If you are planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands, you will be wondering what the diving conditions are like in Galapagos.
Galapagos diving conditions are changeable with moderate to strong currents, which on some dives you may need to grab hold of rocks to avoid drifting away, visibility varies from 9-30m (30-100f), you may encounter surges and surface conditions may be rough at times depending on time of year.
The best way to experience the changeable conditions for 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:
Galapagos diving conditions are influenced by currents, and include the cold Humboldt Current from Antarctica and the deep-sea Cromwell Current that runs from the west. The Humboldt current is strongest between June to November, and possibly into December where sea temperatures are at their lowest.
The Humboldt Current is what makes diving Galapagos best from June to October due to the rich nutrients the current brings, resulting in an explosion of marine life that feeds on plankton, including whale sharks, mantas, whales and fish bait-balls that then feeds hammerheads, penguins and sealions.
Diving conditions in Galapagos are affected in El Nino years, as the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current is displaced, meaning that fewer nutrients reach the Galapagos, which has a knock-on effect on the food chain, with less nutrients to feed the plankton and less plankton to feed the larger creatures.
The sea is warmer 24-27°C (75.2-80.6°F) in the warm wet season, which runs from December to May, when waters are clearer with better visibility. The waters are cooler in the cool dry season, which runs from June to November, with less visibility but a bit more marine life due to more nutrients.
Galapagos surface conditions are influenced by the underwater currents, including the Humboldt Current, the Cromwell Current and the Panama Current. Between the months of June to November, as a result of the action of these currents, the seas can be rougher, which are worst in August and September.
The Galapagos weather is affected by the underwater currents, which means there is less rain when seas are cooled by the Humboldt Current between June and November, but cooler waters create a mist called the “La Garua” at this time. There is more rain between December and May when the waters warm.
If you are likely to suffer from seasickness on a liveaboard, you should probably avoid booking a trip in August and September when sea conditions are roughest.
Is it safe to go diving in the Galapagos?
Diving in Galapagos is safe but you may experience strong currents, which could separate you from the group, and you may experience surges that make safety stops more challenging. If you are a PADI Advanced Diver or similar with 50-60 logged dives and you follow the safety brief you will be okay.
Planning for Galapagos dive conditions around the currents
If you have a tendency for sea sickness and prefer calmer waters you should book a trip in the months of December to May, when it’s warmer too and there’s still plenty of marine life, but if you don’t mind rough seas and cooler weather and water, book your Galapagos trip June to October.
With that in mind, here is a table of Galapagos liveaboards to help you choose the right one for you.
Table of Galapagos liveaboards
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 what are the diving conditions like in 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 what are the diving conditions like in 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!
What Are The Diving Conditions Like In Galapagos?
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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.
