Diving the Galápagos Islands

Galápagos scuba diving features

Sealions Hammerhead sharks Galápagos sharks
Eagle rays

GALÁPAGOS TOP DIVE SITE:
Darwin Island

DESTINATION OVERVIEW
While this is not diving for the fainthearted, for many divers, the Galápagos are a dream come true. The marine life 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. Galápagos and whitetip 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 very little in the way of coral so the reefs are not classically pretty.

There is diving around most islands. The east central zone is where most dive trips start. The waters are protected so conditions are a fairly easy. The west catches the cold Cromwell current so conditions can be tough and change quickly while in the south, the water is also cooler but this attracts different fish species. The northern area, where you find Wolf and Darwin islands, is regarded as the pinnacle of diving this region.

What makes the Galápagos 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.

Seasons
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
Visibility:
10 – 40 metres
Water temperature:
13 – 28º C.
Deco chambers:
Puerto Ayora

Flights major airlines to Quito, usually via the USA followed by Aerogal to the Galápagos
Liveaboards changes in permits mean that you will need to check for up-to-date operations,

PROS AND CONS
Getting to the Galápagos is not a cheap exercise and more than any other country, a diving trip 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 and you will find yourself clinging to rocks frequently. However, the rewards can be very, very high.

SCUBA DIVING
Liveaboard diving is now highly restricted by the government with a only a small number of boats having permits. Shore based diving is easier to organise. Animal encounters vary radically due to wide seasonal differences but whenever you go there will be masses of big animals. One month it's mantas and the next it whalesharks, sometimes there are whales, but a couple of animals are a constant – the sealions and the hammerheads.

OPINION
This could never be regarded as easy diving. We met a lot of people there 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 warm beyond about 5 metres. No matter what anyone says, take a 7mm wetsuit or a drysuit and some very good gloves.