Scuba Diving Rules and Safety in the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands - Ecuador

Follow your guide’s instructions.

Never do decompression dives.

The maximum depth of any dive is 100 feet or 30 meters.

Make a safety stop after every dive. Three minutes at 5 meters or 15 feet.

Make the deepest dive first and don't make repetitive deep dives.

You should finish your dive whith 500 p.s.i. or 40 bars of air in your tank.

If you lose the group, search for them for a minute and if it is not possible to locate them, resurface.

Never leave an unattended tank on the deck.

Always dive with your buddy.

Don't touch or disturb the animals or plants, you can be bitten or stung.

Don't collect anything from the oceans, only remove the rubbish.

Don't go outside of the diving or snorkeling area specified by your guide.

Keep yourself safe of nitrogen; don't go to the limits of the diving tables or computer.

Never attempt to snorkel or dive if you are not sure that you can manage the situation.

Be sure that your guide, the boat driver, or another person is supervising you at all times.

If a problem arises on the surface, be calm and maintain positive buoyancy.

If you are caught in a current, don't fight against it. It is better to relax, float, and make signals to the boat.

CHAMBER In Puerto Ayora is an Hyperbaric Chamber, operated by PROTESUB DIVING, part of the SSS Recompression Chamber Network.

DIVING SAFETY You should take all of the safety indications that your guide will explain very seriously in the briefings. Conditions in the Galapagos islands are so variable that the guides can only make an accurate assessment of the actual conditions upon arriving at the diving site. Additionally, conditions may very well change during the dive. For you safety, we strongly recommend that you have a valid D.A.N. membership card.