Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)

Kicker Rock is a wave-cut remnant of a tuff cone standing nearly 150 m out of the sea off San Cristobal, split by a channel a few meters wide at the waterline. Underwater, that cut is the show: divers hold position in the channel while scalloped hammerheads and Galapagos sharks cruise the length of it, silhouetted against the far opening. Turtles and eagle rays traffic the outer walls, and sea lions from the nearby colony strafe the shallows. Because it works as a snorkel too, pangas cluster here on busy mornings - underwater, the walls swallow the crowd. For many San Cristobal-based divers this is the trip's signature dive.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Sharks transiting the channel, sheer walls, snorkeling with sea lions and turtles

التضاريس: Vertical tuff walls and a sand-floored channel

التيار: Current runs through the channel between the two rocks; the standard dive works the cut and the outer walls.

المخاطر: Current through the cut, surge near the walls, boat traffic overhead.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Galapagos Marine Reserve; snorkel and dive groups share the site under guide supervision.