Cousins Rock

Cousins Rock is a triangular-shaped islet located on the east coast of Santiago Island, near the island of Bartolomé, roughly 90 minutes from the Itabaca Channel on the north side of Santa Cruz. The site is reached by boat and suits divers of all experience levels, with little to no strong current under normal conditions and the possibility of drift diving.

The terrain consists of a shelving reef of terraced steps lined with endemic black corals and soft black coral on the walls, descending to 30 metres before dropping to a sandy bottom at 40 metres. The overhangs beneath the steps provide shelter and are good places to look into, while the open blue beyond the steps offers a different kind of encounter altogether.

Marine life at Cousins Rock is varied across the reef's different zones. The steps and overhangs are reliable spots for Pacific seahorses, whitetip reef sharks, green sea turtles, large moray eels, and octopi. Schools of barracuda move through the reef, while stingrays and spotted eagle rays are also seen here. Manta rays and hammerhead sharks appear off the steps in the blue, and Galapagos sharks and sea lions round out the regular cast. The site also functions as a cleaning station.