Despite the unique conditions for diving, created by nature itself, the tourist infrastructure of the islands is poorly developed. There are no large coastal diving bases, as well as specialized shops, on the islands. So all the necessary equipment should be either brought with you, or in advance to warn the host company about what might be needed. To be based during diving tours tourists will have to board.
The most favorable season for diving in the Galapagos is from December to May, and the cleanest water is in October-November. The average visibility is 9-21 m, the depth for diving is 5-24 m.
Main dive sites
Roca Cousins (or Cousins Rocks) - reefs located just north of the islands of Santiago and Bartolomé. Beautiful underwater walls, next to which seaside life is boiling (giant rays, Galapagos sharks, sea eels, corals and mollusks). Visibility is excellent for almost the entire year.
Roca Gordon (or Gordon Rocks) - reefs to the east of Santa Cruz and Balti are considered almost the best dive sites on the central islands. Hammerhead and Galapagos sharks, fur seals and turtles will accompany the diver throughout the entire dive.
Guy Fawkes Rocks is characterized by calm, non-tiring currents and small exotic fish.
Roca Redonda - just north of the equator and to the west of the northern extremity of Isabela Island. There are plenty of sharks and groupers, huge fish schools are circling.
The islands of Wolf and Darwin (Wolf, Darwin) are the northern islands that are on sufficient distance from the main part of the archipelago . Going to them on the ship takes as long as 12-14 hours, but more than compensated unusual even for the Galapagos dives .Hammerhead sharks gather here in huge flocks reaching up to 100 individuals, hitting their size $ $ . Very large chance of meeting, especially in November, with a whale shark $ $ . It is possible and the appearance of huge (not less than 4 m) Galapagos sharks . Removing them, you need to be especially careful: they do not differ in goodwill . And if you're lucky, you can watch the graceful games of the largest mammals of the planet - whales .
Northern Seymour (North Seymour and North Seymour Channel) - huge flocks of rainbow fishes (rainbow wrasses), also full of white r fovyh sharks. An unpleasant feature of this place is that at times visibility can drop from 25 to 6 meters in five minutes. A huge colony of endemic garden eels lives at a depth of about 15 meters in the canal with sandy soil.
Isla Mosquera is the best place to meet the sea lions. Both on the shore and under the water, lions will be allowed to approach close enough distance, but you should not lose vigilance.
Santa Maria Island - a lot of Galapagos sharks, morays, eels and turtles, lions and a flock of a dozen hammerhead sharks.
Hood - sea lions, white reef sharks and a huge number of stingrays.
A strong underwater current "strikes" the largest island of the Isabela archipelago and comes to the surface, bringing with it from the depths cool and plankton-rich water, giving food to the diverse underwater world of the archipelago. The local waters attract even whales and whale sharks. In the Bay of Urbina is one of the few coral reefs in the archipelago.
In the Galapagos you can swim under the water with seals. But it should be remembered that if the females are very friendly and curious, the males are very aggressive.
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