Year after year, the Galapagos Islands are voted one of the world’s top dive destinations. One reason is due to their remote, well-protected location 600 miles west of Equador. Another is due to the far-sighted conservation visionaries who tucked most of the archipelago into Galapagos National Park, then later established the Galapagos Marine Reserve encompassing 133,000 square kilometers, the second largest marine reserve in the world. Protected as a Whale Sanctuary, a UN Biosphere Reserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where all shark fishing is prohibited, the Galapagos Islands are truly one of the seven underwater wonders of the world.

Made famous by Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the Galapagos Islands provide marine habitat for sea lions, fur seals, stingrays and golden rays, giant mantas and a host of invertebrates. Watch for diving boobies and algaegrazing marine iguanas and sea turtles aglow at night in bioluminescence. More than 300 different species of fish ply the Galapagos waters including schooling hammerheads, whitetip sharks, and giant whale sharks. You might even see a sperm whale or an orca during a drift dive.