The Galapagos itinerary is controlled by the National Park. The following itinerary is a sample itinerary. Your actual cruise will be also based on tides, currents, winds and weather conditions. Please note the itinerary starts at BALTRA …. not San Cristobal.

Itinerary & itinerary map

Itinerary for Galapagos Aqua.  You’ll have up to 4 dives per day …. including Darwin & Wolf.  The plan will always be to visit the following sites, conditions permitting.

Day 1 TUESDAY

Your guide will meet you at the airport, assist you with the luggage and accompany you on the short bus rideand panga ride to the Aqua. After greeting the crew and the captain, your cabins will be assigned to you and then you will enjoy your first lunch on-board. After lunch, you’ll motor to your first dive site.

1 dive – North East Baltra (check out dive)
The gradual rocky slope that extends from Seymour Island’s northeastern shore provides habitat for salaams, yellowtail grunts and blue striped snapper. You might also spot groups of eagle rays, marble rays, manta rays, stingrays, jacks, hammerheads and, on a good dive, marlins. Don’t forget to look up from time to time to observe blue-footed boobies diving in to catch a meal.

Day 2 WEDNESDAY

1 dive – Bartolome Point – Bartolome Island
Amazing rock formations capture the eye here. Bait balls are common and they attract Galapagos penguins, sea lions, white-tipped reef sharks, a variety of rays & pelagic fish. Expect plenty of sea turtles & reef fish plus manta rays and hammerheads out in the blue.

2 dives – Cousins Rock
This dive site offers terraced steps that drop down to a sandy bottom at 130 feet (40 meters). The steps are covered in black corals, habitat for the Pacific Seahorse. Under the overhangs created by the “steps,” you’re most likely to discover white-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles and moray eels. Schools of barracuda, manta rays and hammerheads are often lurking further out in deep water.

Day 3 THURSDAY

3 or 4 dives – Wolf Island
Wolf Island is one of the most iconic scuba diving sites in the world. Several species of birds haunt this island while sea lions play on the rocks below. Below the waterline, you’ll swim with massive whale sharks (in season), schooling hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, silkies, eagle rays and mobula rays … plus, bluefin tuna, turtles, and thousands of reef fish. And, you can always expect a dolphin pod to come whizzing along.

Day 4 FRIDAY

4 dives – Darwin Island
Darwin Island, with its famous arch, is the next highlight of your scuba adventure. Manta rays, eagle rays, dolphins, sea turtles, and the occasional whale shark wow divers with their presence. But, the pièce de résistance is the huge number of sharks brought in by the strong current: schools of hammerheads, silky sharks, black-tip sharks and Galapagos sharks.

Day 5 SATURDAY

3 or 4 dives– Wolf Island
Land visits are not permitted, however, bird life such as: red-foo- ted boobies and vampire finches may be spotted from the boat. You’ll dive a selection of reefs and walls, most have medium to strong currents, where the use of gloves and reef hooks is advised. Schooling pelagics are the main attraction, but you can also see hammerheads, white tips and Galapagos sharks

Day 6 SUNDAY

1 dive AM – Punta Vicente Roca
The sloping wall here is covered with invertebrates ranging from frogfish to seahorses but the main reason for this dive is that you often find the intriguing mola mola on the outside of the wall where they come to be cleaned. Remember to watch for diving penguins and playful sea lions.

1 dive AM – Cape Douglas
Cabo (Cape) Douglas dive site is located on the North West side of Fernandina Island. It has an active shield volcano ‘La Cumbre’, which has been subject to eruptions within the last ten years. Flightless cormorants have a nesting site here. These amazing birds evolved to live on this barren island by learning to swim and hunt underwater, instead of flying, due to the lack of land predators. Marine iguanas have also evolved to survive here. Add to the list plenty of sea lions, turtles, pelicans and Galapagos penguins.

Day 7 MONDAY

1 dive AM – Roca Blanca
This area is rarely visited by divers and is recognized for encounters with six different species of shark, plus manta & eagle rays, sea lions, moray eels, lobsters, loads of tropical fish and occasional sightings of baitballs.

1 DIVE PM – Pinzon
This is a small island about 1 hour from Puerto Ayora. It is a great spot which offers many playful sea lions, turtles, and red lipped batfish.The deep drop off wall is for more experienced divers and offers sea horses, rays, different species of sharks, and lobster. In the warmer months, Pinzon is a favourite site for the Manta Rays and pods of dolphins.

Day 8 TUESDAY

AM – Highlands land tour (Santa Cruz)
With clear weather, this area boasts beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. Here you will visit the Twin Craters, which are two pit craters, as well as a local ranch where you can observe the giant tortoise of Santa Cruz Island in its natural habitat.