These 19 or so isolated volcanic islands stretch across the equator in the Pacific Ocean 1000km from the Ecuadorian coastline and are the meeting place of two great oceanic currents, the cold water Humboldt from Antarctica and a warm equatorial current from the north. As a result, the nutrient rich waters support an amazing diversity of life, from the sea lions of Isabella to the whalesharks and hammerheads of Darwin and Wolf Islands.

This is a unique environment where cold and warm water species are found together with the peak whale shark and hammerhead months being from May through to November. Your Galapagos experience can include liveaboard or island based diving or a combination of the two and Galapagos also works really well with a land trip to Ecuador. When you combine the thrilling diving with the fascinating land tours, you come face to face with a truly remarkable variety of wildlife and there’s no doubt that these ingredients make a truly wonderful holiday.