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Diving Day Tours

General Information

Diving Day Tours

Diving day tours in the Galapagos Islands include 2 immersions (some offer a 3rd immersion as an option), lunch, all equipment, guide and transportation to and from the dive site. Generally, most dive sites around the Galapagos islands are most suitable for divers with some experience, although beginners can dive at most sites. Some sites are along steep walls with strong currents and are only suited for advanced divers. Most of the sites listed in this section are about 1 to 2 hours away from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island.

Diving operators in the Galapagos typically arrange tours to one or two sites each day, so if you are traveling alone, the site is often determined by the day you wish to dive. With advance notice, and if you are traveling in a group, we can generally arrange a tour to a specific site.

Itinerary

Daily Departures for 2013

MONDAY: Floreana and Gordon Rock
TUESDAY: Gordon Rocks and Cousins/Bartolome
WEDNESDAY: Seymour (channel) and Mosquera (North)
THURSDAY: Cousins/Bartolome and Beagle/Daphne
FRIDAY: Seymour (the Point) and Mosquera (South)
SATURDAY: Beagle/Daphne and Daphne/Gordon
SUNDAY: Seymour (the Channel)/Gordon Rocks and Floreana

General Itinerary for Diving Day Tours

Depending on the site, exact times listed may vary, but below is a general guideline for daily diving tours. Diver should plan to visit the dive shop the day before the tour to prepare equipment and sign a waiver.

07:20 Meeting time at the dive center; 07:30 departure for dive site
09:15 - 11:15 Arrival to dive site, equipment and weight check (about 15 minutes). First dive (20 to 25 meters, maximum time 1 hour)
11:15 - 12:15 Surface time, snack or lunch
12:15 - 1:15 Second dive (15 to 23 meters, maximum time 1 hour)
1:15 - 2:15 Surface time, snack or lunch, return to Puerto Ayora
3:30 - 5:30 Arrival Puerto Ayora

Diving Sites

Bartolomé

Bartolomé is a beautiful place, with unique features both above and below the water produced through its volcanic formation. While the main attraction here is to swim with the penguins while snorkeling, the marine topography offers the chance to see corals, reef fish, endemic fish species, sharks, rays, and sea horses.

Beagle

Beagle, located in the central area of the Galapagos archipelago off of the southern coast of Santiago, is known for populations of marine birds, sea lions, rays and galapagos sharks. The site consists of three large and steep rocks, remains of a tuff cone. The site is about 90 minutes from the Itabaca channel near the Baltra airport. This is a reef dive with a variety of corals and sponges to be seen. There are few strong currents here.

Cousins Rock

Cousins Rock is a solitary rock formation surrounded by open seas with two very different topographies. On the south side, the waters contain a variety of corals, reef fish, sea horses, toadfish, sea cucumbers and lobsters. This is an ideal site for panoramic photography. On the north side, there is a slope of about 45 degrees that ends in a platform of rock and sand. This area is ideal for seeing schools of eagle rays, golden rays, the largest hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos, and schools of barracudas.

Daphne Minor

Located off the north coast of Santa Cruz, Daphne is an ideal location for diving with sharks, manta and eagle rays, sea lions, barracudas, plenty of sea turtles, reef fishes and a variety of starfish. This is a wall dive with light to moderate currents. A number of "cleaning stations" provide the opportunity to see hammerhead sharks, ocean sharks, and Galapagos sharks. At Daphne, beginning and advanced divers can enjoy the spectacular fauna together. A highly recommended site.

Floreana

This island has one of the richest human histories of islands in the archipelago. There are 3 dive sites off of Floreana; changeable currents are possible. Some sites are reef dives and other are wall dives. Sea lions, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, rays, reef fishes, and turtles can be seen here. In addition to its array of underwater life, Floreana's landscapes, sea birds, dolphins, and frigate birds make this island famous.

Gordon Rocks

The edges of a volcanic crater, Gordon Rocks rise to about 50 meters above sea level. Gordon is known as one of the best sites in the Galápagos for diving with hammerhead sharks, manta rays, sea lions, sea turtles, pelagic fish, and reef fish. However, it is only recommended for intermediate to advanced divers, and a minimum of 30 logged dives or previous evaluation at another site is required to dive here.

The underwater topography consists of a vertical wall, slopes, pinnacles, and a sandy bottom. Since this site is far from other islands, currents can be quite strong at times.

Mosquera

Mosquera is an islet with a beautiful landscape and an incredible beach inhabited by several colonies of sea lions. There is a reef about 120 meters deep extending from Mosquera to Baltra. There is one dive site here with a sandy bottom at about 15 to 18 meters, and a wall with black coral and a variety of invertebrates. At Mosquera, schools of hammerhead sharks, black tipped and white tipped reef sharks, a variety of rays and reef fishes, Galápagos garden eels, and barracudas can be seen.

North Seymour

Located just 30 minutes from the Itabaca channel near the Baltra airport, there are two dive sites here for all diving levels. Strong currents are occasionally present, but the platform reefs harbor a diversity of species including a number of shark species (Galapagos, white tip, hammerhead), manta rays, eagle rays, the Galapagos eel, barracudas, turtles and reef fishes.

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