THE LAIR AT MALPELO ISLAND
When you sail offshore, you must sail with your eyes wide open.
After we checked out of Panama, we jumped on the Panama current and headed out into the Pacific Ocean toward the Galapagos islands which were more than 800 miles away.
Once you are hundreds of miles offshore, it’s important to maintain eternal vigilance because there are ships and more than a few islands offshore.
As the Panama current carried us west, we noticed a tiny dot appear on the western horizon. That dot turned out to be Malpelo Island.
If the truth be told, I had not looked at the chart that day, and I did not anticipate that we would soon be passing close by Malpelo Island.
This island is a nature preserve where people come from all over the world to do shark diving.
We didn’t know that Malpelo was a world class dive site. To us it looked like an evil lair for a criminal mastermind bent on world domination. We imagined that Malpelo was the sinister headquarters for a treacherous villain.
It turns out that Malpelo means “Bad Hair” in the Italian language. I suppose that if you collided with Malpelo on a moonless night, you would experience something significantly worse than a bad hair day.
The tiny dot on the horizon turned out to be much bigger than we anticipated. It was a potent reminder to keep watch day and night even when you are hundreds of miles offshore, because unlit islands and reefs could create an untimely end to the voyages of Exit Only.
There are hundreds of uninhabited islands in the ocean that do not display navigation lights, or the lights are out of commission from a lack of maintenance.
The most amazing thing about “Bad Hair” island is the presence of sharks.. Thousands of sharks.
If you like hammerhead sharks, diving here will fill your heart with joy. This is a big fish location, and one of best places on planet earth for shark dives.
All it would take to destroy Malpelo is a couple of Chinese fishing boats harvesting thousands of shark fins which would wipe out all the sharks.
It turns out that Malpelo in not an evil lair. It’s where shark divers go to get great pictures 310 miles off the coast of Colombia.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
