Author Archives: Sten Johansson

Copyright by Brandon Cole

I was back on my favorite dive boat, Ferox. And I will start by saying that we did not have the best experience at the beginning of our trip. One engine broke down, then we had generator failure that caused the A/C to stop working. It was not a great start to the trip that preceded my Malpelo half-charter, but the issue got resolved and the next trip was back to normal operations.

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Hammerhead galore, Malpelo in January © Sten Johansson

I had a request from a friend and former guest to go diving in Malpelo in January. I had not planned on it, but I decided to do the trip because I wanted to see Kinburn again after so many years. It was also a nice change from the Malpelo summer trips that I normally do.

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Malpelo and its life underwater © Sten Johansson

I was reunited with Brad and Eric, whom I have previously met separately in Socorro. It wasn’t long ago when I last saw Brad, but it was great to see Eric again after over 10 years. Sergey, Katia and Denis completed another amazing team underwater and onboard Ferox. They are all wonderful people and it was a pleasure to guide them.

It was also nice to see my fellow guide and good friend, Arthur, whom I haven’t seen for many years.

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Helpful Mongolians © Sten Johansson

Six years ago my wife told me, “Let’s go somewhere you have not been to.” I said, “Let’s go somewhere I don’t need to meet crew members…

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I can honestly say I don’t like the crossings… not the 36 hours in seas that are sometimes pretty choppy. I don’t get seasick, but after years of long crossings, something about it just makes it hard for me to start working until we reach our destination. I don’t like to talk to anyone on the way to Malpelo because I am usually grumpy. I prefer to stay in bed and watch movies while getting my mind tuned in to where we are going.

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First group of my Malpelo trip 2022 © Sten Johansson

I’m back in Colombia for my first of three 2022 trips to Malpelo.  I came with divers who have become friends over the years, as well as a couple of new ones: Kabir and Andres.

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Dead black marlin close-up in Malpelo © Sten Johansson

This is my second trip to Malpelo in 2021. And each time it’s different.

I will not go so much in to the diving this time except for a few exceptions.

The short of it: We had a blast; some really exciting dives with lots of life. We did not get the 500+ hammerheads this time, but there were more hammerheads than on my first trip.

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Ferox liveaboard crew at your service © Sten Johansson

Last year all my trips got canceled. When we were finally on our way this year, a demonstration canceled my first trip. Many of us, including Colombia, suffered during the pandemic; but now we are alive and kicking! Malpelo is running during COVID!

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A swimthrough at Six and a Half Fathom

Trips like this are the kind of trips that I get excited about. There is no fixed schedule, but a trip that is more in the spirit of discovering new areas, listening to, and following what nature is giving you. Unexpected events like finding the Independence make the trip even more special and memorable.

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Ripe for the picking © Sten Johansson

With Mexican protected areas remaining closed due to the pandemic, my two recent exploratory trips covered their exterior boundaries instead. Being on the Sea of Cortez brought back a lot of nostalgia from the time when I first came here. It was almost 20 years ago now I was here with an excellent skipper and local named Javier or “Machaca.”

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