Kicker Rock
Kicker Rock
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
1,160 reviews
Excellent
899
Very good
178
Average
67
Poor
7
Terrible
9
Geerlings
Houten, The Netherlands995 contributions
Jan 2020
I was in San Christobal on the 2nd of January and had trouble finding a company to dive at Kicker Rock. I ended up with Chalo Tours. Fortunatly I only needed tanks and weights.
We went on a boat with 3 divers and 9 snorkelers. I had to be at the dive shop at 7:30 but the boat did not leave until 9:00. Arriving at the dive site we had a very short briefing and no attention to safety, no buddy checks, no signal checks, no agreement on at which pressure we surface. The captain of the boat with his hands on the valve of my tank, without asking. When I told him to aks before touching somebody's equipment, he said he is an instructor and always turns the valve. I told him it is my life and my equipment and he was offended.
Tanks were not full (180 bar / 2600 psi) and as we were on the boat, there was no alternative. During the dive, the divemaster was only busy with himself. He paid no attention to the group and was blocking the view to the sharks. On the second dive we did not even see sharks.
I am a diving instructor myself and I have never seen an outfit with so little attention to safety and the group they dive with. I did not have an alternative, but if you can dive elsewhere, I would advice you do so,
We went on a boat with 3 divers and 9 snorkelers. I had to be at the dive shop at 7:30 but the boat did not leave until 9:00. Arriving at the dive site we had a very short briefing and no attention to safety, no buddy checks, no signal checks, no agreement on at which pressure we surface. The captain of the boat with his hands on the valve of my tank, without asking. When I told him to aks before touching somebody's equipment, he said he is an instructor and always turns the valve. I told him it is my life and my equipment and he was offended.
Tanks were not full (180 bar / 2600 psi) and as we were on the boat, there was no alternative. During the dive, the divemaster was only busy with himself. He paid no attention to the group and was blocking the view to the sharks. On the second dive we did not even see sharks.
I am a diving instructor myself and I have never seen an outfit with so little attention to safety and the group they dive with. I did not have an alternative, but if you can dive elsewhere, I would advice you do so,
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nashvillecleanfreak
Manila, Philippines111 contributions
Jul 2021
We took a snorkeling trip one day and saw delightful things. The next we scuba-dived - with many sharks, a school of barracuda, 20 huge tortoises. The wall was colorful - but you don't see that if you're only snorkeling. The current was robust, but as a diver with just 26 dives under my belt, I was quite comfortable. Also, we wore 2 wetsuits each and several in our group wore hoods. Wreck Divers was our company and they were AWESOME!
Written July 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rollinaround7
Wisconsin192 contributions
Dec 2022
We booked through Blue Evolution, but I think a number of the operators tend to consolidate groups to be more efficient, so the boat was actually a SharkSky boat. Saw lots of sea life, including turtles, many different kinds of fish, and a school of about 15 hammerhead sharks. Did 2 snorkels. The first was supposed to be 25 minutes, but I think our guide lost track of time and we were in the water for about 40 minutes, and while we saw a lot in the first snorkel, we didn't see sharks, other than one baby shark. With spring wetsuits, it was comfortable for about the first 30 minutes, but almost everyone was shivering at the end. Got out and warmed up a little with some tea, then went back in for 10 minutes and was excited to see a school of about 15 hammerhead sharks below us
Written December 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zi.Z
Raleigh, NC3 contributions
Dec 2019
I reserved a dive tour to Kicker Rock from Nature Galapagos & Ecuador and dive experience in here was awesome!
I saw three different giant fish groups accumulated in one place and chased by sea lions and sharks!!! Amazon!
The dive guide, named Juan was very professional and he explained the dive plan very detail. He had very good experience when detailing with current and help divers and he took really good care about us along the whole dive.
If you are interested in Dive in Santa Cristobal, contact Juan (jmmoya1985@gmail.com, and his Galapagos National Park license: 1006). Right now he is the guide for dive and snorkeling tour in Santa Cristobal, and he told me he will back to the living boat diving tour in the next year :D
I saw three different giant fish groups accumulated in one place and chased by sea lions and sharks!!! Amazon!
The dive guide, named Juan was very professional and he explained the dive plan very detail. He had very good experience when detailing with current and help divers and he took really good care about us along the whole dive.
If you are interested in Dive in Santa Cristobal, contact Juan (jmmoya1985@gmail.com, and his Galapagos National Park license: 1006). Right now he is the guide for dive and snorkeling tour in Santa Cristobal, and he told me he will back to the living boat diving tour in the next year :D
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elayne6
Columbus, GA45 contributions
Mar 2020
We took a day trip with about 18 others on a boat through Wreck Bay. 4 of us did scuba, the others did snorkeling. It was a great experience for us as we did two dives and saw 2 hammerheads, some Galapagos sharks, and some black tipped sharks; Also swam with several turtles and many fish. The divemaster was very helpful. We also took lunch in a lovely bay near there and had a naturalist walk with a guide.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Buttzyue
Lo Barnechea, Chile27 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We wanted to scuba dive here but the company we spoke to (I-galapagos) said you would need your Open Water because of the strong current. We decided to go to snorkel anyway. Every tour here stops at a beach on the way, which didn't appeal to me but we had a very curious sea lion play with us for 20mins as we snorkelled which was incredible.
Kicker rock is hit or miss in terms of what you can see from what we got told... we loved it but saw no hammerheads or any other sharks or any rays, just 1000s of fish and some turtles etc. But the sheer rock face is immense and the life around it was too.
The current on the surface was strong and definitely choppy so I think it's only for strong swimmers.
I-galapagos use a boat called Cindy Sol and it was really really good.
