There are many dive sites within the Galapagos islands. Dive boats are going out daily visiting different locations. Dreamkapture Travel can provide you with daily dive destinations from numerouos dive operators, and Dreamkapture Travel can make all the arrangements for your for your diving days in the Galapagos.

When you arrange your scuba diving with Dreamkapture Travel the price is the same or less than the dive shop! Then all you have to do is show up the day before the dive to inspect your equipment and try on wetsuits.

Here is what is included in your daily diving.

  • Full body wetsuit 6mm with booties
  • BCD jacket
  • Regulator with octopus, pressure gauge, and depth gauge
  • Mask, Fins, Snorkel
  • 2 boat dives in small groups with a Divermaster in the water with you.
  • Box Lunch and drinking water
  • Transportation by boat to and from the dive sites

*Please note: Minimum age to dive is 12 years old. Depth limit is 30m/100ft and no one can dive alone. Dive time limit is one hour. Travel time to and from dive sites will vary according to sea conditions. Dive sites can be changed or cancelled depending on weather/sea conditions.

Dive Locations and Descriptions

Karahua & Las Tiheretas

Location: San Cristobal
Two divespots just outside the bay. Take half a day to see the over 100 year old ship- wreck outside the bay and get an impression of the marine life
Experience required: 5 Dives

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Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)

Location: San Cristobal

San Cristobal’s best known dive site, Kicker Rock is two basalt monoliths. It is possible to see spotted eagle rays, stone scorpionfish, harlenquin wrasse, Galapagos sharks, schools of yellowtail grunts, jacks, barracudas, rainbow runners, salemas, barberfish, creolefish and flag cabrilla. On the rocks you will find black coral, nudibranchs, urchins, octopuses, and crustaceans.  The back side of Kicker Rock it is possible to encounter schools of hammerheads! Kicker Rock one of the top dive sites in Galapagos.
(all the equipment, transportation by boat, lunch, drinks, snacks and divemaster included)

Difficulty: Intermediate
Depth Range: 30-130 feet
Visibility: 30-50 feet 
Current: Light to Moderate 
Temperatures: December-April 74º-78º and May-November 68º-72º

Experience required: More than 10 dives

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Kicker Rock & Punta Pitt

Location: San Cristobal
Combine the best spots in one trip. After the check- dive we navigate the boat to the north of the island- Punta Pitt. The dive in Punta Pitt is followed by a second dive in Kicker Rock. Afterwards we have time to snorkel in Lobos Island.


Experience required: 20 dives

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Academy Bay

Location: Santa Cruz

Academy Bay is a short 2.5 mile navigation from the dive center. This area is great for introductory diving, beginners and intermediate divers.

If you have not been diving in awhile or are a new diver, it is recommended spending a minimum of 1 day diving Academy Bay to get acclimated to the Galapagos waters, wet suit and the visibility.

Experience required: 5 dives

Outside Academy Bay.- The dive sites outside Academy Bay have navigation distances of between 20 to 38 miles. The approximate travel time is 1 hour to most sites. These areas are spectacular world-class diving sites, best suited for intermediate to experienced divers.

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North Seymour

Location: North of Santa Cruz island; there are 2 dive sites here.

North Seymour is an uplifted island of lava flow about 90 minutes north of our dive base.

These sites have the most different species per square foot of sandy bottom. You can see cleaning behavior, a large garden eel colony, sea turtles, sea lions, fur seals, eagle rays, yellow-tailed grunts, big-eyed jack, and frequently white tip reef sharks, manta rays, and hammerheads. Occasionally, Galapagos sharks can also be seen here.

Difficulty: All levels of divers
Experience required
: 10 dives

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Cousin Rock

Location: Cousin is located on the east side of Santiago island, very close to Bartolome.

An intermediate dive along a wall dropping from the surface into the deepest depths, Cousins Rock is home to a big area of sloping rock plates known as a "Planchonal" . There can be strong currents here that separate the productive and unproductive sides of the dive site.

Cousins is full of spectacular endemic young black corals and other sightings may include frogfish, fur seals, sea turtles, sea horses, and usually, hammerhead sharks, large amount of fish, whitetip sharks, eagle rays and manta rays. Cousins is a cleaning station for sea life. Most often combined with a dive at Bartolome.

Experience required: 20 dives

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Gordon Rocks

Location: Santa Cruz

Gordon Rocks is one of the best dive sites in the central islands. It is the top of a volcanic tuff cone formation. The Gordon Rocks dive sites are mostly walls with a deep bottom.

