Galapagos Scuba diving
DIVING SITES
Wolf & Darwin Islands
Wolf and Darwin are the north western islands of the Galapagos archipelago, famous because they are the most exciting and desirable dive sites in the world. Strong currents are the ruling feature of these singular dive sites, where a diver can station himself at a rock to watch giant schools of every kind of fish drift past. The very few tourists that visit these islands are all divers, because this unique and fragile environment is closed to land visits. The sites are especially known for the high presence of hammerheads and big Galapagos sharks as well as marine turtles, various types of rays, mantas, dolphins, moray eels, and invertebrates. Here, you may live the unique experience of finding yourself with the greatest fish of all, the Whale Shark, between June to October.
Roca Redonda, Isabela Island
This Galapagos dive site is located off the north-western tip of Isabela Island, is the tip of an active volcano that rises several thousand feet from the sea floor and emerges from the water as an island. Bubbles of hydrogen sulfide percolate through the sandy bottom as proof of the ongoing volcanic activity here. It is famous for its Galapagos sharks, schooling hammerheads, and large schools of barracudas and underwater fumaroles. It is also famous for its overpowering down draft and surge, and its dramatic and sudden fog. Roca Redonda is not a place for beginners.
Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island
Punta Vicente Roca is one of the best dive sites. There are two beautiful coves which lie on either side of the eroded remains of a volcanic cone. You start your dive on a shallow wall, that becomes a steep drop-off down to 50m. The wall is full of crevices and narrow shelves and is nicely covered with sponges and corals and you can find nudibranchs, crabs, slipper lobsters. Besides you can find seahorses, frogfish, port Jackson sharks, red-lipped batfish, and the endemic "camotillo".
Tagus Cove, Santiago Island
This is a large and deep bay on the western side of Isabela with no beach. In the north, divided only by a small stretch of land is the Darwin lake, which is a saltwater lake. It is excellent for sea turtles and macro subjects such as red-lipped batfish, and the endemic "camotillo," a species of fish restricted only to Galapagos waters. While making your safety stop, keep an eye out for penguins or flightless cormorants coming your way. On the deep sandy bottom you can find sawfish and devil rays.
Cape Marshall, Isabela Island
This amazing diving site, located on the northeastern coast on Isabela Island, is relatively new for sport divers. Hammerheads and mantas are a common sight. Chevron barracuda, snappers, groupers and occasionally thick schools of the endemic brown-striped salema are part of the resident underwater fauna. The infrequent presence of oceanic white tipped sharks, blue and black marlin makes this a dive with lots of potential surprises.
Devil’s Crown, Floreana Island
In this site you will find a gentle sandy slope with large rocky boulders. Because of strong currents and wind, plus sharp lava reefs, you must be accompanied by an experienced diver when diving here. Large and small fish such as scorpion fish, yellow-tailed grunt, surgeon fish, wrasses, some reef sharks, rays are found outside the crown. Invertebrates such as black, soft and ahermatypic white corals, small gorgonias, free-living corals are quite common on the sand and the walls of this site.
Enderby, Floreana Island
This is a great Galapagos Islands dive site. If you stay above 50 ft, you can see thick schools of king angelfish; yellow tailed surgeonfish, puffers, grunts, snappers and groupers. It is also a good place for see hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. At the end of the dive, on the wall, you can find seahorses clinging to the branches of the black coral.