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Galapagos

6 Amazing Dive Sites found in Galapagos

Daphne
Daphne is a dive site found on the north
coast of Santa Cruz and is suitable for
beginners and more experienced divers.
This dive is wall dive with a smooth
current.

Gordon Rocks
This is the place to be within the
central Islands where you will find the
famous schools of Hammerhead
sharks that made diving Galapagos
famous.

You will love exploring the caverns,

walls, platforms, and slopes, which
feature stunning marine life, including:

Gordon Rocks is a volcanic crater with

a maximum depth of 32 meters where
you will find a sandy bottom.

Juvenile Galapagos sharks

White-tipped
Reef sharks
Eagle rays
Keep an eye on the big blue as Manta
Rays love to visit Daphne too.

The major draw at this dive site are

the Hammerheads but besides these
amazing APEX predators you will find:
White and Black tip reef Sharks
Green sea turtles
Sea Lions
Stingrays
Eagle rays
Large schools of Barracuda
Snapper and the occasional majestic
Manta Ray

North Seymour Island

Diving Seymour is famous for its many
black and white tip reef sharks who
share their space with countless green
sea turtles.
On a good day you will see schools of
spotted Eagle rays migrating through
the channel often chaperoned by
Manta and Devil Rays.
Also, Hammerheads have been seen
here in smaller schools. Diving Seymour
Island is suitable for beginners and
advanced divers.

5 Sharks You Will Encounter Diving Galapagos

Whale Sharks
When you are planning a scuba trip to
Galapagos and you want to dive with
Whale Sharks be sure to book your trip
in the right season to have a chance to
dive with these gentle giants

Galapagos Sharks
Despite its name Galapagos sharks are
found in a wide range of tropical waters.
They are found in large numbers in the
northern islands as well as Gordon
Rocks off the north coast of Santa Cruz.

Like the Hammerheads, Whale Sharks

are found year-round in Galapagos with
a yearly migration increasing the
numbers. May to August is the season for
the appearance of the migrants, the
largest concentration can be found in
the northern islands.

The often gather in large groups and be

the most abundant species on a reef.
With an average size of ten feet (3
meters) and an aggressive attitude, they
dominate over the other species of
sharks found in these waters.

However, they will be commonly seen in

the central islands during this time as
well.

Dusky shark
This species is found in large numbers in
the central islands. However, it is often
confused with the Galapagos shark. The
differences in appearance are so subtle
that the average diver will not be able to
tell the difference,
Even a trained marine biologist might
not be certain. The descriptions that
apply to the Galapagos shark equally
apply to the Dusky shark.

White-tipped reef shark

This is the most common shark in the
islands, being found in the entire chain it
frequents shallow reefs and will reach a
length of about 5 feet (1.5 meters). It is
slow moving and not aggressive as long
as it is not cornered, it will move away if it
feels threatened.
The white tipped reef shark is a night
hunter and spends its day sleeping. Caves
and overhangs are their most popular
choices to sleep, but they will also make
themselves at home on the reef or a
patch of sand.

They spend the majority of their time in

deeper waters but are frequently
found in the shallows.
Pregnant females will stay in shallow
waters for a time before giving birth to
between 4 and 16 pups who are 2.2.6
feet long ( 6180 cm).
While only one fatal shark attacks has
been attributed to the Galapagos shark,
it is considered highly aggressive and a
hazard to divers. It is not one of the four
considered dangerous to humans, a
subtle difference but important one.
Divers should be well briefed on
understanding the signs of aggression
and the best way to withdraw. Divers
acting passively will seldom see a
Galapagos shark become aggressive.

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Liveaboard dive the Galapagos Islands

Only a liveaboard will enable you to dive

Darwin and Wolf
The diving in Galapagos is unmatched in
the world; you will hardly find a diver who
can cite a different location with the
diversity of marine life you will find in this
island chain.
You will find excellent diving everywhere
in Galapagos. This could make you
wonder why a liveaboard vessel will make
an overnight trip covering 350 km to dive
two small islands, Darwin and Wolf with
only four dive sites.
Wolf Island is the southernmost of the
two islands, therefore; it is the one you
will likely dive first after your overnight
trip. As you step out on deck in the
morning, you will understand why the
area is so beloved by divers from all over
the globe.
It is very common to see dolphins
breaching around your boat and a glance
into the water will likely reveal rays,
turtles and, a playful sea lion or two. You
might not see any sharks, as they and the
Sea Lions do not play together.
There are three dive sites around Wolf
Island, which is protected and, you are
not allowed to go on land.

The dive sites found at Wolf Island are:

Landslide
The Caves
Shark Bay
On each of these sites you, are just about
guaranteed to see sharks, rays, dolphins and
turtles on each dive.

Landslide
This dive site is named for the
appearance of the slope of the site.
Large boulders and rocky outcrops give
the appearance of a fresh landslide. The
barnacles covering the rocks tell you it is
not fresh. Still, you need to be careful
that you do not dislodge anything and
send it rolling down the slope.
Divers gather with their group at about
10 meters depth before heading down
the slope. Moray eels and reef fish are
plentiful at this depth on the slope and
in the water in front of you, you will
likely see tuna, snappers and turtles as
they rise from the depth.
When the current is running, it is likely
that you will see schools of
Hammerhead sharks as well as
Galapagos sharks. When the current is
lax, it may be necessary to move away
from the slope to dive down into the
deeper water to see the sharks.

The Caves
The Caves at Wolf Island consists of a
series of swim-throughs and a small
cave covered in white soft coral. As you
exit each, you will be greeted by sharks
and rays that tend to stay by the exits.
The second swim-through is a favorite
hang out for the Galapagos shark.
Leaving the cave, the dive continues to
the wall, and you enter a swift current.
The rapid current takes you out away
from the wall into schools of Wahoo,
jacks, Galapagos grunts, Peruvian
grunts, and Amber striped scad that
aggregate in breath-taking numbers off
the wall. As if designed by a diver, the
current brings you back to a shallow
area where the current disperses.

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Liveaboard Dive the Galapagos Islands

Shark Bay is about diving with sharks

Diving the Galapagos Islands is mostly
done with guided groups and at Shark
Bay the group gets together at the 8 to
10-meters depth along the slope.
At this depth, there is some surge from
the water crashing against the island,
and you will likely be accompanied by
Sea Lions, who love to swim and play in
the waves.
After "sitting" quietly for a few minutes,
it is likely that a Sea Lion will approach
you to look you over. The main
attraction of this dive though is found a
little deeper at 25 meters.
At this depth, the slope ends and
looking up you will see schools
of Hammerhead sharks overhead. You
then allow the current to take you along
the face of the slope to enjoy a variety of
sharks and rays.

Explore the wonders of Darwin Island

Darwin Island is also nearby, and it
has just one dive site starting at
Darwins Arch. Darwin Island has an
unusual mixture of colder and warm
water species, and they are in
abundance on this site.
So much so you would not be able to
remember most of what you see.
While it is only one dive site, it has
three profiles that present totally
different dives. They are so different
you would expect to be many
kilometers away from your last dive.

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Master Liveaboards Galapagos

M/V Astrea

Nortada

Academy Bay Diving

Silberstein Dive Center

Red Mangrove Galapagos