Best time to dive Galápagos

Cool season (June–November) is peak big-animal season, with whale sharks at Darwin and Wolf (peak July–October) and larger hammerhead schools, but water around 16–23 °C and choppier seas. Warm season (December–May) is calmer and clearer at 24–27 °C, with mantas and turtles.

Peak season: July–October

Best upcoming months:7.2October 2027 7.1July 2027 7.1August 2027

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Overall diving, month by month

Balanced scoring · forecasts include the 2026/27 El Niño outlook

Confidence: Nov medium · Dec medium · Jan low · Feb low · Mar low · Apr low · May low · Jun low · Jul medium · Aug low · Sep low · Oct low · Nov low · Dec low

What's good when

Each attribute scored 0–10 for every month

	Nov2026	Dec	Jan2027	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Pelagic & big animals	7	6	5	5	5	6	7	8	10	10	10	10	10	9
Macro life	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Coral & reef health	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Visibility	6	7	7	7	8	7	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	6
Water temperature	7	8	9	10	10	9	8	6	5	4	4	4	5	5
Weather & sea state	7	7	6	7	7	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	7	7
Operations & access	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	9	9	9

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Water temperature +2.9 °C · El Niño warms surface water and suppresses upwelling (Nov 2026 – December 2027)
Pelagic & big animals -2.3 · Warm water pushes hammerheads deep and thins pelagic action (La Niña helps) (Nov 2026 – December 2027)
Coral & reef health -1.6 · Marine heatwave stress on reefs and reef fish (Nov 2026 – December 2027)
Visibility +1 · Less plankton in warm El Niño water improves visibility (Nov 2026 – April 2027)
Weather & sea state -1.2 · El Niño brings heavy rain in the warm season (Jan 2027 – May 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	25.3 °C (78 °F)	10–15 m
December 2026	26.4 °C (80 °F)	12–20 m
January 2027	27.6 °C (82 °F)	12–20 m
February 2027	28.2 °C (83 °F)	12–20 m
March 2027	28.2 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
April 2027	27.1 °C (81 °F)	15–25 m
May 2027	25.7 °C (78 °F)	12–20 m
June 2027	23.7 °C (75 °F)	10–18 m
July 2027	22.0 °C (72 °F)	8–15 m
August 2027	20.8 °C (69 °F)	8–15 m
September 2027	20.6 °C (69 °F)	8–15 m
October 2027	21.0 °C (70 °F)	8–15 m
November 2027	21.8 °C (71 °F)	10–15 m
December 2027	22.8 °C (73 °F)	12–20 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
scalloped hammerhead	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
whale shark						●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
galápagos shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
mola mola							●	Peak	Peak	●
manta ray	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●							●
marine iguana	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
galápagos sea lion	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
turtles	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely. Calendar months, every year.

About the diving

Difficulty: Expert
Current strength: 5 / 5
Luxury level: 4 / 5
Typical depth: 10–30 m
Max depth of interest: 40 m
Dive styles: Liveaboard, Day boat
Suggested certification: Advanced Open Water + 50 logged dives
Nearest airport: GPS
Snorkelling: Limited
Known for: scalloped hammerhead, whale shark, galápagos shark, mola mola, marine iguana

Famous sites: Darwin's Arch · Wolf Island · Cabo Marshall · Gordon Rocks · Kicker Rock

Season notes & sources

Cool season (June–November) is peak big-animal season, with whale sharks at Darwin and Wolf (peak July–October) and larger hammerhead schools, but water around 16–23 °C and choppier seas. Warm season (December–May) is calmer and clearer at 24–27 °C, with mantas and turtles.
Galápagos is not a coral destination; strong El Niños in 1982–83 and 1997–98 reshaped its reef communities.
North Seymour and Mosquera have documented scuba encounters with sea lions and sea turtles. These local sites differ from Darwin/Wolf liveaboard trips. Resident-presence calendars do not establish monthly abundance peaks.