Home of one of the archipelagos two airports, San Cristóbal might be your first glimpse of the Galapagos Islands as it serves daily flights from Ecuador’s mainland.
It is the quietest of the four inhabited islands within the region and you can find several dive centres within the sleepy town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, some of which offer diving courses. It is also common for liveaboard boats to visit the many dive sites around the island and this is a very popular way to dive in the Galapagos, especially on San Cristóbal as it is the most common embarkation point.
Highlights of diving on San Cristóbal include the chance to dive with the world famous Galapagos sea lions, as well as turtles, manta rays and schooling hammerheads.
Diving in San Cristóbal is suitable for many different levels of diver. There are a variety of types of dives available including drifts, pinnacles and walls.
Liveaboards are the most popular and best way of diving in San Cristóbal. Most liveaboards in the Galapagos leave from San Cristóbal due to its location close to the airport. While most are flexible, some liveaboards impose minimum dive or qualification restrictions so be sure to check before you dive.
Diving on San Cristóbal is possible year round. From January to June is the warm season. The water temperatures are at their warmest (around 26°C) and calmest. This is the best time of year to see manta rays and the number of hammerheads tend to increase too.
From June to December, the Humboldt Current brings cooler water down from the north, increasing the nutrients in the water and increasing marine diversity. This includes the giant whale sharks. The oceans do get rougher during this season, so seasickness tablets are not a bad idea!
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