There are 2 dive sites in the area, located about 45 minutes from the the Itabaca channel that separates Santa Cruz and Baltra islands. This location is world renowned.

Hammerhead sharks are the main attraction of Gordon Rocks, where they often conglomerate in large schools. You are also likely to see reef fish, large pelagic fish, golden rays, stingrays, eagle rays, turtles, morays, Galápagos sharks, blacktips and whitetips, spotted eagle rays, golden- and stingrays as well as fur seals.

Difficulty: experienced
Experience required: 30 dives

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Bartolome

Location: Bartolome is located on the east side of Santiago island; north of Santa Cruz island. It is known for it signature landmark: Pinnacle Rock.

Bartolome has a moderate current. There is a platform area at 10 meters deep.

You will most likely see Stingrays, modula rays, turtles, whitetips sharks, barracuda, and variety of reef fish.

Experience required: 20 dives

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Mosquera Islet

Location: North of Santa Cruz island between Baltra and Seymour islands. Mosquera is a low rocky islet.

Usually currents are mild here. There is a sandy bottom at about 18 meter deep. You will find the largest colony of garden eels, mantas, whitetips and maybe hammerheads and eagle rays as well as plenty of tropical fish and sea lions.

Experience required: 10 dives

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Daphne Minor

Location: Near the northern coast of Santa Cruz island.

This is an isolated offshore tuff cone with vertical walls all around it about one hour from our dive base. The main dive site is a shelf of boulders at about 60 feet and the diving can be difficult depending on the currents and surge. You will usually see many Galapagos sharks here, white tips, eagle rays, stingrays, sea lions, hammerheads, turtles, black corals and many other invertebrates, and hundreds of fish and multicolored sponges on the rock wall.

Experience required: 30 dives

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Santa Fe

Location: South east of Santa Cruz island

This is easy diving with little current island is a solid structure of basaltic lava rocks about an hour away from our base. The 4 dive sites here generally have excellent visibility and mild currents, making these sites ideal for novices. At the same time, the animals and topography (including a spectacular arch) make them interesting for intermediates and experts. We can see stingrays, eagle rays, garden eels, turtles, sea lion colonies, morays, pelagic fish, and maybe white tip reef sharks and/or hammerhead sharks.

Experience required: 10 dives

Santa Fe.- Easy diving with little current. Whitetips, turtles, stingrays and occasionally a couple of hammerheads. snorkeling with sea lions at surface interval. Price: 200 USD pp

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Guy Fawkes

Location: Santa Cruz

Combination of wall and shoal diving. Great side for seeing a lot of sea horses and fishes. Whitetips, sea lions, turtles, Galápagos Sharks. In general the ocean bottom descends in slopes, some almost vertical. The walls of the islets are eroded, full of cavities in some parts, and big rocks covered in black coral in others. At this intermediate site divers can observe pelagic species such as Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, turtles, and a wide variety of reef fish and sea lions.

Experience required: 40 dives

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Beagle Rocks

Location: Off the southern coast of Santiago island.

These are 3 exposed steep rocks.

This beginner/intermediate dive site starts on a 12 meters deep platform and leads to a wall, covered with black coral and sea fans, that drops to more than 60 meters. Pelagic species that can be observed include hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, mantas during the hot season, small rays, turtles and sea lions.

Experience required: 20 dives


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Pinzon

Location: Santa Cruz

The small island of Pinzon is located on the west side of Santa Cruz Island, about 1.5 hour cruise away from our base. This beginner/intermediate dive site is on the east side where 2 tower-shaped rocks emerge. A wall covered in black coral drops to 10 meters and from there it’s a sandy slope that drops to more than 50 meters. Species commonly observed include the red lipped bat fish, sea horses, sting rays, turtles and white tip reef sharks.

Experience required: 20 dives

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Floreana

There are 9 dive sites here with generally calm waters. Sealions, exotic fish, thousands of tropical fish, barracudas, black coral, whitetip and Galápagos sharks, moray eels, some hammerheads and eagle rays. You will have an excellent opportunity for dolphin-watching during the boattrip to and from Floreana. You will also enjoy some sightseeing by boat of the local marine- and birdlife, such as sealions, blue footed boobies, frigate bird, penguins, marine iguanas, etc.

