Ecuador · Darwin & Wolf
Best Time to Dive in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos
1.68°N 91.99°W
Conditions are good all year, so the month is decided by wildlife: June to November for whale sharks and the schooling scalloped hammerheads of Darwin's Arch.
- Best time
- Any month
- Water
- 25–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.0–1.9 m
- Species logged
- 13
Where it is
444 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos — monthly breakdown
Conditions barely change across the year, so no month beats another — pick on wildlife or price.
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorSame all year
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos diving season
June to November · Peak season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–26 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
Marine lifeScalloped hammerhead (near-guaranteed), Whale shark (likely), Galapagos sea lion (hit-or-miss) peak at Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos in these months.
December to May · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
Marine lifeScalloped hammerhead (near-guaranteed), Galapagos sea lion (hit-or-miss) peak at Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos in these months.
- Spring tides run 1.9 m against 1.0 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Galapagos water temperature and weather
833 underwater observation records · 32 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 2.5 m on 1% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
6
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.1 m | 0% | 13 | 3 | 26 °C | 11.9 h |
| February | 2.0 m | 0% | 17 | 4 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| March | 1.9 m | 0% | 12 | 3 | 27 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 2.0 m | 0% | 8 | 2 | 27 °C | 12.0 h |
| May | 2.3 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 26 °C | 12.1 h |
| June | 2.1 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 25 °C | 12.1 h |
| July | 2.1 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 24 °C | 12.1 h |
| August | 2.0 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 24 °C | 12.1 h |
| September | 2.1 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 24 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 2.1 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 24 °C | 12.0 h |
| November | 2.1 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 24 °C | 11.9 h |
| December | 1.9 m | 0% | 5 | 0 | 25 °C | 11.9 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Moderate | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Good | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Good | July week 4: Good | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Good | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of September
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 22 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 21 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 19 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 58% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 18 km/h | 62% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 18 km/h | 65% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 49% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 39% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 16 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 16 km/h | 43% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 16 km/h | 38% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 15 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 16 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 18 km/h | 16% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 19 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.1 m | 20 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.4 m | 23 km/h | 6% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 23 km/h | 8% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 24 km/h | 8% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 25 km/h | 7% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 26 km/h | 8% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 25 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 25 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Good | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 25 km/h | 9% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 25 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 26 km/h | 9% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 7% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 7% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 8% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 26 km/h | 6% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 10% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 6% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Good | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 26 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Good | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 10% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 25 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.8 m | 25 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 24 km/h | 15% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 24 km/h | 19% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 3 mm | February: 3 mm | March: 3 mm | April: 3 mm | May: 3 mm | June: 3 mm | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Nov–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Oct5 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scalloped hammerhead | All year | Near-guaranteed | 241 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | All year | Near-guaranteed | 70 | ||
| Whale shark | Sep–Oct | Likely | 265 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Likely | 45 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 58 | ||
| Silky shark | Jul–Aug | Likely | 18 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Mar | Hit-or-miss | 10 | ||
| Humpback whale | Aug, Oct | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Common dolphin | Apr | Hit-or-miss | 10 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | Mar, Jul–Aug, Oct | Likely | 20 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | Jun, Nov–Dec | Hit-or-miss | 22 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | Mar, Jun, Nov | Likely | 15 | ||
| Galapagos sea lion | Apr, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 11 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- Conditions barely change across the year at Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos, so any month works — pick on wildlife or price.
- When is the diving season in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- There is no real season in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos: conditions barely change, so you can dive any month.
- Is the diving in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos good for beginners?
- Not really. It is for experienced divers, so it is not a place to learn or to make your first dives after certification.
- How warm is the water in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- Between 25 and 28 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in September and warmest in March. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- A 5 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 3 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- Roughly 20 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- The most consistently recorded species are Scalloped hammerhead (near-guaranteed), Bigeye trevally (near-guaranteed) and Whale shark (likely), from 833 records within 60 km.
- Does Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- The tide rises and falls 1.9 m around the full and new moon, against 1.0 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- How do you dive Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Dec.