Sea lions are one of the more consistently delightful encounters on a Galápagos dive, native to this UNESCO World Heritage archipelago and comfortable enough around divers to turn nearly any dive into an impromptu play session. Sightings pick up between June and November, when the same cooler-water conditions that draw in sharks also bring larger numbers of sea lions into the mix.
Isabela Island has a reputation as one of the more dependable places to dive with them, offering good sea lion encounters essentially year-round thanks to water that runs slightly warmer there than at many other Galápagos sites — useful for divers who want a decent shot at sea lions outside the peak cooler months. As with other wildlife encounters in the islands, operators emphasize keeping a respectful distance and minimizing disruption to the colonies themselves, treating the sea lions as residents to be observed rather than props for an interaction.