Diving and Snorkelling in Galapagos

Bartolomé

Bartolomé is located off the eastern shores of Santiago Island. A hike to the summit of the island (114m) provides a fantastic panoramic view which is amongst the best in Galapagos - the much photographed Pinnacle Rock (a volcanic tower rising out of the water), the island's lunar-like volcanic landscapes, the double-sided beach of Bartolomé below and Santiago in the distance. From the beach, there are great snorkelling opportunities among the submerged volcanic rock and near the tower base. On Bartolomé you may spot the rare Galapagos penguins, of which only 800 pairs exist, while marine turtles nest on the beach from January through March.

Floreana

Floreana is an island with a long and intriguing history of settlement and as a base for 18th century whalers. Post Office Bay has a post barrel that was used by the whalers - outbound vessels would deposit mail for home in the barrel and home bound vessels would collect mail for their part of the world. The barrel is still in use today for tourists. Floreana has a dependable water supply and nutrient-rich soil giving it abundant plant life including palo santo trees, cutleaf daisy, lantana shrubs and scalesia. At Punta Cormoran on the northern tip of the island the green sand beach leads to a lagoon with populations of flamingo, pintail duck, common stilt and brown pelican. The waters around the Devil's Crown are ideal for snorkelling with numerous colourful fish and sea lions. Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, Galapagos sharks, stingrays and hammerhead sharks are some of the other species found in or near the waters of the island.

Espanola

Espanola is the southernmost of the Galapagos Islands and has one of the wildest natural landscapes in the archipelago. The jagged cliffs of Punta Suarez on the western side of the island are a spectacular sight with huge waves crashing against them. Another dramatic feature is the blowhole that throws seawater up to 20 metres in the air. Gardner Bay has a beautiful, long stretch of white sandy beach that's a great spot of swimming and snorkelling amidst sea lions, marine iguanas and a huge variety of fish, including surgeon and angelfish. The variety of birdlife on Espanola is huge. The island is the nesting site of almost the entire world population of waved albatross with more than 12000 pairs residing here between April and December. There are also large numbers of masked and blue-footed boobies, yellow warblers, Galapagos doves, hood mockingbirds, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks and large cactus finches.