Darwin's Arch

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Darwin's Arch sits ~1 km southeast of Darwin Island in the remote northern Galápagos — liveaboard-only with a long open-ocean crossing from the inhabited islands. The arch itself collapsed on 17 May 2021 and the remaining rock columns are now nicknamed the 'Pillars of Evolution', but the seamount underneath is unchanged: a plateau at 18–25 m where divers anchor with reef hooks in strong current and watch enormous schools of scalloped hammerheads, whale sharks (Jun–Nov, often very large females), Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, and thousands of jacks/tuna. Cool Humboldt-influenced water (Jun–Nov) brings the pelagics; warm-water season (Dec–May) is calmer but pelagics thin. Strong currents and surface conditions demand Advanced + 50+ logged dives. Galápagos National Park permit and operator licensing are required.