Kicker rock is hit or miss in terms of what you can see from what we got told... we loved it but saw no hammerheads or any other sharks or any rays, just 1000s of fish and some turtles etc. But the sheer rock face is immense and the life around it was too.
The current on the surface was strong and definitely choppy so I think it's only for strong swimmers.
I-galapagos use a boat called Cindy Sol and it was really really good.
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HPC, The Wanderer
Seattle, WA33 contributions
Dec 2021
Our yacht Theory cruised around the rock formation to see the
beautiful sea birds and enjoy sunset. Kicker Rock is very photogenic, especially during sunset. It is iconic. I also know people can join guided dive around the rock, but we didn't see any divers. Definitely worth a visit.
beautiful sea birds and enjoy sunset. Kicker Rock is very photogenic, especially during sunset. It is iconic. I also know people can join guided dive around the rock, but we didn't see any divers. Definitely worth a visit.
Written January 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bridee405
Calgary42 contributions
Jan 2020
Kicker Rock was awesome. Clear water: 4 hammerheads, 1 chill spotted eagle ray, 1 Galápagos shark, several green sea turtles, 1 hawksbill sea turtle who, like the ray, was relaxed. No current; went right at the crack of sunrise so we were the only ones there. Brilliant. Note: although this is usually a very good snorkel or dive site, visibility was terrible during one previous visit here. All the rest of my visits, probably a half dozen times, have been excellent with comparable wildlife to our January visit.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DublinTraveler
Chicago, IL278 contributions
Jul 2024 • Friends
You'll need to hire a boat company to take you to Kicker Rock. There are several companies that offer Kicker Rock as part of an excursion for the day, so visit a few companies to compare prices because they all charge differently. Cheaper does not mean better however, so do your homework!
Written July 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gege B
Florida402 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
We spent a wonderful morning going there (45 min) snorkeled for a solid hour and saw everything! Many hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, various rays and fishes. Blue footed boobies all around us on the rock and we also were lucky to see many dolphins who started swimming and jumping around the boat. We spent an hour on a beach with sea lions and iguanas before heading back. It was a 6 hour tour with 12 on board and two people went diving. Great experience!
Written February 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you're with a small group and half want to dive but half want to snorkel, is there an outfit that will take you out there together and accommodate both?
Written February 14, 2020
Yes, same boat took us to there, half snorkle, half dive, very common arrangement.
Written February 15, 2020
What is the water temperature late Oct early Nov?
Appreciate any information
Written August 24, 2019
Hi the temperature doesn't change much throughout the year. snorkelling you will need a shorty but if diving then a full semi dry suit would be needed
Written September 10, 2019
Is it possible to take the 7:00 am ferry from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal and take an afternoon snorkeling trip to kicker rock or do you have to be on San Cristobal that day?
Thanks!
Written August 11, 2019
The full day tours would be out as noted above, you circumnavigate the entire island and Kicker Rock is Last. But you could charter a boat or get lucky and find a specific tour just to that site utilizing the ferry service noted. It was definitely worthy!
Written August 12, 2019
Hi and thanks in advance. My grandsons are scheduled to dive with CIndy Sol. I can not find any information about the company. What I see all relates to snorkeling. Does anyone have any information about diving with this outfit?
Written May 25, 2019
We dived and snorkelled with them in early April. I think it is just the boat that is called Cindy Sol - but we made our booking with the dive shop (don’t know name) which is on the malecon in San Cristobal - it is a white building and the only building on the water side of the malecon, just by a small sandy beach, where all the boats are moored. They supplied all the equipment, tanks etc. We booked the night before at the shop and they took everything to the boat so that by the time we arrived the following morning we just needed to get aboard and off they went. It’s possible that the boat/captain works with different operators - but we would recommend it - it’s a really comfortable catamaran and the crew on board were great - as I think I said before, the dive leader was called Carlos Játiva.
Written May 25, 2019
Who did you book your tour with? And how much do they charge? Thank you
Written May 2, 2019
I booked a trip with Darwin Scuba Dive by just walking in and setting it up for the next day. I booked the 360 tour which included 3 snorkeling stops (kicker rock was one of them and the longest) and included lunch. It was $140 and well worth the money.
Written May 3, 2019
Hi, my wife and I wil be spending a few weeks in the Galapagos we plan doing lots of snorkeling. We heard in can get pretty cold in the water. We dont want to rent wet suites the whole time. Does anyone have experience with alternatives like thermal underware? thanks
Written February 8, 2019
Good afternoon
My daughter and I love to snorkel and did it several times while there
First, The water really is not that cold.
Second, most boats have wet suit available that are included in the fare for the trip. Just ask in advance to ensure they do. So you really don’t have to rent a wet suit for the entire time. Just ask ahead and pick the appropriate boat
Hope that helps
Ron
Written February 8, 2019
Can anyone recommend a tour group? We have one day to do it and want to make sure we get to go.
Thanks
Written January 14, 2019
I’m not sure if I’m on time. But take the 360 tour! You go for snorkel in beautiful places! This was the best day! Simply amazing! You spend the whole day from 7am to 4/5pm. Definitely worth it!
Written January 31, 2019
Does anyone know of any day tours that have both snorkelers and divers? I'm a diver, but my friend is a snorkeler and we'd like to do a tour together.
Written November 13, 2018
Hola Julieta! QuerĂa consultarte, ya que vamos a estar hospedandonos en Santa Cruz, se puede ir a Leon Dormido desde aqui y volver el mismo dia a Santa Cruz?, como para no tener que ir dos dias a San Cristobal? Te voy a agradecer cualquier info que me puedas suministrar.
Muchas gracias!!
Written October 21, 2018
Para que puedas hacer (y te valga la pena) hacer la excursiĂłn al LeĂłn Dormido, debes pernoctar en San CristĂłbal, al menos un dĂa.
Written October 23, 2018
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