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A brown sea lion swims upward through clear turquoise water over rocks, with snorkellers in wetsuits and fins behind it — Galápagos

Galápagos · Ecuador · Channel & pass · Sand slope

North Seymour Channel

Channel dive beside an island raised flat by volcanic uplift

Area photo: Paul and Jill · CC BY 2.0

North Seymour is a flat island lifted up from the main Santa Cruz volcano, and the channel dive starts close to its shore. Divers drop onto a sandy bottom in the low twenties of metres, with a current that is usually moderate and can turn surprisingly strong.

Also known as Seymour channel, North Seymour.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of North Seymour Channel: typical dive to 25 m (to 82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

0.3989° S, 90.2833° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The descent is made close to the island and ends on the sandy bottom at about 20 to 25 m. The channel usually carries a moderate current, but it can become surprisingly strong.

Garden eels live in the sand and schools of eagle rays pass over it. The water then shallows gradually to a rocky reef at 12 m, where the current is usually a little stronger and whitetip sharks rest.

Marine life and season

  • Eagle rays
  • Reef sharks
Month-by-month season rating for North Seymour Channel
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrime

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

  • The usually moderate current in the channel can become surprisingly strong during the dive.

Dive videos

NORTH SEYMOUR DIVING · Jerzy Stępniewski on YouTube

Sources

  1. North Seymour Channel dive site — Scuba Iguana
  2. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in Galápagos

Wall

Bartolome

Sand and rock platform whose edge drops into cliffs where pelagic species pass

10–15 m · max 40 mintermediate

Drift

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Hammerhead schools at cleaning stations inside a volcanic crater

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Wall

Kicker Rock

A tuff cone split in two, its walls dropping straight to the bottom

to 20 mintermediate

Reef

Mosquera North

Endemic garden eels rising from a sand platform beside a sea lion islet

to 12 mbeginner

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