You have heard about diving in the Galapagos Islands, but do you know what it is really like? Of course, you can’t fully know without experiencing it yourself, but you can get a feel for it through the written word. The very first thing to know about diving in the Galapagos Islands is that you are going to be on a liveaboard. There are no accommodations on the islands themselves so for the duration of the trip divers and other travelers will live on a boat. That is fun in and of itself!
It is important to note that depending on which company you book your dive tour with, you may be traveling with non-divers. This is totally fine for a number of reasons. First of all, not all of the people on board will be vying for the best action when it comes to being under the water. You might also spark the interest of others with your vivid descriptions of the world beneath the waves and the digital photos you come back with and they might decide to give diving a try. You will also get to do some on-land tours of the islands, which means that you get the best of both worlds while those poor landlubbers are stuck with only the world above the waves. Of course, you can book for diving-only excursions if you prefer. Whatever works best for you, there is a company who can accommodate your desires.
Diving from a liveaboard is wonderful and once you’ve done it once, you might find that it is your preferred way of diving. When you select shore-based boat diving, you have to endure the ride to and from the dive site, which can sometimes be long and tedious, especially when you are tired and hungry after a long, albeit fun day of diving. However, when diving from a liveaboard, you have a short dingy ride back to the boat and right then and there you can enjoy a hot shower, dry clothes, and a scrumptious meal. What could be better than that?
What about the location? Well, the Galapagos Islands have been famous ever since Charles Darwin published his world famous Voyage of the Beagle. However, this is not why divers choose the Galapagos Islands. The prime reason why divers flock to the Galapagos Islands in droves is simply because of the sharks. Yes, it’s true. There are people who actually want to swim with the sharks and the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands are teeming with sharks.
The sharks are actually a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the Galapagos Islands, which are known for offering blinding evidence of evolution. The flora and fauna on these islands have evolved in completely unique ways to ensure survival and many are endemic, found only in this location in the world. Despite this the sharks that swim quietly beneath the waves have not changed in thousands of years.
Why is swimming with the sharks such an event in the Galapagos Islands? Because the waters surrounding the islands are home to an amazing 32 species of sharks! Can you imagine being able to swim with that many different kinds of sharks? Among these species of sharks are white tip reef sharks, whale sharks, hammerheads, and bullsharks. The best part of all this is that diving with the sharks in the waters of the Galapagos Islands is extremely safe and something that even novice divers can enjoy. The locals tell you not to worry and say that the sharks are vegetarian. While this isn’t truly the case divers are safe because there is so much marine life in those waters that the sharks pay no attention at all to the people in the funny suits.
One of the best dive sites on the islands is Kicker Rock. This is wall diving at its best and is only a few minutes’ boat ride from Santa Cruz. The visibility here is good and there are only light currents making it an ideal location for divers of any skill level. And the site is teeming with sharks. Other great sites include North Seymour, Daphne, and Mosquera and for advanced divers a popular site is Gordon Rocks, where the currents can be very strong and where hammerheads are the main attraction.
Of course, there is marine life other than sharks to be seen in the Galapagos Islands and they are also very enjoyable to watch. Sea lions, sea turtles, golden rays, eagle rays, garden eels, octopi, mantas, jacks, dolphins, penguins, schools of king angelfish, and schools of many other kinds of fish. There are also beautiful coral reefs and these waters have some of the best visibility in the world, sometimes as much as 30 m (100 feet). With all of this diversity and the sharks a diver might want to explore the islands for weeks.
The best diving is between July and November and that is when it is also busy so you’ll want to book your trip early. While the surface temperature is generally between 18 C and 30 C (64 F-86 F) there can be temperature variations of as much as 5 C (41 F) with depth so it is important to be prepared for that. Either a dry suit or a 7 mm wetsuit is recommended. It is also important to choose your dive operator well. Ask questions and ask to see original copies of all certifications.
The conditions in the waters of the Galapagos Islands are pristine, simply because the location is so isolated that very little destruction takes place. Diving in the Galapagos Islands is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will simply take your breath away. Diving with the sharks is something you can tell your grandchildren about one day so don’t forget your underwater camera and camcorder. You won’t want to miss anything.