While I have explored Oceans around the world and throughout the Caribbean, the splendor of the marine environment here in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is truly incredible. Diving off of the Chiriqui Coast is world class as is the fishing and the marine diversity matches anything anywhere else in the world. From Costa Rica to Panama and down the coast to Ecuador, there are place few have seen and explored and an ocean teaming with life.
These are the islands and the Ocean that I want to explore next. Cocos, Malpelo and of course the world famous Galapagos. Cocos and Malpelo are within a few hundred miles and the Galapagos is under 900 miles.
To see why I am drawn to these places, watch the following videos and explore with me, the wonders in our oceans.
Best Of Cocos Island Diving, Costa Rica
Sea Hunter – Cocos Island & Malpelo (HD)
Here is a great narrative slideshow that talks about this wonderful triangle of islands and the marine biomass that they support.
Here are some facts about the waters in this area.
Every October, the frigid (60 – 65F), nutrient rich Humboldt Current, which flows north from Antarctica toward the Equator, (which is why there are penguins in the Galapagos) is pushed back by the warm (70 – 80F) waters of the Panama Current, and when the temperatures get just right, the major fishing industry in the area explodes and the mahi catch is on. Note the underside of the Panama Current pushing from west to east:
Unfortunately, this is not an inexhaustible resource and more needs to be done here in the Americas to insure that it is sustainable. Long liners and tuna seiners are indiscriminate in killing by catch and undersized fish and in most cases they non regulated and this needs to be changed. They usually fish using miles of baited hooks which are set in the evening and retrieved at first dawn so they might not be as far offshore as they are supposed to be and cannot be detected as none of these countries have the adequate resources to patrol the waters for fishing vessels when the money is spent on chasing drug runners. More on this in future posts.
As for the Galapagos, I read a great article in the Boston Globe that speaks to the fragile ecosystem that is under attack due to it’s popularity and the how high levels of migration in response to increased tourism have made the islands a very lucrative place to be. But first an incredible video in HD from BBC. Click on the picture below to watch.
In Galapagos Islands, influx prompts a harsh migration policy
Here are some dive shots from last week in 100 plus foot visibility off of La Drones
Into the Abyss
More on Oceans to Explore in this series as we make our way back out to Sea.
Tom, is that you diving in the pictures? If so, I did not realize that this was part of your life. You have only revealed “real estate” and fishing so far. That’s cool. I grew up diving around the Perlas, though I think I had more fun fishing those areas. The maps in this article helped me too.