GALAPAGOS MARINE LIFE VIEWING, SNORKEL AND DIVE

If you snorkel or dive breathtaking marine life encounters will put you up close with white tipped reef sharks, hammer head sharks, whale sharks, Galapagos marine turtles and other interesting swimmers as the playful sea lions that pull on your fins as you swim by.

Half the experience in the Galapagos is below sea level, and for many the main reason to visit Galapagos, it is the number 1 dive site around the world for a good reason.

Marine life in the Galapagos is "friendly" nor afraid nor offensive to humans, they swim by as if you were invisible.

MARINE FAUNA
Crabs: Sallylightfoot crab, Fiddler crabs, Ghost crabs, Hermit crabs. Usually found amongst the rocks along the shoreline, on the beach, and on the black lava rocks.

Sea Shells

Green Sea Urchins: Round sculptured skeletons are composed of a series of interlocking plates. Often seen on beaches.

Pencil Sea Urchins: Have pencil shaped spines. Found usually washed up on beaches, spines are poisonous.
Chiton

Sea Stars: Refered to as star fishes found all around the Galapagos, many varieties can be spotted.

Octopus

Sponge

Coral (Black and White)

Lobster (Red and Blue)

White tipped reef shark: Found many times while your snorkel. Mainly found off Santa Cruz island by Black Turtle Cove and within grottos or caves. They feed at night and sleep during the day. Usually found resting at the bottom on the sand.

Galapagos shark: Found all around the archipelago. May be found while snorkelling.
Hammer head shark: Usually found when diving by gordon's rocks, outside devil's crown, off Darwin and Wolf; just to name a few amonst the many dive sites.
Whale shark

Port Jackson shark

Whales:Orca, Minke, Bryde's, Sperm and Humpback whales can be spotted. Usual spottings are at Bolivar channel between Isabela and Fernandina islands and Punta Abermarle (northern Isabela island).

Pilot nose dolphin: found all around the archipelago, more commonly located of the coast of Isabela and Fernandina islands in the Bolivar channel.

Mullet
Grouper

King Angelfish: black coloring with vertical white stripes and a orange yellow tail. Usually found near rocks at most snorkelling sites.

Creole fish: Red belly usually found by reefs such as the Devil's crown.

Damselfish: yellow-tailed damselfish, sergeant major (yellow and silver body with dark stripes), giant damselfish (blue with large fins). Found throughout the whole archipelago easy to spot while snorkelling.

Flying fish: Also known as gliding fishes. Usually spotted while cruising. Hard to see.

Yellow-tailed Grunts: Usually seen at Devil's crown at Florean island. Swim in schools.

Hieroglyphic Hawkfish: Colorful in complete camouflage of stripes and bands. Hides amongst rocks and easily spotted at most snorkelling sites.

Moorish idols: Vertical black, white, and yellow bands, with a long white dorsal fin. It is one of the most beautiful fish in the archipelago.

Moray Eels: Look like a large brown snake. Usually are in caverns and crevices. Can be seen when snorkelling.

Parrot fish: In the Galapagos you may find these near Coral reefs, the types of parrot fish found are the blue-chin parrotfish, azure parrotfish, bicolor parrotfish, and the bumphead parrotfish. There teeth have the form of a parrot's beal.

Concentric Pufferfish: Puffed up and usually found in shallow waters, there skin is poisonous.
Yellow-tailed surgeonfish: They travel in schools and can easily be spotted while snorkelling. Grey body with a brightly colored yellow tail.

Yellow Bellied Triggerfish: Have contrasting black and yellow coloring, usually found in reefs and rocks.

Wrasses: Rainbow wrasses with multicolor stipes, sunset wrasses with orange to pink heads, and streamer hogfish with bumpheads; these three are the most common amongst the many assortment of these fishes.

Rays: Cow-nosed rays, manta rays, spotted eagle rays, sting rays. Usually spotted at Black Turtle Cove, open ocean, and in some cases under the flour sand at Floreana island, depending on the species. All can be seen while snorkelling.

Back to top