General Diving Info

Galapagos Islands Scuba Diving Holidays and Tours

Diving in the Galapagos is a subliminal experience. The mixture of Antarctic cold currents and northern tropical currents produces a unique environment of an unusual combination of tropical reef fishes and cold water species. Over 300 of them can be closely observed, while 60 other endemic species can be studies and admired in their fascinating habit.

The underwater world of the Galapagos Islands is breathtaking: clear waters, volcanic and coral formations and a unique marine life: diving flightless cormorants, huge eagle rays, the world's most northerly penguins, sea-lions, reef and hammerhead sharks and with luck sperm whales, killer whales and whale sharks

Thanks to these exceptional conditions, the Galapagos Islands are ranked amongst the most desirable scuba diving destinations in the world, despite the fact that during much of the year the water is cold enough to require a thick wetsuit with hood and boots, strong currents change many sites into drift dives, which can sometimes turn threatening if the unpredictable moving water becomes a downward flow at walls or steep reefs, there is no convenient place where you can just start your dive from the shore, 30 meters visibility are considered great, but usually it is 15 meters or less.

Make no mistake! This is no tame theme park. Galapagos is adventure diving all the time!

There are basically two options for diving in the Galapagos: Live Aboard Diving and Land Based Diving.

Live Aboard Diving Cruises are usually reserved many months in advance. It is the only way to travel all around the archipelago, combining shore visits and up to 3 dives per day. A few of the live aboard diving cruises travel to the isolated northern islands of Wolf and Darwin. Shore visits are forbidden here, but the extraordinary diving makes the long trip worthwhile.

Land based diving is more economical, although the distances between the islands limit the range of the day trip boats to the central islands. Nevertheless, day boats offer reliable service to superb diving locations, including Gordon Rocks, world famous for schooling hammerheads. Normally, day diving boats do not take you ashore, but in order not to miss out on the extraordinary terrestrial wildlife and landscapes, you could books some naturalist day journeys to some of the islands.

A third option is a combination of the first two.