Chinese Hat Snorkeling Guide, Galapagos [Rated + Reviewed]

Rating: 🤿 🤿 🤿 

A solid 3 from us. The marine iguana feeding session and a Galapagos shark slicing through a massive school of Salemas were genuinely cool moments.

But compared to the shark density at Devil’s Crown or the blacktip action at Bartolome on this same cruise, Chinese Hat sits a tier below.

Decent snorkeling and worth the effort, exactly what three masks means.

Galapagos Snorkeling Rating System

Quick context on the masks: every score is based on what we personally experienced in the water at that site, filtered through years of snorkeling across multiple continents.

The ocean changes daily, so use this as an informed starting point.

Chinese Hat, officially Sombrero Chino, is 99% a cruise experience. Only one day tour to the island exists (that I’m aware of), so for nearly everyone reading this, a cruise is how you get here.

The island sits right next to Santiago Island, and the narrow inlet between the two is where the snorkeling happens.

And yes, the name is completely literal.

From the water, the island has a rounded top with a flat rim spreading outward. Exactly like a Chinese hat.

My husband photographed me in my wide-brimmed hat with the island matching my silhouette behind me. Fun photo!

We visited on day three of our incredible Endemic cruise with Golden Galapagos, sandwiched between Bartolome Island and  Devil’s Crown and North Seymour that afternoon.

Here is my full Endemic Galapagos cruise review if you are considering a similar itinerary!

The snorkel happens in the calm, protected inlet between Chinese Hat and Santiago Island.

Daniel, our wonderful naturalist, led the route. No navigating required, just follow along and keep your eyes moving.

The lava rock edges are where the action concentrated for us: the marine iguana feeding, the penguins perched above the waterline, and the sharks tucked along the bottom.

Straight off the panga. We were snorkeling around 10:30 am after a quick gear change on the ship after our hike.

No shore entry, no long swim to the site.

The Marine Iguana

The moment of the morning. We watched him warm up on the rocks, then plop into the water and get to work, scraping algae off the rocks while his tail swept side to side like a rudder.

If you have never seen a marine iguana feed underwater, it looks like a tiny dinosaur that recently learned to swim.

We also saw them swimming at Concha de Perla on Isabela and Muelle Tijeretas on San Cristobal.

The Galapagos Shark and the Salemas

A massive school of Salemas, those black-striped fish that form dense silver walls, were swirling on the ocean floor when a large Galapagos shark cut straight through them at speed. Wow, amazing sighting.

Wherever we saw big schools of Salemas in the Galapagos, predators were usually close. Chinese Hat proved the rule.

Everything Else We Saw

• One sleeping and one active whitetip reef shark
• Yellowtail Mullet
• Massive schools of Yellowtail Sergeant Fish amd Sergeant Majors
• Bumphead Parrotfish
• Yellow Boxfish
• Spiny lobster
• Eel (it moved quick, so I’m not sure of the exact type)
• Panamic Fanged Blenny
• Penguins on the rocks, though none joined us in the water this session

One more sighting worth mentioning: Daniel captured footage of a flounder hunting on the sea floor, perfectly camouflaged against the sand while Salemas scattered around it.

Always pay attention to whatever your guide is filming. It’s usually something pretty cool.

Penguins

Chinese Hat is known as a good penguin spot, and we did get great close-up photos of them sunbathing on the rocky outcroppings during our time in the panga.

In the water, though, they stayed on the rocks.

If snorkeling with penguins is the goal, Playa Isabella on Isabela Island is where it happened for us every single visit.

The coastal walk is mostly sand, easy, and full of stark volcanic beauty. Galapagos Carpet Weed, a low-lying reddish plant that stabilizes the sand against erosion, spreads across the ground and looks striking in the morning light.

We caught a glimpse of lava tubes along the way.

Marine iguanas were concentrated at the tide pools, along with Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

It is a nice walk, but the real reason to visit Chinese Hat though is the snorkeling in that inlet.

• Chinese Hat is 99% cruise only. Only one day tour exists that I’m aware of. Plan for a cruise.
• The snorkel happens in the calm inlet between Chinese Hat and Santiago Island.
• Watch the lava rock edges. That is where the iguana and penguins were.
• Keep an eye on big schools of Salemas. Predators are usually nearby.
• Pay attention to what your guide films. Our wonderful guide Daniel caught a camouflaged flounder swimming through the Salemas.
• We brough our favorite underwater camera to capture all the cool footage.
• The walk comes with tide pools full of marine iguanas. Watch every step.

Chinese Hat is not as thrilling as other sites we snorkeled like Devil’s Crown or Bartolome, but it still offered some cool snorkeling moments.

A marine iguana that jumped in to feed right in front of us. A Galapagos shark turning a wall of salemas into a highlight reel for about three seconds.

The key to the best Galapagos experience is to snorkel as much as you can, because you never know what you are going to see in the water.

Three masks, no regrets, and one very good hat photo.

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Questions about our snorkeling experience at Chinese Hat?

Let me know in the comments below!