Darwin Island

Darwin Island is the northernmost island of the Galápagos archipelago, part of Isabela canton, Ecuador, and lies far from the other central islands, out in open Pacific waters. It is best known as a boat-access dive site near Darwin's Arch, a natural rock formation that has drawn divers for its aggregations of scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks. The site sits in a remote, current-swept part of the ocean and is typically reached only by liveaboard, given its distance from the inhabited islands. Conditions here tend toward strong current and open water exposure, consistent with its position at the edge of the archipelago.

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
• Whale SharkRhincodon typusReported here · unconfirmed
• Mexican HogfishBodianus diplotaeniaReported 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