Pinzon
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?
About this site
Pinzon is a small, uninhabited island of about 18 square kilometres in the middle of the Galapagos archipelago, west of Santa Cruz. It is reached by a boat trip of one to one and a half hours from Puerto Ayora, and there is no access by land.
The site works for both beginners and experienced divers. The deep drop-off wall is for divers with more experience.
Playful sea lions, turtles and red-lipped batfish are common. Along the wall divers see seahorses, rays, several species of shark and lobster. In the warmer months Pinzon is a favourite site for manta rays, and pods of dolphins are regularly seen. Snorkellers here report white-tip sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, sea turtles and possibly a small colony of penguins.
Read the full guideShow less
Where the water time is spent. The exact spots at Pinzon are chosen on the day according to conditions, and the area in and around Penguin Bay is usually used. The water close to the steep coastline is clear, and sharks, sea turtles and reef fish can usually be spotted from the boat before anyone enters the water. Above the surface, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, pelicans, marine iguanas and sea lions line the coast.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
StingrayStingrayReported here · unconfirmed
Blue-barred ParrotfishScarus ghobbanReported here · unconfirmed
Mexican HogfishBodianus diplotaeniaReported here · unconfirmed
King AngelfishHolacanthus passerReported here · unconfirmed
Pronghorn Spiny LobsterPanulirus penicillatusReported here · unconfirmed
Razor SurgeonfishPrionurus laticlaviusReported here · unconfirmed
Cortez Rainbow WrasseThalassoma lucasanumReported here · unconfirmed
Galápagos Sea LionZalophus wollebaekiReported here · unconfirmed- Valparaiso ClingfishTomicodon chilensisReported here · unconfirmed
Galápagos GregoryStegastes arcifronsReported here · unconfirmed
SeahorseSeahorseReported here · unconfirmed
Manta rayManta rayReported here · unconfirmed
BatfishBatfishReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
No notes yet. Dived here? Be the first to leave a tip.
Share a write-up or a photo. Submissions are reviewed before they appear on the page.
Nearby dive sites
Shops that dive here
No shops have listed this site yet.