Punta Estrada
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Punta Estrada is a reef dive site located in Academy Bay, directly adjacent to Puerto Ayora, in the Galápagos Islands, reachable by a short boat ride from the town pier. The site is used regularly for training dives as well as guided night dive adventures, and its proximity to shore makes it one of the most accessible sites in the bay.
The reef reaches a maximum depth of around 13–14 m (43–46 ft), with typical dive depths of 11–14 m (36–46 ft), making it a genuinely shallow site with limited vertical range. The bottom type is reef, and conditions include only light current, which together with the modest depth makes Punta Estrada well suited to beginners and student divers.
The site holds a good variety of marine life including reef fish, rays, sea turtles, white-tip sharks, and mixed invertebrates. Night dives here are particularly rewarding, with the shallow reef and calm conditions creating a good environment for observing nocturnal species.
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Entry and exit are by boat, departing from the town pier and arriving on site in roughly 20 minutes. Dives run approximately 45–50 minutes, depending on air consumption. The site's light current, limited depth, and easy boat access make it appropriate for beginners, discover scuba participants, and Open Water or Scuba Diver students; standard exposure protection is a 5–7 mm wetsuit.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
OctopusOctopusConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Galápagos Sea LionZalophus wollebaekiReported here · unconfirmed
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsusReported here · unconfirmed
Southern FrillfinBathygobius lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
Bullseye PufferSphoeroides annulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Peter's ClingfishTomicodon petersiiReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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