Clipperton Island is a small, ring-shaped atoll located 1,120 km southwest of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean. It has no permanent residents and is mainly visited by Mexican fishermen and French Navy patrols.
This isolated island was named after John Clipperton, a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France, which took possession in 1935. Its former name, Île de la Passion ('Passion island'), was officially given in 1711 by French discoverers and is sometimes still used. Since World War II the island is uninhabited.
Clipperton is now almost a desert, as it was during the 19th century, but 80 percent of the island was covered with grassland after the Mexican occupation and the introduction of pigs at the beginning of the 20th century.
When Snodgrass and Heller visited the island in 1898, they reported that "no land plant is native to the island." (Snodgrass and Heller 1902). Sachet (1962), however, points out that according to historical accounts from the island in 1711, 1825, and likely in 1839, the island had a low grassy and/or suffrutescent (partially woody) vegetation. Due to the elimination of pigs, which disturbed birds but also ate crabs, in 1958, the vegetation cover has progressively disappeared with the attacks of the millions of crabs (Gecarcinus planatus). Today there are only 674 coconut palms (counted by C. Jost during the "Passion 2001" French mission) and five islets in the lagoon with little grass that these terrestrial crabs cannot reach. There also exists an August 24, 1909, article from the San Francisco Chronicle speculating on the possibility that a group of palms on Clipperton was washed over by a tsunami caused by an earthquake.
After the introduction of pigs by guano miners, the flora was able to re-establish itself as the pigs helped to keep the land crabs in check (Sachet 1962). During the period of settlement, the island's flora was multiplied by the introduction of alien species; coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) were introduced in the 1890s.
PLACE TO VISIT
Clipperton Rock in the south-east is the first thing you'll see when approaching the atoll. It is a volcanic outcrop, 29 meters high, and the only really elevated place on the island. On the rock you may find the ruins of an old lighthouse, erected by Mexico in 1906. If you're short on scary stories at night, you can think of the last lighthouse keeper, Victoriano Álvarez. After the other males on the island had died in 1917, he found himself alone with 15 women and children. He went mad and started raping and killing, until he himself was killed by one of the women.
There are several coconut palm tree groves on the island. At the largest one there are remains of US Navy buildings from WWII. Old machinery and munitions from this time can be found around the island.
Two wrecks from Mexican fishing boats, Lily Marie and Oco, are on the shores. Just make sure you don't repeat their mistake.
There is a shack remaining of a 1996 NASA radar site, constructed to track a French rocket launch from French Guinea. The rocket malfunctioned and exploded soon after launch, however.
WHAT TO DO
Fishing in the waters outside Clipperton Island attracts far more tourists than the island itself. The waters are a habitat for, amongst others, the rare Clipperton Angelfish.
Wildlife-watching will be a part of your day whether you like it or not, despite the fact that there are not many species on the island. A few species compensate by their numbers, namely the bright orange crabs that can be counted in thousands, and some species of birds. In total there are 13 bird species on the island, not counting migratory birds. The only mammals on Clipperton Island are rats, brought to the island by wrecked ships.
Snorkeling and diving in the waters can be a rewarding experience since there are dolphins around.
HOW TO REACH
Citizens from outside France need a permit to visit Clipperton Island. It can be obtained from the French High Commission in French Polynesia However, there are obviously no officials on the island to check permits.
By plane - There is no airstrip on Clipperton Island. It could be possible to land an Albatross or float plane in the lagoon.
By boat - There are no conventional tourist trips to Clipperton Island, you will have to go by your own boat or join an expedition. To make the journey there as short as possible, Acapulco is a good port from which to start.
There is no harbor on the island, the only option is to anchor offshore (the south west side has been sited as the best location) and go in using a smaller boat. This can be dangerous since the surf often is very rough as the waves break against the surrounding coral reefs. Leaving the island is even more difficult—it takes a skilled boatsman to time the passage past the reefs to the right moment, between the crashing waves.
The fresh water lagoon in the middle is enclosed and cannot be reached by boat.
