Diving in the Galapagos is fascinating, and many people miss out on the opportunity to see various types of sharks, sea turtles, manta rays, schools of fish, penguins, marine iguanas, and other marine life up close. We also offer an opportunity for tourists with no diving experience to book a discovery dive.

From Isabela Island you can dive at Tortuga Islet. From San Cristóbal Island you can dive at Kicker Rock, at Española Island, and you can also do night diving at the shipwreck and Tijeretas. From Santa Cruz Island, you can dive in the North Seymour Channel or off the northeast coast of Seymour, at North Mosquera or South Mosquera, Daphne Minor, and Gordon Rocks.

Although the whole year is a good time for diving, during the cold water season, the current brings with it many nutrients, and this usually occurs between the months of May and December. However, hammerhead sharks tend to be more prevalent in warmer currents.

 
 

 

Galapagos Diving Tours

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Another way to dive in the Galapagos is through diving tours. Each inhabited island has its own diving spots permitted by the National Park. Diving in the Galapagos is very safe, as long as you have the necessary experience and, above all, follow the instructions of the dive guide. Even if you have hundreds of dives under your belt, the Galapagos has very strong ocean currents.

Diving tours are not allowed to do the activities that are done on day tours on Santa Cruz or Isabela Islands. The only island that combines diving with day tour activities is San Cristobal Island.

Much of these places only allow diving if you have international diving certification and a certain number of dives logged. If you’ve never dived before and want to try, there’s Discovery Diving—you’ll get some theoretical training first, then go into the practical session, and you can descend up to 10 meters.

 
 

 
 

Diving without experience – Discovery Scuba Diving

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Discovery Scuba Diving, or DSD for short, is an opportunity for tourists who have never been scuba diving before and are visiting destinations like the Galápagos, where marine life is fascinating year-round. It’s the perfect opportunity if you are visiting any of the 3 islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela, or San Cristobal; we can help you book a discovery dive experience. Discovery diving in the Galápagos always involves one dive after equipment check and familiarization in the water.

 
On San Cristobal Island: Darwin Bay
The day before, visit the tour operator’s office to test your equipment and attend a briefing. A certified instructor will teach you basic techniques and safety rules before you dive in calm, shallow water. The next day, meet at the passenger dock at 08:15 to head to Darwin Bay or Tijeretas.
There is a stop there to get ready and complete a training session. Once finished, you return to the boat for a snack, rest, and prepare to start the dive. The maximum depth reached will be between 7 and 10 meters, lasting about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on oxygen consumption. You will return to the San Cristobal dock around 11:30.
 
At Isabela Island: Tortuga Islet
Similar to the dives, you must visit one day before to test equipment and receive a briefing from the certified dive guide, who will explain techniques and safety rules before the immersion. On the day of the trip, you must be at the operator’s office at 07:00 to head to the dock. This discovery dive also welcomes tourists who only want to snorkel, as well as certified divers who wish to go deeper.
Before going to Tortuga Islet, the operator—with a permit from the national park—leads a walk at Tintoreras. During the Galápagos penguin season, a panga ride is included to see them. Afterward, you head to the dive site for the descent, but first, equipment is checked on the spot. Discovery dives allow a maximum depth of only 10 meters.
 
On Santa Cruz Island: Seymour, Mosquera, Daphne, Punta Carrion, and Plazas
For a discovery dive on Santa Cruz Island, you will have multiple potential dive sites because the Galapagos National Park assigns a different itinerary to each boat. Therefore, the exact dive location will be confirmed the day before, during your equipment fitting and briefing at the dive operator’s office. On the day of the dive, you will depart from the dive center office at 6:30 AM and head to the Itabaca Channel for a check-out dive. Here, the instructor will teach three specific techniques for a discovery dive: how to clear your mask, how to recover your regulator, and buoyancy control. Afterwards, you will proceed to the designated dive site, where the group will be split into certified divers and discovery divers.
The duration of the dive always depends on the tourist’s air consumption. Once your dive is finished, you can go snorkeling in areas indicated by the captain while the other divers complete their dives.

