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GALAPAGOS
ISLANDS Most experienced divers will agree, Wolf and Darwin are the best diving sites in the world! Sightings of the whale shark is common here. There are no land visitor sites here, just serious diving. At the Northern Arch at Darwin, Hammerhead sharks are not uncommon, nor are bottlenose dolphins. The reef contains many warm water varieties of fish found nowhere else in the Islands and is the most consistent place to see Hammerheads. Wolf
Island - One of those magical islands, with several dive sites
to choose from. If you want to see sharks, you Darwin
Island - Considered by many experienced divers as the very best
dive site in the world, The Arch at Darwin island honors its reputation.
It is warmer by a few degrees than the central islands. In one single
dive you can find schooling hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, large
pods of dolphins, thick schools of skipjack and yellow fin tuna, big
eye jacks, mobula rays, and silky sharks. From June to November, we
can almost guarantee whale sharks in numbers of up to 8 different
individuals in one single dive. The presence of occasional tiger sharks,
black and blue marlin and killer whales, ads on to this amazing diving
experience. If you still have time to look for smaller stuff, youÕll
find octopus, flounders, and an enormous variety and abundance of
tropical fish. Darwin Island is the biggest jewel on the Galapagos
Crown.
The
Northern Channel - In the south side of Seymour Island and no
deeper than 50 feet deep, the northern channel is superb. It features
an enormous "field" of garden eels, stingrays, a school of spotted
eagle rays, white tipped reef sharks, and thick schools of grunts,
snappers & goatfish. When Dr. Silvia Earle described Galapagos as
"the fishiest place in the world", she had probably dived this dive
site. North
Plaza - In our normal itineraries, this dive site is the best
way of ending your trip on board Sky Dancer. Its shallow waters are
home for a rookery of playful young sea lions. Gardner's
Seamount - This place features the biggest biodiversity of the
archipelago. During a dive here, you can see anything from the smallest
barnacle blenny to whale sharks. Common inhabitants of this seamount
are large schools of yellow and dog snappers, Mexican goatfish, moray
eels, sting rays, spotted eagle rays, white tipped reef sharks, pacific
burr fish, guinea fowl puffers, bulls eye puffers, box fishes, king
angelfish, three banded butterfly fish, barber fish and 3 species
of grunts. If you venture in to the sandy bottom you may find red
lipped batfish. Enderby
Island - A great dive site. If you stay above 50 ft, you can see
thick schools of king angelfish; yellow Champion
Island - One of the nicest real drift wall dives in Galapagos.
You can easily glide along side the island escorted by a group of
friendly sea lions. You can also look around for sharks, rays and
sea turtles. If you are interested in small creatures, look for sea
horses, long nose hawk fish and coral hawk fish. Devils
Crown - A shallow dive site that features thick schools of all
kinds of tropical fish. Groupers, snappers, grunts, Creole fish, rays,
shrks, morays, jacks, sea lions and turtles mingle together in a chaotic
frenzy of sea life. Hold on to a rock and enjoy the show. Roca
Redonda - The word unpredictable was specifically created to describe
this dive site. It is the peak of an enormous underwater mountain.
It is famous for its Galapagos sharks, schooling hammerheads, and
large schools of barracudas and underwater fumaroles. It is also famous
for its overpowering down draft and surge, and its dramatic and sudden
fog. It is not a place for beginners. Tagus
Cove - Cold water dive (sometimes as low as 62 F.). It is excellent
for sea turtles, and macro subjects such as red lipped batfish, and
the endemic "camotillo" a species of fish restricted only to Galapagos
waters. While making your safety stop, keep an eye out for penguins
or flight less cormorants coming your way. On the deep sandy bottom
you can find saw fish and devil rays. North
Seymour - A nightmare for underwater photographers...."what lens
should I bring along...??" . . . because it's great for everything,
from tiny nudibranchs to Mantas, including every different type of
ray you can think of (spotted eagle rays, marble rays, golden eagle
rays, stingrays). It is also great for "piles" of sleeping white tipped
reef sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, etc. Good for all sorts of rays
all year round and especially good for Mantas from December until
April. Lots of white tipped reef sharks rest on the sandy spots. Good
place for sea lions, sea turtles and hammerhead sharks. Several thick
schools of grunts and snappers live associated to the reef.
Isla Lobos - The best check out dive in the world. 20 ft of
water, scores of friendly sea lions come to join the divers in their
first dive in Galapagos. It is good for garden eels, some tropical
fish and stingrays. Sea turtles and Eagle rays are found frequently.
We have seen a couple of times marine iguanas grazing underwater.
Punta
Vicente Roca - The best macro/ night dive site in Galapagos Islands,
with a big variety of invertebrates ranging from sponges to octopus,
plus red lipped batfish, frogfish, sea horses, port jackson sharks,
etc. It can be cold (as low as 62 F). The list of invertebrates that
is found on this wall dive is endless, from the simplest sponge to
really beautiful flat worms. Also you can find sea horses, frogfish
port jackson sharks, red lipped batfish, and the endemic "camotillo".
At the beginning of the dive keep your eyes open for Òmola molaÓ or
moon fish. Gordon's
Rocks - An exciting dive. Manta rays, spotted eagle rays, Galapagos
sharks and hammerheads are common sightings. Its unique underwater
topography allows for ever changing conditions in terms of currents
and surge. You can find sea turtles and seasonally, a large school
of up to 50-cow nose or golden eagle rays. The best dive site in the
Central Islands.
Cabo Marshall - A good dive site. Hammerheads and mantas are
a common sight. Chevron barracuda, snappers, groupers, and occasionally,
thick schools of the endemic brown stripped salema are part of the
resident underwater fauna. The infrequent presence of oceanic white
tipped sharks, blue & black marlin make this a dive with lots of potential
surprises. SKY DANCER - THE VESSEL Call (800) 433-3483 for availability and schedules
© 2003 Caribbean Adventures / World Dive Adventures All rights reserved
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In
addition to the diving the magnificent underwater sites of the Galapagos
Islands your days are filled with island exploration and discovery.
See fur seals and sea lions playing on the sand, marine iguanas swimming
to group gatherings, giant land turtles feeding, penguins diving from
rocks, booby birds performing mating dances, flightless cormorants
courting and scores of other species of flora & fauna catching your
eye during surface intervals. 
are
at the right spot. This is a place for schooling hammerhead sharks,
large aggregations of Galapagos sharks, and occasionally whale sharks.
Seeing dolphins, large schools of tuna, spotted eagle rays, barracudas,
sea lions and sea turtles is common. The bottom is littered with hundreds
of moray eels, many of them free swimming. Being several degrees warmer
than the central islands, you can look for many representatives of
the Indopacific underwater fauna. 
Cousins
Rock - To the North of Bartolome, Cousins is an interesting wall
dive. Visibility is just fair most of the year. A dive site with a
bit of everything for every taste. You can find white tipped reef
sharks, hammerhead sharks, sea lions hunting, fur seals, and many
sleeping sea turtles. A high light is a resident school of up to 30
spotted eagle rays. If you are interested in macro photography, look
for sea horses, frogfish, lobster, arrow crabs, cup coral, blue crabs,
long nose hawk fish, coral hawk fish, nudibranchs, etc. It is superb
for night or day diving. 
tailed
surgeonfish, puffers, grunts, snappers and groupers. It is also a
good place for hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. At the end of the
dive, on the wall, you can find sea horses clinging on to the branches
of the black coral.