El Canon (The Canyon)
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
The Canyon is San Benedicto's shark junction. A ridge drops away to a cut in the shelf around 25-30 m where cleaning stations pull in scalloped hammerheads - sometimes scattered individuals, sometimes schools that fill the up-current view - while silky and Galapagos sharks ride the mid-water and whitetips pave the bottom. Tiger sharks pass through often enough that briefings cover them without drama. Mantas visit here too, though the Boiler keeps the crown. It is a patience dive: find the rock shoulder, tuck in low, control your bubbles, and let the traffic come round on its circuit. Multiple species per minute is a normal count.
The moment you come for: Hammerhead schools over the cut, layered shark traffic, occasional tigers and mantas
Topography: Rocky ridge and canyon cutting through San Benedicto's southern shelf
Current: Works best with flow across the ridge; guides stage divers behind the rock shoulders.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Depth discipline in current; blue-water ascents off the shelf.
Nitrox: Worth it here: profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Whitetip Reef Shark
Oceanic Manta Ray
Silky Shark
Scalloped Hammerhead
Galápagos Shark
Bottlenose Dolphin
Frogfish
Tiger Shark
Also recorded nearby
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★☆☆☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)