Diving in the Galapagos Islands

The Evolutionary Melting Pot of Marine Life

The legendary Galapagos diving destination is often considered by experienced divers to represent something of a pinnacle in their diving careers. In that sense, many agree that Galapagos Islands have, quite simply, the best liveaboard diving in the world.

While many places have superior reefs, sea conditions and ease of accessibility, there is no other island chain here, the area is virtually free of commercial fishing and the waters are so densely populated by a vast and disparate array of marine creatures. Since the Galapagos are volcanic oceanic islands, unconnected to the continent, deep sea upwellings make the waters rich in nutrients and therefore thriving with life.

Such is the range of creatures, that it is difficult to avoid lists when discussing scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands. Imagining a dive holiday involving sea lions, penguins, eagle rays, Galapagos sharks, turtles, hammerhead sharks, iguanas, golden rays, seals and whale sharks is a phenomenal experience. Add to this the land tours and encounters with land creatures and birds, which are at once, educational and exciting, and the appeal of the Galapagos becomes obvious.

Learning about evolution by natural selection in a place where the evidence is so compelling and where historically, the islands played such a major role in the development of Darwin's revolutionary thinking is truly a unique experience. To do so in a place where each dive promises extraordinary sightings is nothing short of a ‘must do once in a lifetime’ experience for any semi-serious diver.

Highlights

Liveaboards, without question, represent the best way to dive the Galapagos Islands and many of the best sites are inaccessible from land. In addition to accessibility to the best sites, a liveaboard cruise also give many opportunities for land visits. The diving highlights include:

Wolf and Darwin - the first names in Galapagos scuba diving, lie in the far north west of the archipelago. These are the best dive sites and liveaboard itineraries are all built around diving this area. This is not a beginners destination and conditions here can include choppy seas, low water temperatures and current. Provided those are all elements that you can tolerate, the rewards can be magnificent.

These sites are among the best for hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, turtles, manta rays and more. Diving here tends to be drift dives or else dives where you can observe the action from points of shelter in the lee of the current. Between June and October you also have a reasonably good chance of sighting whale sharks.

Gordon's Rock - located close to North and South Plaza islands, this is a stunning rock formation which is considered to be among the best diving spots in Galapagos. The area is home to 5 separate dive sites, some of which are appropriate for all levels but 2 of them, due to currents and surge, are more testing. This is another site famed for hammerheads which can be sighted in enormous schools. There are also plenty of reef fish on show, as well as eagle rays, Galapagos sharks and a sea lion colony and fur seals.

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How to Dive Galapagos

While there are some resort options, serious divers cannot come to the Galapagos and fail to dive Darwin and Wolf, therefore we currently only recommend liveaboards here. They offer much more than a land-based stay. The boats are of a high quality so you need not worry about a lack of comfort or service onboard our recommended Galapagos liveaboards.

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Diving Season

There are 2 seasons in the Galapagos: Wet and Dry. They fade into each other so there is no strict dividing line but they can be generally characterised as follows:

January to June is wet season with sunny spells either side of the brief but impressive showers which can occur daily. This period has warmer water temperatures generally fluctuating between 20 - 28°C during this time. Dry season, more or less from July to December, sees less rain but is also cooler above and below the waters. Water temperatures in dry season are usually 16 - 23°C.

The wisest course of action is to come prepared with exposure suits for a range of temperatures. Marine conditions are variable and it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Reef Summary

Good for: Large marine animals, on-land wildlife tours, underwater photography
Not so good for: Beginner divers, devoutly warm water divers
Depth: 5 - >20m
Visibility: 5 - >25m
Currents: Medium to strong
Surface conditions: Choppy with currents and surges, can make diving a little tricky
Water temperature: 16 - 28°C
Experience level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: >50
Distance: 960 km west of Ecuador
Access: liveaboards
Recommended length of stay: 1 - 2 weeks

Great in the Galapagos Islands

More detailed information on the Galapagos dive sites:

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