PLAZA

Situated off the east coast of Santa Cruz, North and South Plaza were uplifted from the sea floor and are very old islands, in the neighborhood of 3,000,000 years old. Currently, visitors are forbidden to go ashore on North Plaza, but diving off the backside of North Plaza is a nice, easy and relaxing dive, with relatively little current or surge. The dive usually begins along the center of the north shore, where a boulder slope with a gradual incline falls to a sand bottom at about 24m (80 ft) white- tipped reef sharks, marble and diamond rays, and waving fields of Galapagos garden eels are found in sandy patches throughout this boulder slope. Most of the action takes place in the first 14 m (45 ft).

Upon our current schedule Plaza can be combined with the following dive sites on the same dive day:

• Gordon Rocks

There are huge schools of yellowtail surgeonfish yellow tailed mullets and lots of parrotfish in the shallows. You are more likely to see pelagic, including hammerheads and Galápagos sharks, at the eastern end of the islet. This eastern point can be very good, especially in the warm season (January- May in particular) because cross- currents can bring in manta rays, and even snorkelers can enjoy a lengthy swim with these marvelous creatures. Solitary whale sharks occasionally visit in the hot season Whether snorkeling or diving, sea lions become constant “buddies”.