Galapagos Islands Diving Week

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador · Ecuador

Challenging7 daysSouth America~£4,500 est.

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Overview

The Galápagos underwater is the shark capital of the world. Liveaboards run overnight to Wolf and Darwin, where the Equatorial Undercurrent hits seamounts and scalloped hammerheads school in their hundreds; between June and November, 12m whale sharks cruise the same walls. Sea lions dive-bomb your safety stops, marine iguanas graze algae in the shallows, and Galápagos penguins — improbably, on the equator — flash past at Bartolomé. This is advanced diving: washing-machine currents, surge against the rock, negative entries from pangas and blue-water safety stops. Operators want Advanced Open Water plus 50-100 logged dives, and they mean it. The water runs colder than the latitude suggests — 5mm suits and hoods in upwelling season — and Wolf and Darwin are reachable only by liveaboard, so land-based trips see a different, gentler Galápagos. Budget £4,500 upwards for a seven-night boat before flights to Ecuador and roughly £150 in park entry and transit fees. Book a year out for the good boats.