Gordon Rocks

Gordon Rocks is a submerged volcanic crater off Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos archipelago, marking the caldera rim of an eroded tuff cone rising from deep water. It is well known among Galápagos operators as a site for hammerhead shark sightings, along with other pelagics such as rays and occasionally Galápagos or silky sharks passing through the channel between the rocks. Strong currents and surge are typical here, a result of open ocean water funneling through the crater walls, and the dive is rated advanced with a maximum depth of around 30 metres. The mix of cold upwellings with warmer surface water can produce thermoclines and variable visibility along the outer walls. Boats typically reach it from Santa Cruz, and it remains one of the more challenging dives regularly offered in the central islands.

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

• Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydasReported here · unconfirmed
• Scalloped HammerheadSphyrna lewiniReported here · unconfirmed
• Risso's DolphinGrampus griseusReported here · unconfirmed
• Mexican HogfishBodianus diplotaeniaReported here · unconfirmed