Shark

Galapagos shark

Carcharhinus galapagensis

IUCN status: Least concern

A large, robust reef shark found around oceanic islands, documented at Socorro in tight formations of up to 20 individuals at cleaning stations like The Canyon.

Max size
Up to 3m
Habitat
Rocky reefs and drop-offs around oceanic islands

Best places to dive with Galapagos shark

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak season
Cocos Island
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarycommonly seen
Februarycommonly seen
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maycommonly seen
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novembercommonly seen
Decembercommonly seen

Seen year-round at cleaning stations and seamounts such as Dirty Rock and Punta Maria, with large individuals reported around 3 to 3.5m.

Galápagos
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarycommonly seen
Februarycommonly seen
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maycommonly seen
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novembercommonly seen
Decembercommonly seen

Seen year-round at the northern and central rocky sites.

Socorro
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Junenot seen
Julynot seen
Augustnot seen
Septembernot seen
Octobernot seen
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Seen at cleaning stations and current-swept points, sometimes in tight formations of a dozen or more.

Sources & last checked

Checked July 2026

This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.

Note on the data: The Canyon association is a single-source claim (Bluewater); the 20-shark formation anecdote is from a different source describing Roca Partida, not necessarily The Canyon specifically — the sighting record treats this as a region-wide claim rather than pinning it to one site, to avoid overstating site-level precision.