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This is not diving for the fainthearted - but for many divers, it is a dream come true. Like nowhere else, you can see marine life that is big with a capital B. You can swim with masses of hammerheads or do your safety stop surrounded by 20 silky sharks. Whalesharks start appearing at the end of May and mantas arrive in the Summer. Hammerheads are seen all year round and on almost every dive. Galapagos, whitetip and silky sharks are common companions. Eagle rays and marble rays are everywhere as, of course, are curious and playful sea lions and fur seals.
There are smaller creatures as well - seahorses, morays and even nudibranchs - so it's worth looking down for some of the dives, not just out into the blue. There is, however, very little in the way of coral so the reefs are not classically pretty.
There are four main diving zones:
The North, including Wolf and Darwin islands, are regarded
as the pinnacle of diving this region.
The East Central zone where most dive trips start. The water here is protected so conditions are a little easier.
The West which catches the cold Cromwell current. Conditions can be tough and change quickly.
The South which is also cooler and can be a bit difficult but the temperature attracts different fish species.
What makes the Galapagos so very special though, is the what's above the water line. You see ever more seals on land, along with the marine iguanas and crabs, plus there are the unique landscapes and birds. It is a very special part of the planet.
Click here to explore the islands.
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TRAVELOGUE: Flights: BA, Virgin, Continental to Miami or Houston. American and Continental to Quito. |
PROS AND CONS: More than any other country, planning a dive trip to the Galapagos requires a high level of understanding of local conditions. The water can be icy and it's never dead calm. Currents and surges are an every-dive occurrence. There are wide seasonal differences - for the record, the warmer months are December to May when the weather could be regarded as subtropical to tropical in the north while June to December is the cold season. However, even if you choose an easier season this could never be regarded as easy diving. We met a lot of people who, frankly, couldn't cope. Although we travelled in the summer, and were told that the water would be about 24 degrees, it is rarely that beyond about 5 metres. No matter what anyone says, take a drysuit and some very good gloves. |
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| Complete reports on this area are in Diving the World | ||||||
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