Punta Carrion

Punta Carrion is a dive site located northeast of Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, at the mouth of the Itabaca Channel. The site sits in a protected position that shields it from the strong open-water currents of the surrounding ocean, and the boat ride from the pier on the channel takes around 10 minutes. Nearby mangrove ecosystems give the site high ecological value and provide shelter for a wide range of marine and coastal species.

The bottom is sandy and rocky, reaching a maximum depth of 18 m, and the layout transitions from a calm, sheltered inner area into a gorge on the outer side that is exposed to moderate to strong swell and current. That inner zone suits beginners perfectly, while the current-exposed gorge provides conditions that also engage advanced divers looking for pelagic encounters.

The mangrove-sheltered areas support a broad range of reef fish, including angelfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, grunts, snappers, damselfish, cod, scorpionfish, parrotfish, stonefish, moray eels, tiger eels, trumpetfish, and cornetfish. Sea turtles are present, as are several ray species — eagle rays, skates, marbled rays, mobulas, and stingrays — along with whitetip reef sharks, blacktip sharks, Galapagos sharks, and hammerhead sharks. The outer, current-exposed gorge is the zone where pelagic species such as these sharks, and manta rays and mola molas, are most likely to appear. Whale sharks are associated with the June-to-December season.