Courtesy Galapagos Shark DivingDespite their immense size, whale sharks remain among the more elusive fish species patrolling the ocean.
Dive in the Galapagos Islands and your inner voice might begin to take on some David Attenborough undertones. Located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, this remote archipelago is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, above and below the water. While land-based icons like blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises and penguins often steal the spotlight, there’s plenty of magic unfolding under the sea’s surface.
Here, schooling hammerheads create vortexes, marine iguanas forage along vibrant reefs, curious sea lions come for a closer look at bubble-blowing newcomers, graceful manta rays perform acrobatics and humble whale sharks cruise through the blue. Protected by the Galapagos Marine Reserve and recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this underwater world offers divers not only extraordinary encounters, but the chance to contribute to its preservation through Galapagos Shark Diving.
Established in 2017, Galapagos Shark Diving was founded with a mission to connect divers to the conservation of these remarkable species. Through each trip, participants contribute to research on whale sharks, hammerheads and manta rays—no marine biology degree required. All profits go to the Galapagos Whale Shark Project, a nonprofit dedicated to the research and conservation of whale sharks. In 2024, Galapagos Shark Diving funded 22 percent of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project.
Related Reading: Close Encounter With a Whale Shark
Courtesy Galapagos Shark DivingOne of the Galapagos Islands’ famed marine iguanas.
Jenny Green, founder of Galapagos Shark Diving, swapped banking for the big blue after taking a career sabbatical and having a pivotal dive while volunteering with the Galapagos Whale Shark Project.
Green and her fellow divers were tasked with identifying whale sharks when they heard a shaker, signaling the presence of the world’s largest fish.
“I turned around and this huge whale shark—she was 12 meters or so—was just right next to me. I looked her in the eye and forgot everything. It was mind-blowing,” Green says.
Whale sharks are listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Overfishing, marine pollution, climate change and vessel strikes have caused their global numbers to halve over the past 75 years.
Green says, “There are so many divers like me who did not study marine biology but want to do something in conservation.”
Each liveaboard expedition with Galapagos Shark Diving is designed to immerse divers in the world of underwater science. Meals are shared with shark experts, who happily answer questions from curious guests about the incredible creatures who call the archipelago home. Divers participate in daily briefings, receive training on species identification and upload photos of marine megafauna to international databases.
Researchers from all around the world have access to the data and use it to learn more about each species. This research can be used for conservation purposes. If whale sharks are seen just outside, or on the fringe, of a marine protected area, it could justify expanding or creating a protected area.
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Courtesy Galapagos Shark DivingHammerhead sharks may be one of the most recognizable type of sharks, but there’s still so much we don’t know about them.
The data collection is powered by software originally developed by NASA to track deep-space objects. On board, divers can log sightings, estimate hammerhead counts and upload ID photos in real time, learning instantly if the animal is new or a resighting.
Divers will also receive alerts if their whale shark is sighted elsewhere in the world after the trip ends. A diver could be at their desk checking emails and receive a notification that their whale shark has just been spotted in Mexico, a welcome reprieve from workday drudgery.
Since its official start in 2011, the Galapagos Whale Shark Project has identified over 700 individual animals, with 91 new IDs added this past season alone. In 2024, they tagged six whale sharks with fin-mounted satellite tags. One shark was tracked traversing over 3,100 miles into waters rife with illegal fishing vessels.
Still, these gentle giants remain one of the ocean’s greatest mysteries.
“We don’t know where they mate, where they give birth or where they live for the first five years of life—but this information is essential for their protection,” Green says.
The Galapagos Islands may hold a clue. Around 98 percent of the whale sharks identified in the region are adult females, frequenting dive sites around Darwin and Wolf. While researchers are not certain why this region is such an aggregation site, many believe it has to do with reproduction. Within the next year, the team at Galapagos Whale Shark Project hopes to have a functional ultrasound strong enough to penetrate the 10 to 30-centimeter-thick skin to determine if one is pregnant.
“If we could prove they’re pregnant, it would give us even more reason to expand marine protection around the Galapagos,” says Green.
Related Reading: How to Find a Marine Protected Area
Courtesy Galapagos Shark DivingA sea turtle swims along the reef.
The islands are also home to other remarkable marine species, including the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead shark. Like the whale shark, much about their mating and pupping behaviors remains a mystery. The first known nursery site in the region was only discovered within the past decade. They’re one of the few shark species that gather in large numbers, often schooling in the hundreds. This makes them especially vulnerable to illegal fishing and frequent victims of bycatch. Divers with Galapagos Shark Diving capture identification photos and estimate the numbers sighted to assist shark researchers.
Participants are also trained to photograph or video manta rays for tracking purposes. Every manta ray has a unique pattern on its underbelly. Using manta recognition software, divers reveal migration patterns, population sizes and behavior. Nonprofessional cameras are capable of capturing these markings, so anyone snapping photos can submit their footage.
Galapagos Shark Diving runs eight- and 15-day trips from July to September, with a maximum of 15 guests per trip. Each trip includes daily presentations given by onboard shark experts. Because of the oceanic conditions of the Galapagos—where dives tend to be deeper than 60 feet and currents are common—divers must have their advanced open water certification and a minimum of 50 logged dives.
