyond.

Standard cabin with en-suite facilities