Gordon Rocks is an extinct volcanic crater east of Santa Cruz, marked at the surface by three exposed rocks. The dive works the pinnacles and rocky slopes inside the crater in strong to very strong current, and divers come for the schools of hammerhead sharks that gather at cleaning stations on the rocks.
Where it is and how deep
0.5833° S, 90.1653° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
After the briefing at Plazas Island the boat runs the last 5 minutes to Gordon, where the guide checks the direction of the current and the visibility and sets the dive plan from them. Most of the dive is spent inside the crater, moving over rocky ground that runs down to a sandy bottom at 30 m.
Four pinnacles stand under the surface. Three sit on the northern part of the crater, rising from 30 m to about 8 m and joining the rocks that break the surface; the fourth stands in the centre of the caldera between 21 and 30 m. Hammerheads gather in schools at cleaning stations on the rock, tended by butterflyfish and bannerfish.
Outside the rim the wall falls to about 65 m, well beyond a typical dive. The very strong currents and few visual references make Gordon Rocks a challenging site.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
| 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
- Strong to very strong current; the guide checks its direction on arrival and sets the dive plan from it.
- Few visual references in the current make the site challenging.
Dive videos
Hammerheads and Mantas at Gordon Rocks in Baltra, Galapagos - 4K 🎵 Tania - Harry Romero · The Dive Planner on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification is needed to dive Gordon Rocks?+
An Advanced certification and at least 25 logged dives, or experience of similar conditions elsewhere, because of the strong to very strong current.
Sources
- Gordon Rocks dive site — Scuba Iguana
- Galapagos Dive Sites — Academy Bay Diving
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
More dive sites in Galápagos
Sand and rock platform whose edge drops into cliffs where pelagic species pass
A tuff cone split in two, its walls dropping straight to the bottom
Reef
Endemic garden eels rising from a sand platform beside a sea lion islet
Channel & pass
Channel dive beside an island raised flat by volcanic uplift
Similar dives elsewhere
Drift
La Punta
Islas Catalinas · Costa Rica
Adult whitetip reef sharks in the deeper water where the drift heads south
Hammerheads and mantas on current-swept pinnacles near Bab el-Mandeb
Drift
Clásico
Islas Catalinas · Costa Rica
A south-to-north drift along the western side of the islands
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders