We have great dive sites for beginners, intermediate and experienced divers, although the best dive sites are usually the most difficult ones, with significant to strong currents near vertical walls. Most of our diving is drift diving, so the dive master’s skills play an important role. Beginners can start at the easier places and proceed to the more difficult ones always guided by our dive master’s customers. Another important aspect of the Dive master’s skills is that there is no decompression chamber on the islands, so the dive masters duty is to guarantee that, to a reasonable extent, everybody is on the safe side.

THE SEASONS We have 2 seasons: the warm and sunny from December to May and the cold and cloudy from June to November are transitional months. On the warm season there is almost no wind (so the sea is usually very calm) and the visibility tends to be better. In the cold season there is more wind, sometimes the sea tends to be choppy and the visibility lower.

WATER TEMPERATURE Although being very close to the Equator, water temperatures range from 16 to 24 degrees Celsius; we use full ¼ inch wet suits all year around and hoods in the cold season.

VISIBILITY
In general, visibility ranges from 5 to 25 meters, but most of the time it is restricted to between 12 and 18m. A large submarine current (Equatorial Undercurrent) coming from the West Pacific hits the largest island of the archipelago (Isabela Island), and is deflected upward reaching the surface, bringing up the cold and nutrient rich water. This can change the water temperature by as much as 6 degrees Celsius, and change the visibility in a matter of one or two days.

MARINE LIFE

The Galapagos marine life is so varied tame, abundant and amazing, that the island is considered one of the Seven underwater wonders of the world. Here you are for sure going to dive with thousands of fishes (both big and small), sea lions, rays, morays and garden eels. It is almost sure that you will encounter harmless white tip and hammerhead sharks. At some places you can even dive with tens of hammerheads, snorkel with dolphins and – on the right season- meet a whale shark.

Finally this is the only place in the world where you can dive with a marine iguana or watch sea lions teasing whitetip sharks by biting their tails.

The riches of our sea life is mainly due to cold water coming up from the deep, in this way bringing nutrients to the light zone, producing large amount of phytoplankton that start the food chain. The diversity of the species is mainly due to the position of the Galapagos on the cross-roads of the main East Pacific Equatorial Currents, where tropical semi-tempered waters meet, allowing animals from all over the Pacific to arrive here. The many kinds of marine habitats (sandy, rocky, coralline, and muddy) and the large of the Archipelago’s waters, also play a role on bio-diversity.

DAILY DIVING TOURS
We have 2 boats dives in small groups, Dive master diving in the water with customers (max. Dive master to diver ratio 1:6), transfers to/from Pto. Ayora and dive sites and drinking water.

All the programs of daily diving tours are made especially for the customer. Safety comes first and therefor we require the following information about each passenger dive experience in order to make the program that fits the customers skills and interests.

What type of divers license (level and training agency)
How many dive
Date of last dive
Experience with drift and wall diving
Experience with diving in cold water and with 6mm wet suit
What would the customer like to see in the Galapagos?

THE DIVESITES ACADEMIA BAY:Academy Bay is a short 2.5-mile navigation from the dive center. This area is great for introductory diving, beginners and intermediate divers. We always request that each person send a minimum of 1 day diving Academy Bay to get acclimated to our waters, 1/4 wet suit and the visibility to the more distant spots. The Academy Bay area is easier diving with very little current. The following are some of the Academy Bay diving sites.

CAAMAÑO ISLET: Offers a chance to swim and play with friendly sea lions, many tropical fish and few marine iguanas.

PUNTA NUÑEZ CLIFFS: Is wall diving with a cave. At this site you can see turtles stingrays and tropical fish,whitetip sharks, morays, invertebrates, caverns, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles and sea fans. A great diving site intermediate as well as experienced divers.

EL BAJO SOLMAR: This submerged shoal at Academy Bay has an impressive amount of fish, whitetip sharks, morays, invertebrates, caverns, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles and sea fans. A great diving site intermediate as well as experienced divers. OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY BAY The dive sites out site Academy Bay have a navigation distance of between 20 and 38 miles. The approximate travel time is 1 hour to each site. Our office always has three crewmembers on board when diving out site of Academy Bay. These areas are spectacular sites representing world class diving and are for intermediate to experienced divers.

FLOREANA: Encerby Islet, Punta Ayora, Champion Islet and Delvil´s Crown are the dive sites where you will experience sea lions, exotic fish, thousands of tropical fish, barracudas, black coral, whitetip and Galapagos sharks, moray eels, some hammerheads and eagle rays. You will have an excellent opportunity for dolphin watching during the boat trip to and from Floreana. You will also enjoy some sightseeing by boat of the local marine and bird life such as sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigate bird, penguins, marine iguanas, etc.

GORDON ROCKS:Here you will experience turtles, big fish, hundreds of tropical fishes, hannerheads, Galapagos sharks, blacktips and whitetips, large morays, spotted eagle rays, golden and stingrays as well as fur seals. This is the best one-day trip for experienced divers.

NORTH SEYMOUR: Schools of hammerheads, loads of snappers and other fish, turtles, morays, manta rays and whitetip sharks.

COUSINS ROCK: An intermediate dive combination of shoal and wall with sea lions, large amount of fish, whitetip sharks, hammerheads, eagle rays and manta rays. There is a breathtaking vertical wall with a profusion of black corals and other invertebrates.

BARTOLOME: Stingrays, turtles, whitetips, plenty of fish, invertebrates and interesting rock formation with crevices. During the surface interval between Cousins and Bartolomé we snorkel to look for penguins.

MOSQUERA ISLET: Big schools of garden eels, mantas, white tips, maybe hammerheads and eagle rays as well as plenty of tropical fish and sea-lions.

DAPHNE ISLET: Wall diving with morays, whitetip, eagle rays, stingrays, sealions, cave diving, invertebrates, hammerheads, turtles, black corals and hundred of fishes.

NAMELESS ROCK: Wall diving with strong surge and currents. Galapagos sharks, turtles, soft corals, large fishes, tropical fishes, morays and rays.

THIS PRICES ARE NET
INCLUDING:
Dive master
Complete equipment: Full wet suit and booties, jacket type BCD with power inflators, regulator with octopus, pressure gauge and depth gauge, mask, fins and snorkel
Boats dives in small groups
Tour 2 days include Hotel 1 night, 1 dinner, 1 Breakfast and 2 box lunches.

NOT INCLUDING:
Park entrance fee US$ 100
Flight ticket QUITO/GALAPAGOS/QUITO (H.S. 385 / L.S. 329)
Land services such as: Hotel, meals, drinks
Tips.