Gordon Rocks
Dive site
Three eroded volcanic tuff cones north of Santa Cruz form an underwater cauldron that concentrates scalloped hammerheads in the cold season in numbers that simply do not occur at other day-trip sites in the world. The surge inside the crater can be violent and the current outside unpredictable — this is a site for experienced divers comfortable with being moved. The reward is a column of hammerheads circling above you in the thermocline.
Conditions
Depth
10 to 32 m
Advanced depths
Current
Often strong
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
15 to 25 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
16 to 27°C
7mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Vis (m) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Current | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Scalloped hammerhead shark
Photo: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Galapagos shark
Photo: R Vasconcellos · CC BY
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Spotted eagle ray
Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Giant oceanic manta ray
Photo: Programa Marino del Golfo de California · CC BY-NC
Rare
Now and then
Silky shark
Photo: Jane Kempler & Andrew Goldby Freelance · CC BY-NC-ND
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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