9 Best Dive Sites in Santa Cruz, Galapagos

General Info

Santa Cruz, like all the other islands, is part of the Galapagos National Park, and therefore it has a number of things you should know:

• Most of the activities have to be done on a tour with a Naturalist guide.
• All the agencies have the same prices (although you can barter if you book more than one tour).
• Most beaches have opening and closing times (turtle nesting reasons).
• You should book your tour at least one day in advance (or you might risk not having a place on the best ones).
• Bring Seasickness Medication for the tours on the water.
• Always use strong sunscreen (Sun in the Equator line burns more).
• Have mosquito repellant with you, especially at sunset. There are horseflies in the Galapagos.
• Drones are not allowed for tourists in the park.
• You can’t rent a motorcycle or a car, everything has to be done by taxi, bus, boat, bicycle, or on foot.
• You can’t and shouldn’t touch the animals on the island.

If you want some more information please check the Galapagos Conservancy’s website about Santa Cruz Island.

1. Gordon Rocks

The dive in Gordon Rocks is the best of the dive sites in Santa Cruz if you want to see Hammerhead Sharks. Gordon Rocks are the third most famous dive in the entire archipelago. Only slightly shadowed by the liveaboard experience of Darwin and Wolf’s islands, which cost a small fortune, and the Dive in Kicker Rock, starting from San Cristobal island.

It’s one of the top dives in the world and it’s on the bucket list for many underwater aficionados. As a diver myself, if I’d leave the Galapagos without seeing a hammerhead shark I would be disappointed. This is where I saw my first ten hammerheads and my first manta rays.

View the full blog post here: DIVING IN GORDON ROCKS

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website, or book it online on Viator here: Daily diving tour in Gordon Rocks

2. Punta Carrion

This dive site is just one hour east of the Itabaca channel. It is located on the northernest point of Santa Cruz island and it’s the only dive you can do, from the dive sites in Santa Cruz, that is literally located on the island. Here there are usually no strong currents and for that reason, it is a very nice site for divers from all levels. You have a great chance of diving together with playful baby sea lions and with a tad of luck, you will find sea turtles, eagle rays, hammerheads, and dolphins.

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

3. North Seymour Island

The North Seymour dive site is usually combined together with other islets in the near like, Mosquera or Daphne Minor. North Seymour island is located on the north part of Santa Cruz island, over Baltra island (aka South Seymour island). From the dive sites in Santa Cruz, I’ve done this one together with Mosquera islet and Gordon Rocks.

Both North and South Seymour Islands were named after the British royal navy officer of the late 18th century, Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour. In North Seymour, you can find an eel garden, some reef sharks resting on the sandy bottom, and morays. If you’re lucky some eagle and manta rays, and some Hammerhead sharks might pass near (i saw a hammerhead there). North Seymour is usually the check dive before the other islets where strong currents are more common.

View the full blog post here: DIVING IN NORTH SEYMOUR AND MOSQUERA

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

4. Mosquera Islet

Mosquera islet is located north of Santa Cruz island, in between the North and South Seymour islands. The name “Mosquera” comes from the Spanish and it is the name of a flower in the daisy family, the yellow fleabane flower. It is a dive where there are usually strong currents.

In Mosquera, you will for sure see a reef shark cleaning station and a sea of starfish. If you’re lucky you might spot hammerhead sharks, green turtles, eagle rays, manta rays, golden cownose rays (we saw a group of 15), giant puffer fish, king angelfish, blue and gold snappers, razor surgeonfish, and other beautiful fish. Totally a dive you should do if you’ve already done the Gordon Rocks dive. Here you will have a lot of diversity and fun.

View the full blog post here: DIVING IN NORTH SEYMOUR AND MOSQUERA

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

5. Bartolomé Island and Cousin Rock

Bartolomé Island is the most iconic photo you can have of the Galapagos islands and it is located northwest of Santa Cruz island. Bartolomé is a volcanic tuff islet on the east side of Santiago island. The journey there takes 90 minutes by speedboat and two hours by sailing boat (like on the day land tour).

