Kicker Rock
Why dive here
With 131+ marine species recorded in the area - including dolphins, humpback whales, seals & sea lions, sea turtles and sperm whales - Kicker Rock offers some of Galápagos Islands's richest diving. Water ranges 23-28°C, warmest February, March, April.
Kicker Rock, or León Dormido as the locals call it, is easily the most iconic dive around San Cristóbal. Those two towering tuff cones jutting out of the Pacific make an impressive sight from the surface, but the real show is below. We’ve drifted through schools of hammerheads here more times than we can count, sometimes dozens of them circling the channel between the rocks. You’ll often find eagle rays gliding past, the occasional manta, and Galápagos sharks keeping a watchful eye. It’s a drift dive, so some current is a given, making it best suited for divers comfortable moving with the flow. If you’re looking for big pelagics, this is your spot.
Safety Notes
Strong currents typical this month (avg 36 cm/s). Good buoyancy control essential.
Nearest Dive Centres to Kicker Rock
Dive shops near Kicker Rock
Darwin
Alpha
Galápagos Fun Dive
Blue Evolution
Galaxy Expeditions Corp
Reviews for Kicker Rock
Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Kicker Rock
Kicker Rock Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Kicker Rock, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-0.32, -90.55) (15km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
23°C
74°F · Range: 20.2–26°C
Current Speed
36.24 cm/s
Direction: SW (230.6°)
Chlorophyll-a
0.886 mg/m³
Moderate productivity
Salinity
33.88 PSU
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)
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