Home to marine life found nowhere else in the world, the Galápagos archipelago is a legendary snorkeling destination. This chain of 19 islands and dozens of islets in the Pacific Ocean, about 600 miles off South America, existed mostly untouched for millions of years. Due to a lack of natural predators, the wildlife in the Galápagos is extremely tame, with almost no fear of humans. Around the islands, you will snorkel with sea turtles, penguins, sea lions, marine iguanas, reef sharks, rays, and a whole host of reef fish. A trip of a lifetime!
Top snorkeling spots can be found all over the Galápagos. Almost all of the spots are located in the Galápagos National Park, which covers 97% of the land areas of the archipelago.
Access to the Park is regulated and you will need a permit ($200 per adult since August 2024) and an authorized guide to snorkel in the area.
A few sites, located at the edge of the National Park, can be snorkeled without a guide, especially in San Cristóbal and Isabela. To snorkel almost all of the other world-class snorkeling spots the Galápagos has to offer, you have two options:
Option 1: Take part in day boat tours to uninhabited islands and islets in the archipelago, if you are on a land-based trip. These tours depart from the three main inhabited islands of Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Isabela.
The cost of most day tours ranges between $100 and $300 per person, including a guide. You will stop on several sites, sometimes on two different islands.
Option 2: Visit the Galápagos on an expedition-style cruise. There are about 80 liveaboard yachts operating on the islands, which offer 4 to 15-day all-inclusive itineraries (check our Galápagos 2026 Liveaboard here!).
On these cruises you can visit many islands, including remote ones, not accessible by day tours that offer unique wildlife viewing opportunities. You will snorkel almost every day, sometimes in the most untouched spots of the archipelago.
Here, we’ll share the best Galápagos snorkel spots based on the island so you can start planning your underwater adventure!
Santa Cruz and Baltra, separated by a narrow channel, is the main gateway to the Galápagos. These two islands host the largest city and the main airport in the archipelago. This is where most visitors start their Galápagos trip.
Before boarding your cruise or starting your island hopping, you can spend a few days in Puerto Ayora, from where several snorkeling spots can be accessed.
The best shore snorkeling in Puerto Ayora is found at Playa de la Estación, but you can also try Playa de Los Alemanes, located in front of the Finch Bay Hotel, or Tortuga Bay, a 1.5-mile walk from town.
These two alternative locations can, however, have bad underwater visibility because of the nearby mangroves.
Las Grietas, south of Puerto Ayora, is a natural pool that can be reached after a short walk. It is only accessible with a guide. Its rocky seabed is gorgeous, but you’ll see almost no fish.
A popular destination for cruises and day trips, Las Bachas is a gorgeous white sand beach nestled on the north coast of Santa Cruz and accessible only by boat. It has good snorkeling along its rocky point, which is visited by sea turtles and reef fish.
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Santa Cruz is also the starting point for day tours to Pinzón. This small island lying about 6 miles west of Santa Cruz is loaded with whitetip reef sharks, turtles, and sea lions.
With their volcanoes, lunar landscapes, and preserved shores, Isabela, the largest of the Galápagos islands, and its neighbor Fernandina are probably the most iconic islands in the archipelago. Their waters are filled with plankton that attracts large populations of marine mammals, sharks, rays, and birds along their coasts.
Isabela and Fernandina are the only areas where the fascinating flightless cormorant can be seen. It also shelters almost 90% of the Galápagos penguin population. Snorkeling with these two diving birds is a memorable experience.
Puerto Villamil, on the south shore of Isabela, is one of the three main inhabited areas in the Galápagos. If you spend a few days on the island, don’t miss Concha de Perla, just a few minutes walk from Puerto Villamil. Rays, iguanas, penguins, and sea lions abound in this sheltered part of the lagoon. This is the only snorkeling location accessible without a guide in Isabela.
From Puerto Villamil, two other sites can be visited with day tours. The first is La Tintoreras, just a few hundred yards south of Concha de Perla. The second is Los Túneles, a maze made of volcanic rock pools where green sea turtles, Pacific seahorses, and whitetip sharks are easy to spot.
Fernandina and the western shores of Isabela are some of the most remote and pristine parts of the Galápagos. Reachable only by naturalist cruises, they are home to some of the most exceptional snorkeling locations in the archipelago.
They include Vicente Roca Point and Tagus Cove on the western coast of Isabela and Punta Espinoza in Fernandina, the best location in Galápagos to observe marine iguanas feeding underwater.
One of the few inhabited islands in the Galápagos, San Cristóbal probably hosts the best free shore snorkeling in the archipelago. If you are on an island hopping trip, a stay in San Cristóbal will allow you to fully enjoy the area. If you have time, take an extra day to visit neighboring Española
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the island’s village, has good snorkeling from the shore. The most popular locations are Darwin Bay and Playa Punta Carola. They are located north of the city, next to the Interpretation Center. When the sea is calm, it is also possible to snorkel off La Loberia beach, only a few minute’s taxi ride from the waterfront.
