Scuba Diving in Ecuador  

Every year from the months of June to October hundreds of humpback whales from the southern oceans breed along the central and southern coasts of Ecuador. Open water divers can “catch a ride” with enormous whale sharks and manta rays as they also migrate through the area during this time. 

For those who wish to scuba dive in Ecuador without the cost of traveling to the Galapagos Islands, Machalilla National Park is known as the ‘Poor Man’s Galapagos’ and features some of the same endemic species found in the famous archipelago. The national park, which is the only coastal national park in Ecuador, incorporates fog forest, dry forest, small islands and two larger islands, Salango and the small Isla de la Plata. Large groups of giant manta rays, whales and dolphins are commonly seen here during the right season.  

The majority of divers head straight for the Galapagos Islands. The waters surrounding this group of deep-sea, volcanic islands form a protected marine reserve where virtually no commercial fishing has occurred in the last five decades. This fact combined with the area’s deep-sea upwellings creates one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world. Divers can take advantage of everything this region has to offer on a liveaboard trip.  

With as much to discover under the water as there is above, it’s no wonder than the most divers dream of exploring underwater Ecuador at least once in their lifetime.