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The Galápagos Cruise  ·  Wildlife

Galápagos Underwater: 22 Species and Where to See Them

22
species recorded
3
found only here
14
islands
US$4,152
per guest, double occupancy

Twenty-two species are recorded in the water around the 14 islands our ships reach. Most of what you will actually swim with turns up on ordinary snorkeling stops rather than on dedicated dives: sea lions, fur seals, white-tipped reef sharks and rays. Bottlenose dolphins often ride the bow between islands.

The water changes with the season more than the animals do. December to May the sea is warm, the surface is calm and the visibility is at its clearest, which is the better half of the year for snorkeling. From June the cold Cromwell current pushes up the west coast, the water is colder and richer, and the larger animals feed closer in. Sea lion pups arrive between August and November and are the most curious thing you will meet in the water. Kicker Rock is the hammerhead site and it is never promised. Devil's Crown closes when the swell is wrong. The map below shows which island holds what.

7 of 7 species shown
almost alwaysoftensometimesnot in this month

Red-lipped Batfish

Ogcocephalus darwini

Where
2 sites on 2 islands, mostly Central
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 36 of 97 routes · 853 departures in season

See these departures  →

Pacific Seahorse

Hippocampus ingens

Where
2 sites on 2 islands, mostly West
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 38 of 97 routes · 820 departures in season

See these departures  →

Golden Cownose Ray

Rhinoptera steindachneri

Where
3 sites on 2 islands, mostly West
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 50 of 97 routes · 1088 departures in season

See these departures  →

Galápagos Shark

Carcharhinus galapagensis

Where
4 sites on 4 islands, mostly Central
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 12 of 97 routes · 214 departures in season

See these departures  →

Scalloped Hammerhead

Sphyrna lewini

Where
5 sites on 5 islands, mostly South
When
Year round, more between Jun and Nov
JFMAMJJASOND

On 12 of 97 routes · 214 departures in season

See these departures  →

Spotted Eagle Ray

Aetobatus laticeps

Where
5 sites on 5 islands, mostly South
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 77 of 97 routes · 1852 departures in season

See these departures  →

White-tipped Reef Shark

Triaenodon obesus

Where
on most islands
When
Year round
JFMAMJJASOND

On 40 of 97 routes · 855 departures in season

See these departures  →

Select a departure that actually reaches it

67 of the 2108 upcoming departures put you where the Scalloped Hammerhead is, at the time it is there.

67
  • You see it. The ship is at the site while the species is recorded there.
  • Right island, wrong month. The route calls there outside the months on record.
  • Never gets there. The route does not call at any of its sites.
04/10/2026US$4,152

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

18/10/2026US$4,152

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

01/11/2026US$4,152

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

15/11/2026US$4,152

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

05/12/2026US$5,350

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  4-Day Southern Islands: Black Turtle Cove Sanctuary

13/12/2026US$4,152

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

02/01/2027US$5,650

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  4-Day Southern Islands: Black Turtle Cove Sanctuary

24/01/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

21/02/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

11/03/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

04/04/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

08/04/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

24/04/2027US$5,650

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  4-Day Southern Islands: Black Turtle Cove Sanctuary

06/05/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

27/06/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

11/07/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

25/07/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

29/07/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

22/08/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

26/08/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

05/09/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

11/09/2027US$5,650

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  4-Day Southern Islands: Black Turtle Cove Sanctuary

23/09/2027US$8,490

GRAND OCEAN SPRAY  ·  6-Day Southern Islands: Santa Fe's Uplifted Terrain

03/10/2027US$5,490

MONIQUE  ·  5-Day Southern & Western: Kicker Rock's Swim Channel

What's included

All meals on board

Two certified national park naturalist guides

All excursions and landings listed in the itinerary

Snorkelling gear and wetsuit

Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards on board

Coffee, tea and water at any time

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María Fernanda Ortiz
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from US$4,152
67 departures