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Diving in the Galapagos has been one of my travel dreams for years. In this post I leave you all the information about diving in the Galapagos. I have been to this wonderful archipelago three times: in 2017 I only snorkeled, in 2023 I dived Santa Cruz, and in 2025 I participated in a week-long liveboard.
This post begins with the last experience, which was unforgettable! I did the liveboarding with the Aqua boat (you can find the detailed information here). It was the first liveboard of my life: seven nights and nineteen unforgettable dives! Actually, it was not nineteen dives: I settled for sixteen: in the information at the end I explain why!
I’ll leave you with a VIDEO to help you understand the beauty of diving in the Galapagos!
Diving in the Galapagos: Darwin and Wolf, liveboard
The big highlight of liveboarding in the Galapagos is diving at Darwin and Wolf. These two islets are located north of the three main islands. The trip from Isabela to Darwin is about 12 hours long, and could be characterized by rough seas. Darwin and Wolf, however, are home to a diver’s paradise. The Aqua boat has six dives scheduled in Darwin and five in Wolf. Strong currents are often found on these islands, making diving difficult. Personally, I was lucky: my dives were not characterized by strong currents, but I still got to see whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, sea lions…in short, the dives in Darwin and Wolf are unforgettable!
Diving in the Galapagos: Isabela, liveboard
North Isabela offers three wonderful dive spots: Cabo Marshall, Ciudad de las Mantas, and Vicente Roca. The first two dive spots are excellent places to encounter hammerhead sharks and manta rays. Punta Vicente Roca, on the other hand, is a special place: here the sea is calm as you dive in a quiet bay. The water temperature is definitely colder than at Darwin and Wolf: I personally found 16 degrees, compared to 24 at Darwin and Wolf.
Diving at Punta Vicente Roca I was lucky enough to encounter a beautiful sunfish!
Diving in the Galapagos: Fernandina, liveboard
Cape Douglas in Fernandina is one of the most unique Galapagos dives. Here, in fact, you dive only five meters deep: the goal of the dive is to find iguanas, the symbol of the Galapagos! It was a very beautiful dive: seeing the iguanas swimming underwater was exciting! Here is a video of the iguanas!
Diving in the Galapagos: Santiago and Baltra, liveboard
Santiago and Baltra are, in order, the last and first liveboard dives. Baltra is the test dive: here you can still see the white tipped shark. In Santiago, at Roca Cousins, I enjoyed the stingrays so much: it was the best way to complete the seven-day liveboard!
Diving in the Galapagos: from Santa Cruz and San Cristobal
In the Galapagos it is possible to dive even without participating in a live-aboard. As I mentioned at the beginning, in 2023 I did several dives starting from Santa Cruz. I dived Gordon Rocks, Seymour, and Floreana. Gordon Rocks is the most complicated dive because of its currents: here, with some luck, you can see hammerhead sharks. I really loved the dive at Floreana: here I saw sea lions, seahorses and an immense amount of fish.
There is also a famous dive site in San Cristobal: Leon Dormido, famous for its hammerhead sharks.
IN ADDITION TO DIVING IN THE GALAPAGOS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….
The beauty of Sharm el Sheikh!
The story of the Thistlegorm wreck!
GALAPAGOS DIVING INFORMATION
- Diving in the Galapagos could be tricky. In fact, currents tend to be strong, especially at Darwin and Wolf.
- The live-board experience in the Galapagos is, at the same time, tough and wonderful. On Darwin and Wolf days, in fact, we dive four times a day. I preferred to skip three dives because it is a tiring activity.
- Dives generally last between 45 and 50 minutes, at a depth of up to 30 meters. I am not a good diver, and despite a 15-liter tank, I often ascended before the group.
- A maximum of 16 divers can be accommodated in the Aqua liveboard. There is excellent eating!
- The distances of the liveboard excursion are long. In particular, it takes between twelve and fourteen hours to reach Darwin and Wolf.
- The times in the liveboard are tiring. The alarm goes off at 5:30 am, the first dive is at 6:30 am. There are two more dives in the morning and one more in the afternoon.
- I participated in the liveboard straddling New Year’s Eve 2024-25. The best season for diving in the Galapagos is generally from June to November, when it is easiest to encounter the ‘giants of the sea.’ In late December I spotted whale sharks four times, so I can’t complain.
- Between June and November the water temperature is about 4 degrees lower than in the remaining months. In Darwin and Wolf, temperatures range from 20 to 24 degrees, while cooler waters (Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela) have temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees.
- The sea between June and November is generally rougher, especially on the trip to Wolf and Darwin. I suffered greatly on the leg between Isabela and Wolf, as the sea was rough at level 2.5.
- The cost of a liveboard in the Galapagos is around 4,000 euros. To this price must be added about 250 euros for basic equipment rental, 250 euros for a 15-liter tank and nitrox (which helps to increase the duration of the dive), and about 300 euros in tips to the Aqua team (there are nine or ten people working on board, and they treat the divers excellently).
- From Santa Cruz and San Cristobal, on the other hand, dives cost about 200 euros (two trips in one day).
- Aqua’s liveboard includes, on the last day of the tour, a visit to the giant turtles of El Chato on Santa Cruz Island. This visit is definitely a must on the list of things to see in the Galapagos, as described on this page of my blog.
- Diving in the Galapagos is a daydream! I definitely think it is a once in a lifetime experience!
