El Farallón

A dramatic pinnacle rising from 45 m to within 12 m of the surface, El Farallón is swept by gentle upwelling currents that stack sponge life on every face of the rock and concentrate Atlantic spadefish in open-water columns above the summit. The windward side hosts a dense thicket of sea fans and wire coral while the leeward face shelters moray eels, spotted drums and resting nurse sharks in a labyrinth of ledges. Pelagic surprises — from manta rays to blacktip reef sharks — circle the pinnacle regularly, drawn by the nutrients that rise with the current.