Devil’s Crown, Floreana
Short answer
Devil’s Crown is a submerged volcanic cone off the north coast of Floreana, its rim broken open by the sea so that jagged points stand above the water. You snorkel it from a dinghy — there is no landing — and it is among the best snorkelling in the archipelago. It also has genuine current.
On this page — 7 sections
From the boat it looks like a broken crown of black teeth. Underneath, the ring is a coral garden, and the current runs through the gaps in the rim like water through a sieve.
Devil’s Crown at a glance
| Island | Off Floreana |
|---|---|
| Landing | None — snorkelling only, from a dinghy |
| How you visit | Cruise, or a day trip from Santa Cruz |
| Guide | Park-licensed naturalist required |
| Current | Real. Often a drift, picked up on the far side |
| Best for | Confident snorkellers |
- 1
Devil’s Crown is a submerged volcanic cone off the north coast of Floreana, its rim broken open by the sea so that jagged points stand above the water. You snorkel it from a dinghy — there is no landing — and it is among the best snorkelling in the archipelago. It also has genuine current.
How you get there
- On a southern cruise
- A standard stop, usually the same day as Post Office Bay or Punta Cormorant.
- Day trip from Santa Cruz
- Two hours of speedboat each way. It is a long day and whether you get in the water depends on the sea when you arrive.
It sits on Floreana, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.
What you actually see
Inside the ring
Shallower and calmer, with coral, reef fish in numbers, and rays over the sand. This is where less confident swimmers stay.
The outer wall
Drops away into blue. Whitetip and, if you are lucky, hammerhead sharks patrol it. This is where the current is and it is not for everyone.
Sea lions in the gaps
They use the breaks in the rim as a playground and will come at you fast and turn away. It is deliberate and it is startling the first time.
What goes wrong
We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.
- The current, and it is the main one
- Guides usually run it as a drift and pick you up downstream. If you try to swim back against it you will lose. Listen to the briefing; it is not a formality here.
- It gets cancelled
- Exposed water with no shelter. When the swell is up, boats do not put people in.
- The cold catches people out
- From June to November the water here is genuinely cold. Ask about the wetsuit before you book, not on the boat.
Who this is not for
Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.
- Weak swimmers, or anyone uneasy in water with current and no bottom in sight.
- Small children — this is not the site for a first snorkel.
- Anyone hoping to stand or rest. There is nowhere; you are in open water the whole time.
What lives here
- Galápagos sea lion — Playing in the gaps in the rim.
- White-tipped reef shark — Along the outer wall.
- Scalloped hammerhead — Occasionally in the blue off the wall. Not reliable.
- Green sea turtle — Inside the ring, over the sand.
Nearby
Post Office Bay
Floreana
What it is →Punta Cormorant
Floreana
What it is →Asilo de la Paz
Floreana
What it is →Champion Islet
Floreana
What it is →Prince Philip’s Steps
Genovesa
What it is →Santa Fé Bay
Santa Fé
What it is →Every visitor site we have written up → · Floreana, the whole island →
Questions people also ask
Is Devil’s Crown difficult?
The snorkelling inside the ring is easy. The outer wall has real current and is usually done as a drift with a pickup. Say honestly how confident you are before you get in.
Can you land on Devil’s Crown?
No. There is no landing site and the Park does not permit one. Everything happens in the water.
Is it worth the day trip from Santa Cruz?
If the snorkelling is your priority, yes — it is among the best in the islands. But it is four hours of boat and the water is not guaranteed on the day.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
Planning this trip yourself?
Send us the dates and what you actually want to see. A planner in Cuenca reads it and replies within one business day — not a template, and not a bot.
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