Darwin - Galápagos Islands
Darwin is a solid choice for divers focused on accessing the Galápagos' more remote sites. They offer daily trips, often to places like Kicker Rock or Gordon Rocks, which means less time in transit between dives. It’s a good fit for experienced divers comfortable with varying conditions and strong currents, and they do have rental equipment available. If your priority is seeing the big stuff, Darwin often delivers.
- Location
- Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, South America
- Coordinates
- -0.901260, -89.610990
- Equipment Rental
- yes
Dive Sites Near Darwin
Darwin provides access to 15 dive sites in Galápagos Islands.
- Albany Rock
- Bainbridge Rocks
- Barranco Cave - 23-34m (cave)
- Bartolome and Cousins Rock - 30-40m
- Beagle Rocks - 12-60+m
- Cabo Marshall
- Café Scuba
- Cape Douglas
- Cape Marshall
- Carawa Shipwreck (wreck)
- Champion
- Champion Islet
- Champion Rock
- Channel (drift)
- Coamaño
Other Dive Centres in Galápagos Islands
Best Time to Dive in Galápagos Islands
The warmest water temperatures in Galápagos Islands occur in March, averaging 27.3°C. The coolest conditions are in September at 22.7°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 25.2°C
- February: 27.0°C
- March: 27.3°C
- April: 26.9°C
- May: 25.4°C
- June: 24.3°C
- July: 23.8°C
- August: 23.0°C
- September: 22.7°C
- October: 23.1°C
- November: 23.6°C
- December: 23.9°C
Marine Life in Galápagos Islands
Home to 141 recorded species including 108 reef fish, 7 whales & dolphins, 7 sharks & rays, 6 seagrass & algae, 5 hard corals, 3 sea cucumbers.
Notable Marine Life
- Pronghorn Spiny Lobster (Panulirus penicillatus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Brown Sea Cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus) - Sea Cucumbers
- Green Spiny Lobster (Panulirus gracilis) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Mangrove (Mycteroperca olfax) - Reef Fish
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Sea Bass (Epinephelus labriformis) - Reef Fish
- Barracuda (Acanthocybium solandri) - Reef Fish
- Mexican hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Galapagos ringtail damselfish (Stegastes beebei) - Reef Fish
- Chameleon wrasse (Halichoeres dispilus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Galápagos Islands
Based on average water temperature of 24.7°C, currents 34 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 25°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins (stiff blade recommended for strong currents)
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories