If you are planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands, you may be wondering; can beginners can dive The Galapagos?
You can dive the Galapagos as a beginner diver, but the most spectacular sites like Darwin and Wolf Island are off limits for beginners, as dive conditions are too challenging. You should get certified as an Advanced Open Water diver before diving the Galapagos, and log at least 50 dives beforehand.
The best way to experience the scuba diving in Galapagos is on a dive liveaboard (especially if you want to dive Darwin and Wolf Islands), and if you would like to dive Galapagos on a liveaboard you can view these using the following window:
If you book a trip to the Galapagos Islands as a beginner diver, you will still be able to dive some of the less challenging dive sites that are shallow enough for a novice, and where there are little to no currents. These dives can still be exciting where you can see penguins, Galapagos fur seals (sea lions), marine iguanas, turtles and possibly hammerheads.
Plus when you bear in mind that many divers flock to Galapagos for the spectacular diving at Darin Island and Wolf Island (where diving conditions are not suitable for beginners), you should get certified as an Advanced Open Water diver first.
In addition to getting your Advanced Open Water diver certification with PADI, or equivalent, you ideally need at least 50 logged dives to book on a liveaboard, but it’s best to have at least 60 logged dives, as this will give you a better choice of dive liveaboard.
In the table of Galapagos liveaboard below, you will find that four liveaboards require a minimum of 50 logged dives, three require a minimum of 100 logged dives, one requires a minimum of 60 logged dives, whilst one has no minimum logged dive requirement.
If you dive from the Galapagos liveaboard with no minimum logged dive requirements, which is the MV Galapagos Aggressor III, this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to dive sites live Darwin and Wolf, so you would have to sit these dives out.
The Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard is also one of two Galapagos liveaboards that takes divers with Open Water diver certification too, but the other liveaboard, which is the Calipso liveaboard, has a minimum logged dive requirement of 100 dives.
You can dive the Galapagos Islands as a beginner from a resort location, and the diving is still good as you will see sealions, penguins, turtles and large schools of fish on many dives. On some dive sites you may also be luck to see sharks too.
For example:
Stay at the Hostal Lava House, in Puerto Ayora’s, on Santa Cruz Island and you can dive with penguins, fur seals and marine iguanas, and if you are lucky, you will have the chance to witness large schools of hammerheads and rays in the blue abyss.
Book into the Ikala Galapagos Hotel in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island and is close to some of the Galapagos Island’s best dive sites. Enjoy diving with marine iguanas, Galapagos fur seals, green turtles, rays and schools of hammerheads.
Stay at a National Geographic’s Unique Lodges, the Finch Bay Hotel in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Islan and dive with playful fur seals, schools of hammerheads, marine iguanas and Galapagos penguins.
How difficult is diving in Galapagos?
The diving in the Galapagos islands can be challenging, as the currents range between moderate to strong, and you may experience surges too that may create challenges for your safety stop. On some dives, where the current is strong, you may need to grab hold of rocks to avoid drifting away.
This list of Galapagos liveaboards is in descending customer rating order, so the liveaboards with the highest customer rating will be at the top of the list. To filter this table for the features that are important for your Galapagos liveaboard trip, select from the list of filters below.
I hope you enjoyed this article about can beginners dive in the Galapagos
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about can beginners dive in the Galapagos), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.
Have fun and be safe!
Can Beginners Dive In The Galapagos?
Related Posts:
Scuba Certification Galapagos Galapagos Islands are a unique and fragile ecosystem, so it is important to choose a reputable dive operator that follows responsible diving practices. Look for dive operators that are certified…
How Difficult Is Diving In Galapagos? The diving in the Galapagos islands can be difficult, as currents range between moderate to strong, and you may experience surges too that can create challenges for your safety stop.…
How Many Logged Dives Do You Need At Least To Dive In… 50 logged dives is recommended to scuba dive the Galapagos Islands. Most Galapagos scuba diving liveaboards have a minimum of 50 logged dives and PADI Advanced Open Water certification, as…
What Is The Best Time Of Year To Scuba Dive Galapagos? The best time of year to scuba dive Galapagos is June through October, as the nutrient rich waters results in an explosion of marine life including giant mantas, turtles, eagle…
Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