All other snorkeling spots in the area can be visited only with boat trips or naturalist cruises. Head to Kicker Rock (aka Leon Dormido), a sharp rock emerging a few miles off the island’s north coast. This are is famous for its hammerhead sharks. You can also try Isla Lobos or Ochoa Beach.
San Cristóbal is also the starting point for day tours to Española Island. This is the southernmost island in the Galápagos and a fantastic place to swim with sea lions, especially in Garder Bay and Gardner Island.
Santiago, Bartolomé and Rabida are three uninhabited islands in central Galápagos that can only be accessed by boat with a National Park guide. Santiago and Bartolomé are open to day tours from Santa Cruz, but only naturalist cruises can stop in Rabida.
Sullivan Bay is the most popular snorkeling spot in Santiago. It faces Bartolomé Island, another prime snorkeling spot in the area, just 750 yards off the main island. Bartolomé is a recommended location if you want to see the Galápagos penguin. The penguins are quite common around the island, as are sea stars. Playa Espumilla, Puerto Egas, and James Bay are also very popular snorkeling locations in Santiago.
Rabida, less than 3 miles off Santiago’s south shore, is a small island famous for its red sand beach. Its large populations of sea lions make snorkeling on its rocky coast an amazing experience.
If you are taking a naturalist cruise, your itinerary will probably include some of the remote islands of the archipelago. The islands in the north of the archipelago boast some of the most pristine snorkeling locations. These locations include Darwin Bay and Prince Phillip’s Steps in Genovesa and Punta Espejo, Punta Mejia or Playa Negra on Marchena, which is the least visited.
30 miles south of Isabela and Santa Cuz, Floreana is the fourth inhabited island in the archipelago. It is not easy to reach as it has no airstrip. Devil’s Crown, a tiny eroded crater just off its north coast, is considered one of the best snorkeling spots in the Galápagos. Its shallow turquoise lagoon is home to sea turtles, rays, and tropical fish.
Due to their isolation and unique climate conditions, the Galápagos Islands are home to some of the most biodiverse wildlife on the planet. About 80% of the land birds and 97% of the reptiles and land mammals living in the archipelago are endemic to the islands.
The highlights of a snorkeling trip to the Galápagos are the many close encounters with unique and inquisitive wildlife. This includes the Galápagos sea lion, the Galápagos green turtle, the marine iguana, the Galápagos penguin, the flightless cormorant and many more. The sea lions, turtles, sharks and iguanas can be seen almost everywhere, but the penguin population is seen in Isabela, Fernandina, Santiago and Bartolomé.
Galápagos is not a coral reef snorkeling destination, even though in some locations you will notice recent, but not very colorful hard coral reefs. Hundreds of fish and invertebrate species live in the shallows.
The shallows are home to the King angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, hogfish, the Pacific seahorse, octopuses, as well as several species of starfish. Rare (but possible) encounters in the open sea include orcas, whale sharks, and mola mola.
There are basically two seasons in the Galápagos archipelago. The warm season, from December to May, is almost tropical, with warm and wet weather with temperatures between 79 to 86°F. Water temperature, around 79°F, is ideal for snorkeling, but rain showers occur quite often.
From June to November, the weather turns dryer, and temperatures lower to an average of 73-79°F. During this season, consider snorkeling with a wetsuit: water temperature can get down to 64°F, often under cloudy skies.
Check this video 👇👇👇 with the very best of our snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands. Sea lions, penguins, marine iguanas, sea turtles, whitetip sharks… You never know what shows up!
There are very few places around the world where it’s possible to share such close proximity to wildlife without them turning fearful. At 00’43” you can even see a flightless cormorant trying to unzip my wetsuit in Tagus Cove!
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Common throughout the archipelago, including in shore access spots such as Concha de Perla. Inquisitive and playful.
90% of penguin populations are found in Isabela and Fernandina. The best shore access location is Concha de Perla. Small populations in Bartolomé, Santiago and Pinzón.
The best spot to see them is Los Túneles in Isabela. Occasional encounters in other locations, for example in Tagus Cove.
Very common at almost all locations. Extremely tame.
A very common species throughout the islands, but easier to see on land than in the water. Try Concha de Perla.
Common at all reef locations. In large schools in Kicker Rock.
Common at almost all locations. Dozens of sharks are found sleeping in Los Túneles (Isabela) and Pinzón.
Rocky drop off with starfish, turtles, sharks and penguins
Level:
Series of rocky pools with sharks, turtles and sea horses
Sandy beach with sea turtles, sharks and reef fish
Rocky drop off with turtles, sea lions and many fish
Sheltered bay with sea turtles and reef fish
Level: Free shore access
Sandy channel with sharks, turtles and reef fish
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