Darwin's Arch

Darwin's Arch sits off Darwin Island, the northernmost and most remote island in the Galapagos archipelago, reachable only by liveaboard after a long open-water crossing from the central islands. The site is best known for large aggregations of scalloped hammerhead sharks, along with whale sharks seasonally, Galapagos sharks, silky sharks, and big schools of jacks moving through strong open-water current. Diving is done along the rocky wall and boulder-strewn slopes near the arch itself, with typical depths in the 18 to 30 metre range and blue water dives common while waiting for pelagics to pass. Verified data grades the site intermediate, though the remoteness, current, and depth mean many operators still treat it as a dive for experienced divers comfortable with drift conditions and negative entries. The famous natural rock arch above the surface partially collapsed in 2021, though the dive site below continues to draw divers for its pelagic life.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Pronghorn Spiny LobsterPanulirus penicillatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Mexican HogfishBodianus diplotaeniaReported here · unconfirmed
• Whale SharkRhincodon typusReported here · unconfirmed
• King AngelfishHolacanthus passerReported here · unconfirmed
• Cortez Rainbow WrasseThalassoma lucasanumReported here · unconfirmed
• Razor SurgeonfishPrionurus laticlaviusReported here · unconfirmed
• Whitecheek SurgeonfishAcanthurus nigricansReported here · unconfirmed
• Redlip ParrotfishScarus rubroviolaceusReported here · unconfirmed
• Galápagos Ringtail DamselfishStegastes beebeiReported here · unconfirmed