Malpelo Island

Colombia

A remote, uninhabited island and no-fishing marine sanctuary in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, reachable only by liveaboard and renowned for large shark aggregations.

Malpelo Island lies about 500-506 km off Colombia's Pacific coast, forming the highest point of the underwater Malpelo Ridge, with surrounding waters reaching roughly 3,400 m deep near steep walls, caves and tunnels. It was declared a Flora and Fauna Sanctuary in 1995, later extended to cover 857,500 ha of marine environment, and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. The site is best known for large aggregations of hammerhead and silky sharks, along with Galapagos sharks and whale sharks.

Facts

Region type
Marine Park
Coordinates
4.0033, -81.6076

Map