ACADEMY BAY at Santa Cruz Island
Dive Galapagos The bay of the charming town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island offers five separate dive sites within ten to twenty minutes by boat. Three of these sites are generally calm with little current; ideal for novices. Diving at the other two sites can get a bit more complicated if a current is present, so these sites are suitable for intermediate or expert divers only.
It is possible to see reef fish, sea lions, stingrays, golden rays, eagle rays, invertebrates, morays, garden eels, turtles, marine iguanas and white-tipped reef sharks at this premier Galapagos Islands scuba diving locale. Academy Bay is also a great location for night dives.
Santa Fe Island
Dive Galapagos Generally, the waters off this site are clear and the currents mild, making it ideal for novices. At the same time, the wildlife species and topography make this Galapagos dive spot interesting for intermediates and experts as well.
Here one sees reef fish; sting and eagle rays, garden eels, turtles, a sea lion colony, invertebrates, morays, pelagic fish and perhaps white-tipped reef sharks or hammerheads during this exciting Galapagos Islands scuba diving experience.
Floreana Island
Dive Galapagos Floreana Island contains nine separate dive sites, all of which usually have calm water. When a strong current is found at one dive spot, it is no problem to move to another. This versatility makes Floreana an ideal Galapagos Island scuba diving site for all levels of divers.
In these waters, it is possible to see coral heads, endemic black coral, reef fish; sting and eagle rays, turtles, a sea lion colony, barracudas, pelagic fish, white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, sea horses, morays, garden eels and invertebrates.
North Seymour Island
Dive Galapagos North Seymour Island contains five dive sites suitable for all levels of divers, despite occasionally strong currents. Here one may see reef fish; sting and eagle rays, a large garden eel colony, turtles, invertebrates, a sea lion colony, morays and pelagic fish. Usually white tipped reef sharks and hammerheads, and an occasional Galapagos shark may also be seen at this dive site.
Nameless Island
This Galapagos Island scuba diving site is an isolated offshore "sugarloaf" surrounded by vertical walls. The main dive locale is a shelf of boulders at a depth of about sixty feet where many Galapagos sharks are found, as well as some schools of pelagic fish, and on the rock wall, multicolored sponges. The currents and surge are the controlling factors at Nameless Island.
Gordon Rocks
Dive Galapagos This rock formation is a world-famous Galapagos Island scuba dive site close to North and South Plaza Islands. There are five scuba diving sites in the area, but only three are for novices. The other two dive sites are for intermediates and experts only due to the strong currents and surge. The Gordon Rocks dive sites are mostly walls with a deep bottom.
Hammerhead sharks are the main attraction of this site, often appearing in large schools. Here it is also possible to see reef fish, large pelagic fish, golden, sting and eagle rays, turtles, a sea lion colony, endemic Galapagos fur seals, morays, invertebrates and white-tipped and Galapagos sharks.
Darwin & Wolf
Darwin and Wolf are the northernmost Galapagos Islands scuba diving sites of the archipelago, famous among the most desirable scuba diving locations in the world. The very few tourists who visit these islands are all divers, because this unique and fragile environment has no land visitor sites. Thousands of seabirds crowd the precipitous cliffs and brushy heights of these remote islands. Strong currents are the ruling feature of these spectacular scuba dive sites, where a diver can be stationed at a rock to watch schools of fish drift past, especially hammerheads and big Galapagos sharks. At these outstanding Galapagos Islands scuba diving sites, you may find yourself looking at the greatest fish of all, the whale shark.
