Galapagos
Straddling the equator West of mainland Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are famous for their diversity and for Charles Darwin’s observations and theories about natural selection and evolution there – and for good reason. The highly varied underwater topography, dive conditions, currents and sea creatures make you feel like you are diving in completely different parts of the world as you travel from island to island.
With three major currents from the North, West and South (and three additional counter currents), water temperatures vary widely - from 80 degrees at Darwin and Wolf Islands to as low as 57 degrees at Fernandina Island.
Everything from schools of scalloped hammerheads to Galapagos and whale sharks, sea lions, marine iguanas, huge molas and more can be found in the Galapagos. Blue-footed boobies, penguins and more also grace the islands. Humpback whales visit seasonally and even the occasional orca makes visits to the Galapagos.
Currents can be strong and unpredictable so divers should be well trained and comfortable in open water conditions and in stronger currents.
How to do it
Diving in the Galapagos is best done on a liveaboard to experience the broad array of dive sites.
Most recently, I dove on the Galapagos Sky, a comfortable liveaboard with good food, attentive crew and nice rooms.
While day dives are possible from San Cristobal Island, if you travel all the way to the Galapagos and you are a diver, I would highly recommend a liveaboard. There are a number of operators to choose from. I found Galapagos Sky to be well organized and well-functioning when I went in 2016.
Other operators as of 2019 include: Humboldt Explorer, Galapagos Aggressor III, Majestic Explorer and more. I have only used the Galapagos Sky to date though, so I cannot comment on these other operators.