On the occasion that we do find strong currents, we can quickly move to another site, which makes Floreana ideal for all levels of divers. This site is one of the best in the central islands to see significant coral colonies, such as pebble coral and endemic black coral. You might encounter baby birds as they make unsuccessful attempts learning to fly. You may look on as barberfish clean sea turtles of parasites. Floreana is also one of the best sites to dive with sea lions. If if that isn't enough there is the enticing gauntlet of sea horses, stingrays, eagle rays, turtles, long nose hawkfish, barracudas, pelagic fish, white tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, and hammerhead sharks.

Experience required: 20 dives

Floreana.- Enderby Islet, Punta Ayora, Champion Islet and Devil's Crown are the dive sites where you will experience sea lions, turtles, 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 watching the local marine and bird life such as sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigatebird, penguins and marine iguanas from the boat. Price: 200 USD pp

El Bajo.- 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 for intermediate as well as for experienced divers.

Punta Nuñez Cliffs.- Wall diving with a cave. At this site, you can see turtles, stingrays, tropical fish, whitetip sharks and – occasionally – manta rays.

Punta Estrada.- Sea turtle canyon in Academy Bay. Invertebrates, tropical fish, stingrays, green sea turtles; possible encounters with golden rays and some whitetip reef sharks. There are interesting geological formations here.

Caamaño Islet.- Offers a chance to swim and play with friendly sea lions, many tropical fish and marine iguanas.

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Locations for Live-Aboard cruises

Wolf Island

Sites: All sites are dive only locations
Area: 
0.4 sq. miles (1 sq km)
Maxium altitude: 490 feet (150 meters)


Attractions: Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, various reef fish, Hammerhead Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Reef Sharks, when in season; Whale sharks. Wolf Island is considered to be one of the best diving locations in the world.

Activities: Scuba Diving only

Landing: none

Named after Theodor Wolf, a German naturalist who visited the Galapagos Islands. Wolf Island does not have any visitor landing sites. This island is only a scuba diving destination. The island features numerousl protected anchorages and offers a variety of dive sites which allow activities such as: drift dives, cave diving, pinnacle and wall dives, and there is the opportunity to snorkel as well.

Wolf Island has amazing dive sites:

  • The Pinnacle
  • The Landslide
  • Shark Bay
  • North Islet
  • The Caves
  • The Elephant
  • The Anchorage.

Advanced Experienced required: There are strong currents and undersurge

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Darwin Island

Sites: All sites are dive only locations
Area: 
0.4 sq. miles (1 sq km)
Maxium altitude: 480 feet (141 meters)


Attractions: Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, various reef fish, Hammerhead Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Reef Sharks, when in season; Whale sharks. Darwin Island is considered to be one of the best diving locations in the world.

Activities: Scuba Diving only

Landing: none

Located in the northernmost part of the Galapagos Islands, close to Wolf Island. Darwin Island is named in honor of the archipelago's most famous visitor; Charles Darwin. Unlike Wolf Island, Darwin Island has limited diving locations, but they are outstanding places which offer divers and incredible experiences.

One location, Darwin's Arch, off the southern end of the island has been referred to as the best dive location in the Galapagos Islands! It is especially exceptional from June through November when the Humboldt current is its strongest.

Advanced Experienced required: There are strong currents and undersurge

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Cabo Marshall

Site: Off of Isabela Island, Northeastern location

Attractions: Mantas, hammerhead sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, Galápagos sharks, Black coral,l arge schools of black stripped salema, barracuda, pacific boxfish, guineafowl pufferfish in golden and dark spotted stages, parrotfish, yellowtail surgeon fish, grunts, big eye jacks and Creole fish. Sea lions often come to interact with divers.

Activities: Scuba Diving

Landing: none

Cape Marshall is located off the northeastern shore of Isabela, just below the equator. There is drift diving on a reef as well as walls. Cabo Marshall is on the coast of Isabela but it is only accessible by live-aboard dive boats. 

Experienced required: mild currents, thermoclines

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Punta Vicente Roca

Site: Isabela Island, Northwestern location
Area: 
0.4 sq. miles (1 sq km)
Maxium altitude: 480 feet (141 meters)


Attractions: Sea Turtles, various reef fish, Galapagos Sharks, Reef Sharks, possibly the Mola Mola fish.

Activities: Scuba Diving and Snorkelling only

Landing: none

Punta Vicente Roca is the remnants of an ancient volcano. It forms a cove with a bay that is protected from ocean swells. The upwelling of coldwater currents in this location creates a desirable environment for marine life which gather here. Punta Vicente Roca is an interesting dive spot where many species of sharks and the Galapagos shark can be observed. 

Experienced required: mild currents

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