Planet Ocean Galapagos

Tucked into the waterfront on San Cristobal in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands, Planet Ocean is a PADI Resort centre built around exploring the underwater world of the archipelago. With six PADI instructors on staff and both English and Spanish spoken, it's geared toward divers of every level who want to get beneath the surface of one of the planet's most storied marine regions.

Courses and dive sites

The line-up spans first-timers to specialists: PADI Discover Scuba Diving sessions at the Aquarium Pier, Darwin Bay or Tijeretas, plus Enriched Air Diver, ReActivate refreshers, Emergency First Response and Deep Diver. Local dives head out to Bahia de Tijeretas, the Caragua shipwreck, and the iconic Kicker Rock (León Dormido).

The waters here are known for big encounters — sharks, whales, turtles, rays, eels, molluscs and crustaceans, corals and anemones among them. On land, the centre offers an onsite training pool and classroom, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, a retail shop, dive boat, Nitrox, and a full range of equipment rental in both adult and children's sizes, making it a comfortable base for new and experienced divers alike.