Darwin Island Liveaboard Diving With Hammerheads, Galápagos

Darwin Island is a dive site in Extreme Northern Region, Galapagos Islands.

See below for all liveaboards that dive Darwin Island.

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

Tiburon Explorer
Darwin Island

Darwin Island is the crown jewel of Galápagos diving, where you can expect huge schools of scalloped hammerheads, giant whale sharks in season and strong currents. This remote, liveaboard-only dive site delivers pure big-animal encounters for experienced divers.

Galapagos Islands liveaboards that dive Darwin Island

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

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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Danubio Azul Liveaboard

Danubio Azul Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 7.3/10

SDE Rating: 68%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Danubio Azul Liveaboard: 68%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Danubio Azul 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 Danubio Azul Liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:7/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:5/10] = 33/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Danubio Azul Liveaboard is calculated as 33/60 = 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 £338.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 7·Guests: 16

Length: 24.84 m·Beam: 5.47 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 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; Darwin Island Dive Site Details

Darwin Island

Darwin Island Common Sightings

Darwin Island Diver Details

Useful training for this site
Advanced Open Water Diver, AWARE Shark Conservation, Drift Diver, Deep diver, Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver, Experience with negative entries, Strong buoyancy control in current

Suggested equipment
5mm wetsuit, 7mm wetsuit or semi-dry, Dive computer, Drysuit, Gloves, Hood, Nitrox, Reef hook, Surface marker buoy (SMB)

Dive type
Drift, Cleaning station, Deep, Pelagic, Pinnacle/Seamount, Wall

Entry
Zodiac/RIB, Boat

Minimum recommended experience
Advanced

Galapagos Islands; Darwin Island Dive Site Details

Water type
Salt

Water temperature
20.0°C–26.0°C

Best time to dive Darwin Island
June to November (Peak Season): Best for whale sharks. Cooler, nutrient-rich waters attract large pelagics in higher numbers. Hammerhead schools are massive. December to May: Warmer water and often slightly calmer seas. Excellent hammerhead action continues, but whale shark encounters are less consistent.

Depth
12.0m–30.0m

Visibility
10.0m–30.0m

Current strength
Strong, Very strong

Location
1.6781, -91.9929

Galapagos Islands’ Darwin Island dive site map and location

The latitude and longitude for Galapagos Islands’ Darwin Island dive site are: 1.6781, -91.9929

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Darwin Island Liveaboard Dive Site

Darwin Island sits at the northernmost edge of the Galápagos Islands and is widely regarded as one of the best shark diving destinations in the world. Officially protected within the Galápagos Marine Reserve, this remote outpost offers raw, high-energy pelagic diving that attracts serious divers from across the globe.

The main dive site is the world-famous Darwin’s Arch, which is now commonly known as the "Pillars of Evolution" and is a dramatic rock formation rising from deep ocean water.

Although the arch structure partially collapsed in 2021, the dive site remains unchanged in quality and marine life density where the attraction here is open-ocean predators. Divers descend quickly along the rocky wall or plateau, often in strong current, and take position behind a volcanic rock for shelter.

Large schools of scalloped hammerheads cruise past in formation, together with Galápagos sharks that also patrol the area as well as silky sharks too.

You often see spotted eagle rays sweep through in groups and whale sharks from June to November, which is when Darwin Island becomes one of the most reliable places on earth to encounter giant female whale sharks, often measuring 10–14 metres long.

The currents are a defining feature, where conditions range from strong to very strong making negative entries an essential feature of this dive site. Divers must descend immediately to avoid surface drift, and to maintain position throughout the dive use reef hooks or hand-holds (when permitted and why gloves are good dive kit addition) to stay in place.

Thermoclines can create sudden drops in temperature mid-dive, which is why thicker 5-7mm wetsuites are recommended or even better a drysuit to stay warm through each dive. Drysuits are far better than thick wetsuits or semi-dry suits, as you don't start the next dive in a cold wetsuit.

Visibility is usually excellent, often 15–30 metres and sometimes beyond. However, plankton-rich water during peak whale shark season can slightly reduce clarity, which is a small trade-off for seeing these amazing creatures.

Darwin Island is strictly a liveaboard-only dive site due to its remote location, typically combined with Wolf Island on northern itineraries. This is not beginner diving, as it demands experience, composure and strong buoyancy control.

If you are building an SDE-style rating mindset, Drawin Island scores extremely high on the SDE Diving score, where some Galapagos dive liveaboards have an SDE Dive score of 10/10, where this is raw, wild, big-animal diving for experienced divers.

The Darwin Island dive site in Galapagos Islands is visited by nine 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 Darwin Island 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 Darwin Island 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 Darwin Island dive site on its itinerary, to make sure both your dive certification and level of experience match its minimum levels.

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