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Scuba Diving in Galapagos IslandsEC
A volcanic archipelago 1,000 km off Ecuador whose UNESCO-listed marine reserve holds schooling hammerheads, whale sharks, and animals that exist nowhere else on earth.
Why here
Wolf and Darwin sit on most serious divers' shortlist for the best dive sites on the planet: scalloped hammerheads schooling by the hundreds, and from June through November the world's most reliable aggregation of whale sharks passing Darwin's Arch. The archipelago adds animals no other ocean has, marine iguanas grazing underwater, penguins on the equator, fur seals in the shallows, and the marine reserve caps operators, so the sites stay wild. The remote northern islands are liveaboard-only, but land-based diving from Puerto Ayora and San Cristobal puts hammerheads at Gordon Rocks and Kicker Rock within reach of a confident recreational diver.
Best months
Two seasons, both world-class. June through November is the cool Humboldt season: whale sharks at Darwin, 18-24 C water, strong currents, advanced conditions. December through May is the warm season: calmer seas, the best visibility, and big hammerhead schools. Liveaboards typically want 50-100 logged dives; land-based sites take intermediates.
Getting there & around
Fly Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) to Baltra or San Cristobal. Budget the 200-dollar park fee plus transit card. Liveaboards book six to twelve months out, peak whale-shark weeks a year ahead; land-based day boats book weeks ahead.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Planet Ocean Galapagos
SchoolA PADI and SSI dive centre on San Cristobal running daily trips to Kicker Rock, Punta Pitt, and Espanola.
Scuba Iguana
SchoolA PADI 5-Star centre in Puerto Ayora operating since 1995, with island-born, national-park-authorized instructors running daily trips including Gordon Rocks.