Darwin's Arch
Galápagos, Ecuador
- Typical depth
- 25 m
- Type
- Shark
- Level
- Advanced
Notes
Hammerhead schools, whale sharks Jun–Nov. Liveaboard-only.
Marine life
- Rays
- eagle ray, mobula ray, occasional manta
- Sharks
- scalloped hammerhead (massive schools, Jun–Nov peak), whale shark (Jun–Nov, mostly pregnant females), Galapagos shark, silky shark, whitetip reef shark, tiger shark (occasional)
- Turtles
- green, hawksbill
- Pelagics
- yellowfin tuna, wahoo, jack schools, rainbow runner
- Whales & dolphins
- bottlenose dolphin, occasional orca
- Reef fish
- king angelfish, Mexican hogfish, creolefish
Site features
- Pelagic
- Seamount
- Reef Hook
- Liveaboard Only
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Strong Current
- Remote
- Hammerhead Aggregation
- Whale Shark Aggregation
When to dive
- Best
- Jun–Nov
- Avoid
- Jan–Apr
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.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Water temp
- 18–26 °C
- Current
- Strong
- Access
- Liveaboard only
- Min cert
- Advanced Open Water + 50 logged dives; Nitrox standard; reef hook required
Location
1.6783° N, 91.9933° W
Sources
Curated from 2 sources
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