A dense school of fish over the reef at Malpelo

Fauna and Flora Sanctuary · Colombia

500 km offshore, the ocean gets crowded.

A primer on the sharks, rays, fish and birds you are most likely to meet at Malpelo, with a photo and reference links for every species.

Meet the sharksBrowse the reef fish

Photo Megan Applegate

~390fish species recorded in the sanctuary
5fish found nowhere else, plus two sea stars
200+hammerheads recorded at once
1,000+silky sharks recorded at once

Why Malpelo

Malpelo is the summit of an underwater ridge more than 500 km off the Colombian coast. The sanctuary covers about 8,575 km², was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, and is the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. It also holds Platinum Blue Park status from the Marine Conservation Institute.

Choose your dive

Five field pages. Every species has a photo, where and when to look, and links to go deeper.

Scalloped hammerheadSharks & raysNine sharks, the manta, eagle and devil raysSeason, depth and site for each, plus how to tell them apart.Galápagos sharkShark IDTell seven lookalikes apartRazor surgeonfishFish78 reef fish and 5 endemicsNazca boobyBirdsThe Nazca booby colonyMalpelo land crabLandAn endemic crab and three lizards

When the big animals come

Pick a month to see which seasonal giants are at their peak. Hammerheads and silky sharks are present all year; these are the months dive guides report them in the greatest numbers. Check season and conditions with your operator before booking.

Scalloped hammerhead
Peak Dec–Apr

Scalloped hammerhead

Present year-round and densest December to April, at La Nevera and El Bajo del Monstruo.

Silky shark
Peak Apr–Jul

Silky shark

Present year-round and strongest April to July. Often circles divers on safety stops.

Giant oceanic manta
Peak May–Oct

Giant oceanic manta

A seasonal visitor, seen periodically at El Bajo de Virginia.

Whale shark
Peak Jun–Oct

Whale shark

Passes through occasionally: El Bajón, El Bajo de Virginia, El Bajo del Ancla.

Photo Megan Applegate

Six to know by sight

The sharks and rays you are most likely to see, with the one mark that gives each away. The Sharks & rays page has the full notes.

Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
Plate I

Scalloped hammerhead

Sphyrna lewini
Look for
A hammer-shaped head with a scalloped front edge and a notch in the middle.
At Malpelo
Year-round, densest Dec–Apr, at 18–35 m. Best at the La Nevera cleaning stations.
Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)
Plate II

Silky shark

Carcharhinus falciformis
Look for
A tiny second dorsal fin with a long, thin trailing tip, and long sickle-shaped pectorals.
At Malpelo
Year-round, strongest Apr–Jul, at 5–35 m. Often circles divers on safety stops.
Galápagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis)
Plate III

Galápagos shark

Carcharhinus galapagensis
Look for
Stocky and plain grey-bronze, with a broad rounded snout and a tall, upright first dorsal.
At Malpelo
Year-round at 20–40 m. Eight or more reported at the David seamount.
Whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus)
Plate IV

Whitetip reef shark

Triaenodon obesus
Look for
Small and slim, with white tips on the first dorsal and the upper tail lobe.
At Malpelo
Year-round at 5–35 m, resting in the sandy alleys at La Catedral.
Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Plate V

Whale shark

Rhincodon typus
Look for
Huge, with a broad flat head, a mouth at the very front and pale spots on a dark back.
At Malpelo
Occasional, June to October, at 5–30 m. El Bajón and El Bajo de Virginia.
Giant oceanic manta (Mobula birostris)
Plate VI

Giant oceanic manta

Mobula birostris
Look for
The largest ray, with a wingspan up to about 7 m. Visits cleaning stations.
At Malpelo
May to October, seen periodically at El Bajo de Virginia.

Open the Sharks & rays page →

What divers report, site by site

From the DAN and Interceptor121 write-ups and the DivePass guide. Individual dives vary.

La Nevera

The best site for hammerheads, at cleaning stations. Four passes of 20 to 50 at about 24 m.

Source: Interceptor121, DAN
El Bajón

Hammerheads at about 30 m. Whale sharks pass through.

Source: DAN, DivePass
El Bajo del Monstruo

Hammerhead schools of 200–500, silky and Galápagos sharks, sand tigers on the deep faces. A whale shark came up under the boat after one dive.

Source: DivePass, DAN, Interceptor121
El Acuario

Silky groups, which have declined. A wall of bonito, yellowfin tuna, a wahoo, rainbow chub and snapper schools.

Source: DAN
El Arrecife

A Galápagos shark cutting through a fish school, pelican barracuda, Jordan's snapper, over 100 leather bass, and abundant morays.

Source: DAN, Interceptor121
D'Artagnan (Los Mosqueteros)

A huge bigeye jack aggregation, snappers, giant hawkfish, Moorish idol, spiny lobsters, whitetips in the gullies.

Source: DAN, Interceptor121, DivePass
David

Eight or more Galápagos sharks, and a pack of bluefin trevally.

Source: DAN
La Gringa

A leather bass guarding an archway, a cloud of steel pompano, and sand tigers by day.

Source: DAN, DivePass
El Bajo del Ancla

A whale shark feeding on bigeye jack spawn.

Source: DAN
Puerta del Cielo

A yellow frogfish on the wall, and snapper schools.

Source: DAN
La Ferreteria

Abundant, well-camouflaged scorpionfish, and morays.

Source: DAN
El Bajo de Virginia

Silky and Galápagos sharks, whale sharks and mantas.

Source: DivePass

Seasonality

Hammerheads are densest from December to April and silky sharks are strongest from April to July. Whale sharks (June to October) and mantas (May to October) are seasonal visitors. One dive reviewer reported that hammerhead season had ended when they visited, with silky sharks the main sighting in the wet season. Check season and conditions with your operator before booking.

Photos

Photos marked “Megan Applegate” were taken at Malpelo in October 2026. The rest come from each species’ FishBase page or the other sources credited on each page.

Photo Megan Applegate

More information

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