The name of the island comes from Charles Darwin’s friend Bartholomew James Sullivan who was the principal surveyor and second lieutenant aboard the HMS Beagle. As in the land tour, you could spot some penguins, here you might swim with them and also spot some starfish.

Here as in many places in the Galapagos, you will be able to see reef sharks, and tropical reef fish such as the yellow-tailed surgeonfish, with luck you might spot some mobula rays, seahorses, and other sharks. It is a great tour to do a two-in-one check, the only hiccup is not climbing to the viewpoint for the most iconic perspective of the island. On this tour, you will also dive at the Cousin Rock dive site.

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

6. Daphne Islands

There are three main dive sites in the Daphne islands: Daphne Mayor (10-40m depth), Daphne Minor (5-30m depth), and Bajo de Daphne (5-25m depth). The diving tour in Daphne Islands is usually combined with a dive in North Seymour or Mosquera islet.

Depending on your dive site, you might find a small cave (not a cave dive) with reef sharks, a pinnacle with a variety of rays, Galapagos sharks, green turtles, tropical fish, and schools of barracudas, among other animals. If you are not a certified diver, there is also a snorkeling tour available where you fish your own lunch and can spot many seabirds fishing with sea lions.

I did the Daphne Minor dive with Galapagos Travellers, together with the Mosquera dive site, and it went great. We saw hammerhead sharks and nudibranch, which I wasn’t expecting. Beautiful! 

To book this tour: Check the local companies Macarron Scuba Divers’ or Galapagos Travellers’  websites

7. Floreana Island

On Floreana, you can scuba-dive in four different sites, Punta Cormoran, Enderby islet, Devil’s Crown islet, and Champion islet.

At Punta Cormoran the main attractions are batfish, golden rays, Galapagos sharks, barracudas, eagle rays, and green turtles. In Enderby, the dives take place at the extreme edge where the currents hit the reef and if you’re extremely lucky you might find Whale sharks. In Devil’s Crown, the highlight is to see an endemic coral, the cleaning station, Galapagos sharks, and white-tip reef sharks. At the Champion islet, you’re accompanied by a large group of sea lions during the entire dive.

If you’re interested in the day trip and land tour to Floreana island the article underneath might help you.

View the full blog post here: FLOREANA ISLAND TOUR

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

8. Plaza Islets

These are two of the many uninhabited islets in the Galapagos. They were formed by an uplift of the seabed giving it its flat but very unique shape. They are located on the northeastern side of Santa Cruz island.  Apart from diving in the Plaza islets you can also do a land-based tour with snorkeling.

Here the dives are usually between 15 and 18 meters in depth, you can see an eel garden and bigger pelagic species like rays, sharks, and green turtles. The dive is fit for all kinds of level as there isn’t usually strong currents on site. If you’re lucky you will also able to dive with playful sea lions.

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

9. Santa Fé Island

And to conclude the list of dive sites in Santa Cruz here’s another one that takes you all the way to Santa Fé island,  one of the biggest islands in the Galapagos, that it’s located just 20 km away from Santa Cruz.

Santa Fé has three different dive sites, the Tip, the Arc, and the Cliff. The visibility is usually over 10 meters and it can get to 20-25 meters. Here the waters are of gorgeous turquoise color and are usually very calm, for which it is a good recommendation to do your diving certification here.

To book this tour: Check the local company Macarron Scuba Diver’s website

Where to Stay

Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos has a variety of accommodation options to choose from, and we’ve narrowed down the top three choices for you.

For the ultimate luxury getaway, Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel offers a range of amenities, including an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, and hot tub. Hotel Acacia is a comfortable and serene environment to unwind in the heart of Puerto Ayora, with lush gardens, a shared lounge, and a terrace. And Suites Hermosas offers two fully furnished apartments with breathtaking views and fully equipped kitchens.

To learn more about these options and other accommodation choices, check out the full article:

All The Articles About The Galapagos

San Cristobal Island - The easternmost island of the Galapagos, the “Isla Bonita”

Santa Cruz Island - The island with the best tourism infrastructure.

Isabela Island - The most adventurous and less explored island of the main three.