Silky Shark

Photo: Jane Kempler & Andrew Goldby Freelance · CC BY-NC-ND

Silky sharks visit Bajo Minalta during the January-to-March upwelling season when cold Pacific-origin water works its way into the Colombian Caribbean via the Panama Gyre, driving pelagic productivity at the shelf edge. They are one of the most abundant open-ocean sharks globally but rarely venture over shallow reefs, making Bajo Minalta's exposed pinnacle position critical for encounters. Groups of three to twelve individuals have been documented circling the pinnacle summit at 15 to 20 m depth during morning dives, apparently using the structure as a navigation reference point.