Cousins Rock Diving: Seahorses, Rays and Sea Lions

Cousins Rock is a dive site in Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.

See below for all liveaboards that dive Cousins Rock.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the highest customer rated liveaboard diving Cousins Rock, scoring 9.7/10. You can easily book the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard using this link.

Tiburon Explorer
Nortada Liveaboard

Cousins Rock offers a compact but wildlife-rich dive with terraced volcanic rock, black coral, seahorses, turtles, rays and playful sea lions. Liveaboards can arrive between day-boat traffic and combine it efficiently with Bartolomé and Santiago Island sites.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the second highest customer rated liveaboard diving Cousins Rock, scoring 8.7/10. You can easily book the Nortada Liveaboard using this link.

Galapagos Islands liveaboards that dive Cousins Rock

Below are all the dive liveaboards currently found for Cousins Rock in Galapagos Islands, sorted from highest to lowest customer liveaboard rating, with unrated liveaboards shown last.

8 liveaboards dive Cousins Rock Show liveaboards

Tiburon Explorer

Tiburon Explorer

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.7/10

SDE Rating: 76%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Tiburon Explorer Liveaboard: 76%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:9/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 37/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard is calculated as 37/60 = 76% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £573.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 129.6 ft·Beam: 24.6 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Nortada Liveaboard

Nortada Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.7/10

SDE Rating: 73%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Nortada Liveaboard: 73%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Nortada Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Nortada Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:7/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:4/10] = 36/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Nortada Liveaboard is calculated as 36/60 = 73% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £401.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 4·Bathrooms: 5·Guests: 12

Length: 25.66 m·Beam: 5.4 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Humboldt Explorer

Humboldt Explorer

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.8/10

SDE Rating: 61%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Humboldt Explorer Liveaboard: 61%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard are ([Diving:8/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:4/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 28/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard is calculated as 28/60 = 61% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £510.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 8·Guests: 16

Length: 111.5 ft·Beam: 21.3 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Galaxy Diver II

Galaxy Diver II

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.4/10

SDE Rating: 70%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galaxy Diver II Liveaboard: 70%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:5/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:4/10] = 33/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard is calculated as 33/60 = 70% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £517.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 29 m·Beam: 6.6 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Master

Galapagos Master

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.7/10

SDE Rating: 65%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galapagos Master Liveaboard: 65%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galapagos Master liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galapagos Master liveaboard are ([Diving:8/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 31/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galapagos Master liveaboard is calculated as 31/60 = 65% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £325.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 10·Guests: 16

Length: 32.3 m·Beam: 7.5 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Aggressor III

Galapagos Aggressor III

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.1/10

SDE Rating: 58%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galapagos Aggressor III Liveaboard: 58%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:6/10] + [Dining:5/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 28/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard is calculated as 28/60 = 58% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £510.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 11·Guests: 16

Length: 100 ft·Beam: 22 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Calipso Dive Liveaboard

Calipso Dive Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.4/10

SDE Rating: 73%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard: 73%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Calipso Dive Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:2/10] = 35/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard is calculated as 35/60 = 73% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £468.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 10·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 35.4 m·Beam: 8 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Aqua Liveaboard

Aqua Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.1/10

SDE Rating: 68%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Aqua Liveaboard: 68%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Aqua Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Aqua Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:6/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 32/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Aqua Liveaboard is calculated as 32/60 = 68% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £386.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 26 m·Beam: 5.5 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Islands; Cousins Rock Dive Site Details

Cousins Rock Common Sightings

Cousins Rock Diver Details

Useful training for this site
Advanced Open Water Diver, Good buoyancy control skills, Drift Diver

Suggested equipment
5mm wetsuit, 7mm wetsuit or semi-dry, Dive computer, Surface marker buoy (SMB)

Dive type
Reef, Wall, Volcanic reef, Drift

Entry
Boat

Minimum recommended experience
Intermediate

Galapagos Islands; Cousins Rock Dive Site Details

Water type
Salt

Water temperature
16.0°C–27.0°C

Best time to dive Cousins Rock
Year-round; December to May is warmer, while June to November is cooler and often richer in marine life.

Depth
5.0m–30.0m

Visibility
10.0m–25.0m

Current strength
Moderate, Strong

Location
-0.235, -90.58

Galapagos Islands’ Cousins Rock dive site map and location

The latitude and longitude for Galapagos Islands’ Cousins Rock dive site are: -0.235, -90.58

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Cousins Rock Liveaboard Dive Site

Cousins Rock is a small volcanic islet with a surprisingly varied underwater profile. Terraces and ledges descend into deeper water, supporting black coral, reef fish and small subjects such as seahorses, frogfish, octopus and nudibranchs. Turtles, eagle rays, mantas and hammerheads may pass in the blue, while sea lions often provide the most energetic encounter near the shallows.

The site can be affected by current and surge, so it should not be dismissed as an easy reef simply because it lies in the central islands. Divers normally follow the rock, using its shape for shelter, and maintain close contact with the guide. A warmer exposure suit is useful when cold water rises along the wall.

Cousins Rock can be reached by day boat, but a liveaboard may arrive at a quieter time and avoids a separate transfer from Santa Cruz. It also fits naturally with Punta Bartolomé and other Isla Santiago locations. That makes it more valuable as part of a varied itinerary than as a one-off excursion.

The PADI Galápagos guide explains the seasonal temperature and current changes found across the archipelago. The guide and captain will decide the final route, entry and depth for the conditions.

The Cousins Rock dive site in Galapagos Islands is visited by eight dive liveaboards. The highest customer-rated liveaboard scores 9.7 out of 10. Prices across these liveaboards start from £325.00.

If you want a more intimate experience, the smallest liveaboard in this selection of the Cousins Rock dive liveaboards is Nortada Liveaboard, which has 4 cabins, accommodates up to 12 guests, and is 25.66 m in length. If you prefer a larger boat, Aqua Liveaboard, which is 26 m in length, has 9 cabins, and accommodates up to 16 guests.

To dive the Cousins Rock dive site, the minimum diver certification is Advanced Open Water Diver, and logged dive requirements range from minimum 50 logged dives to minimum 100 logged dives. So be careful when you choose a liveaboard that has the Cousins Rock dive site on its itinerary, to make sure both your dive certification and level of experience match its minimum levels.

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