Galápagos · Ecuador · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
Bartolome
Sand and rock platform whose edge drops into cliffs where pelagic species pass
Bartolome is a young island off the east side of Santiago, known for its pinnacle. Most of the dive is spent on a broad sand and rock platform, at whose edge underwater cliffs begin at about 15 m and give good chances of pelagic species in moderate current.
Also known as Bartolomé.
Where it is and how deep
0.2851° S, 90.5484° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
A huge sandy and rocky platform at about 10 m is where most of the dive is spent, in a protected area with a great variety of fish and echinoderms. Whitetip sharks, green turtles, stingrays, marbled rays and mobulas live here.
At the edge of the platform underwater cliffs start at about 15 m, the place to watch the blue for pelagic species. Below it the terraced steps continue to 30 m before dropping to a sandy bottom at 40 m, deeper than the typical dive goes.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Mobula rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Galápagos: December to May brings warmer, calmer and clearer water; June to November is choppier and colder but better for ocean sunfish.
Know before you go
- Moderate currents run along the platform edge at Bartolome.
Sources
- Bartolome dive site — Scuba Iguana
- Galapagos Dive Sites — Academy Bay Diving
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A jagged dark rock pinnacle stands at the shoreline beside a rounded brown hill, with deep blue water in front by Mike's Birds from Riverside, CA, US, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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