 
 

 
 

Scuba diving at Kicker Rock

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The Leon dormido, also called Kicker Rock, located on San Cristobal Island, is one of the most iconic places in the Galapagos Islands. It’s one of the few tours that combines a trip with divers and tourists who go to snorkel. Honestly, for now it’s the only place in Galapagos where I have been able to dive since I got my PADI Open Water certification, and it was a spectacular experience. Sharks, turtles, fish, and a bit of adrenaline from the strong current in certain areas.

You have a very high chance of Kicker Rock: Hammerhead sharks, blacktip sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea lions, many sea turtles, and schools of fish.

Kicker Rock has visibility ranging from 5 to 15 meters, and you can dive down to about 22 meters deep. A typical dive lasts between 40 and 50 minutes. The boat ride from the dock to the dive site takes about 35 minutes.

The water temperature from January to May is around 20-24°C, and from May to December it’s between 18-20°C.

 
 

 
 

Scuba diving at Tortuga Islet

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Turtle Islet is located near Isabela Island. It’s a very noticeable spot when traveling by ferry from Santa Cruz Island or by plane. Currently, it’s a scuba diving site. Snorkeling can also be done there. However, on standard tours, neither activity is in very high demand from tourists. The tours can be combined for both divers and snorkelers.

You are very likely to see at Tortuga Islet: Hammerhead sharks, whitetip sharks, Galapagos sharks, giant mantas, sea lions, many sea turtles, and a variety of fish.

Turtle Islet has underwater visibility of 12 to 18 meters. The dive goes down to about 16 meters deep and typically lasts 45 to 50 minutes. The boat ride from the dock to the dive site takes 45 minutes.

The water temperature is: November to May: 22-24°C (warm) and May to November: 18-20°C (cooler)

 
 

 
 

Scuba diving at Gordon Rocks

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Gordon Rocks is the most famous diving spot on Santa Cruz Island, but it is also one of the most difficult because of its strong currents. This rock formation is an eroded crater on top of a volcanic tuff cone and is considered a world-renowned site for intermediate and advanced divers. It is recommended that each participant has at least 20 logged dives or has dived previously at another site with the associated operator, due to the strong currents and waves.

At Gordon Rocks, you are very likely to see: hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, blacktip sharks, silky sharks, and whitetip sharks, as well as mobula rays, sea turtles, reef fish, pelagic fish, eagle rays, Galapagos eels, barracudas, a variety of invertebrates, and sea lions.

Gordon Rocks has underwater visibility ranging from 10 to 25 meters, and you can dive down to 30 meters deep. The dive lasts about 50 to 60 minutes, and the boat ride from the pier to the dive site takes 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The water temperature is between 20-26°C from January to May, and 16-20°C from June to December.

 
 

 
 

Scuba diving at North Seymour Island

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North Seymour Island is an ideal place for diving, snorkeling, and land tours. It has two dive sites: (The Channel) and The Other North Seymour. It is a flat island with cliffs on its east, south, and north coasts, and is known as one of the best dive sites in the central Galápagos Islands. It’s suitable for divers of all levels and is close to Santa Cruz Island. It’s the perfect place to begin your diving adventure in the Galápagos Marine Reserve. However, at times, especially between June and September, there are strong currents.

It’s very common to see around North Seymour Island and the Channel: Whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, blacktip sharks, tiger sharks, and bull sharks.
This site is also good for spotting manta rays, Galapagos garden eels, sea lions, barracudas, reef fish, Galapagos blennies, and several cleaning stations, along with a wide variety of invertebrates.

North Seymour has visibility between 5 and 25 meters (about 16 to 82 feet). You can dive down to about 25 meters (82 feet) deep. A typical dive lasts 50 to 60 minutes. The boat ride from the Itabaca Channel to the dive site takes 20 to 30 minutes.

The water temperature is warmer from January to May, ranging from 20°C to 26°C (68°F to 79°F). From June to December, the water is cooler, between 12°C and 20°C (54°F to 68°F).

 
 

 
 

 
 

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USAGE POLICIES

• By booking accommodation on each island, you will receive $10 per island. That is, if you book accommodations on all 3 islands, you will get a $30 discount per person when booking daily tours on all 3 islands.
• When using the discount on tours booked with ChokoTours, accommodation reservations cannot be canceled, and no cancellation or date change policies from the hotels will apply.
• To access the discount, the tours must be purchased by the same person who made the reservation through the following form on the ChokoTours website.
• Only for 2025 reservations

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