reef

Log This Dive

Cayo Arena

Cayo Arena isn't your typical Malpelo big animal rush, and that's precisely why we love it. This is where you slow down, properly scour the reef, and start spotting the bizarre little stuff that makes Malpelo so unique. We’re talking Secretary Blennies peeking out from tiny holes, those wonderfully grumpy Spinyhead Blennies, and if you’re lucky, a Dwarf Frogfish hunkered down on a coral head, perfectly camouflaged. The reef here feels more like a carefully sculpted garden than the dramatic drop-offs elsewhere. Mustard Hill Coral forms terraced landscapes, peppered with Leathery Barrel Sponges and the subtle pinks of Blushing Star Coral. Look closer, and you’ll find Pacific Spotted Scorpionfish doing their best impression of a rock. We've seen Hawksbill Turtles grazing quietly, completely unfazed by divers. It’s a site for those moments of discovery, the kind where you spend five minutes staring at one square metre, then surface buzzing about some tiny creature no one else noticed. Dive this one in the late morning, the light catches the corals just right.