Diving Information

Marine life in Galapagos is extremely varied, abundant and marvelous. That is the reason the islands are considered one of the seven submarine wonders of the world. Divers find thousands of large and small fish, sea lions, rays and turtles. In some places, divers can observe dozens of hammerhead sharks, scuba dive with dolphins and even find a white-tipped reef shark.

Diving Conditions

Seasons: There are two seasons. From December to May it is warm and sunny. From July to September it is cool and cloudy. June and October are transition months. During the warm season, there is little wind, the sea is usually quite calm and the visibility tends to be good. During the cool season, there is more wind, the sea may be quite agitated and the visibility is low.

Water Temperature: Although the islands are very close to the equator, the water temperature varies between 16° and 24° Celsius. We use 5-7mm wetsuits all year round and a hood during the cool season.

Marine Currents

The Galapagos Island waters have the Humboldt Current’s influence that brings cold waters especially during the mist rainy season (from July to December). During the warm season (January to June), the southeast trade winds become weaker and the water from the Panama Basin remains warm. During this season the climate is tropical with some occasional rains. “El Niño” current may cause a much greater flow of warm waters, making the surface warmer and rainfall increase.

Visibility: Visibility generally varies between 5 and 25 meters, but most of the time it is between 12 and 18 meters. An extended submarine current (the subterranean equatorial current) from the western Pacific strikes the largest island of the archipelago (Isabela Island) and diverges until it reaches the surface, bringing along nutrient-rich cold water with it. This movement can decrease the temperature of the water to 6° Celsius and can also make a change in visibility for one or two days.

Experience

Beginners: Recently certified divers or divers who have made few registered immersions (10 to 15 dives).
Intermediates: 15 to 50 registered dives with experience in cold waters and strong currents.
Advanced: 100 or more registered dives with experience in cold waters and strong currents.

A detailed description of diving experience is always necessary to confirm a diving program: A diver who has made 10 immersions in cold waters with strong currents will feel more comfortable than a diver who has made 40 registered dives in warm waters and weak currents. Or a recently certified diver may feel more comfortable than a diver who has made 50 registered dives, but has not practiced for six years.

Safety:

Our programs do not include insurance. We recommend that divers contract their insurance before travelling to Galapagos. We suggest they take a whistle and a scuba tube.

PROTECION SUBMARINA DEL ECUADOR has an operating recompression chamber in Galapagos. For their direct service as well as for the handling of all the administrative part between them and DAN or PADI, they charge for each dived tank $ 2 on daily dive tours, and $35 US for live-aboard up to 10 days. These costs have to be paid directly in Puerto Ayora.


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