Waters off the coast of Machalilla National Park team with fish. This is because of the Humboldt Current, which brings with it cold water and a huge variety of well-fed fish.

The Humboldt Current is an upwelling current that occurs along the Pacific Coast of South America. Upwelling happens when wind and water work together – wind churns the surface of the water, creating a ripple that eventually sends a swath of cold water toward the surface of the ocean.

Cold ocean water is heavy with nutrients, like plankton. Plankton attracts an abundance of hungry fish. And in turn, the fish attract gleeful fishermen. On a sport fishing tour of the ocean near Puerto López, you have a good chance of catching marlin, tuna, wahoo, snapper, and grouper – just to name some of the tastiest species.

As you sail around these waters, frigate birds will circle around your boat, doing some fishing of their own.

This tour can be either 4 hours or a full 8-hour day. Your boat will take you past some combination of the islands of Punta Mala, Salango, or Los Ahorcados, depending on the boating conditions.