Sally Lightfoot Crab confirmed 1 month agoPeak season now

Banks Bay

Fernandina Island · Ecuador

Banks Bay lies at the northern tip of Fernandina where the island's slopes meet a deep submarine shelf, creating a transition zone between the shallow reef community and the open pelagic realm. The bay is named for Joseph Banks and was historically a gathering point for whaling vessels — today it gathers Galapagos penguins, sea lions, and occasionally whale sharks at the productive mixing zone where the Cromwell upwelling meets the warmer Panama Current. The topography features dramatic lava walls dropping to 30 meters and an unusually rich population of king angelfish, one of the most vivid reef fish in the Eastern Pacific.

Conditions

Depth

8 to 30 m

Open water and up

Current

Often strong

Can pick up on the edge

Visibility

8 to 18 m

Clearest in the calm season

Water

15 to 26°C

7mm wetsuit

Month by month

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Water (°C)	22	23	23	22	20	17	16	15	16	17	19	21
Vis (m)	10	12	12	10	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10
Current	Moderate	Gentle	Gentle	Moderate	Moderate	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate