Snorkeling with a cute penguin at Playa Isabela

Playa Isabela Snorkeling Guide, Isabela Island [Rated + Reviewed]

by Nichole | Last updated Jun 6, 2026 | Best Snorkeling Galapagos

I am not aware of anywhere else in the world where you can snorkel with penguins in clear water from a free public beach. No tour. No boat. No guide required. And my husband and I have snorkeled across five continents, so that is not a claim I make lightly.

Playa Isabela is that place.

We snorkeled here three times during our five nights on Isabela Island. Every single time, we snorkeled with penguins. Not spotted them on a rock. Not watched them from a boat like at Los Tuneles. Snorkeled with them, in the water, as they hunted fish right at our feet.

If that does not make you want to book a flight to Isabela immediately, I do not know what will.

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Table of Contents

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Playa Isabela Snorkeling

Rating: 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

The five mask rating is entirely because of the penguins. That one experience is so rare, so extraordinary, and so completely unexpected from a free public beach that it earns the top rating on its own.

Galapagos Snorkeling Rating System

I use the same rating system across all my snorkeling guides. Here is the key.

Overall Snorkel Rating

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = World-class snorkeling and worth traveling for the snorkeling alone!

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!

🤿 🤿 🤿 = Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!

🤿 🤿 = Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!

🤿 = Not worth it!

How to Get to Playa Isabela

How to get to Playa Isabela on Isabela Island

Playa Isabela is steps from the ferry pier in Puerto Villamil. When your taxi drops you off near the pier, Playa Isabela is to the right (as you face the water). Concha de Perla is to the left.

Free to access. No entry fee, no tour required, no booking needed.

We often snorkeled Concha de Perla first in the morning and then popped over to Playa Isabela in the early afternoon. The two sites complement each other perfectly and are close enough to do both in one outing.

Getting there: A taxi from most hotels in Puerto Villamil drops you right at the pier. Easy.

It cost us $2-4 for a taxi from our amazing hotel, Cormorant Beach House.

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Snorkeling Map

Snorkeling Map of Playa Isabela

Playa Isabela is a sandy beach with a gentle slope into the water. It is beautifully simple. Walk in from the beach, slide your mask on, and put your face in the water. That is all you need to do.

The penguins hunt in the shallow water right along the shoreline. You do not need to swim out far. You do not even really need fins here. Just wade in, get your face underwater, and look around.

The sandy bottom and calm conditions make this one of the most beginner and family friendly snorkel spots on the island.

Entry

Hubby at the entry with mask on, right off the beach and next to the ferry pier

Could not be easier. Sandy bottom, gentle slope, and you can walk out quite far while staying waist deep. No lava rock scrambles, no current to fight at the entry, no fins required.

Put your mask on, wade in, and start looking. The penguins come to you.

Galapagos Fish Sightings

Curious penguin at Playa Isabela on Isabela Island

The Penguins

Every single visit. Without exception.

Over the course of about 30 minutes, groups of 3-4 penguins came and went in cycles.

They swim along the surface, peer down with those sharp little eyes, spot a school of fish, then torpedo straight down to scoop them up.

Fast, precise, and almost impossibly graceful for a bird that looks so comically awkward on land.

One thing worth noting: on one of our visits a local guide mentioned that a colony of juvenile penguins had just started appearing in this area.

Whether that is a seasonal pattern, a new behavior, or something specific to the time of year we were there, I genuinely do not know.

We were there in early May for reference. If you visit and the penguins are not there, that context may be part of why. And if they are there, consider yourself very lucky.

Penguin scoping out the fish on Playa Isabela

Penguins chasing fish at Playa Isabela

Penguin scattering the fish during the hunt at Playa Isabela

Penguin swooping across the ocean floor looking for fish at Playa Isabela

Beautiful penguin gliding through the water at Playa Isabela

Very inquisitive penguin at Playa Isabela

Snorkeling with Galapagos penguins at Playa Isabela

Cute Galapagos penguin at Playa Isabela

Adorable Galapagos penguin at Playa Isabela

Penguin fishing at Playa Isabela

Penguin swimming on the surface of the water at Playa Isabela

Unique view of Galapagos penguin swimming at Playa Isabela

Hubby snorkeling with penguins at Playa Isabela

Me snorkeling with three penguins at Playa Isabela Galapagos

Penguins chasing fish at Playa Isabela

Blacktip Reef Sharks

What made it even more spectacular: baby blacktip reef sharks would cruise through the same schools of fish at the same moment, hunting alongside the penguins simultaneously.

Blacktip reef shark at Playa Isabela

Baby blacktip reef shark hunting with a penguin at Playa Isabela

Small blacktip reef shark cruising Playa Isabela

Pelicans

And then the pelicans. Diving from above at incredible speeds, plunging into the water only feet from where we were standing.

Penguins hunting from below, pelicans bombing from above, baby blacktips cruising through the middle. A feeding frenzy happening in every direction at once.

On our last day at Playa Isabela it reached another level entirely. At one point, six to seven penguins were in a full feeding frenzy happening right at my feet. I spun around and they were everywhere.

Pelican swooping in at Playa Isabela

Pelican looking for fish at Playa Isabela

Pelican coming for a landing at Playa Isabela

Other Wildlife

Marine iguanas and sea lions were regulars on the beach itself.

We watched them from the water while the penguins hunted around us.

We never saw them enter the water during our visits but they were always close by.

This place is magical.

Sea lions on Playa Isabela beach on Isabela Island

Marine iguana on Playa Isabela beach

Practical Tips for Playa Isabela

Group of penguins hunting at Playa Isabela

To the right of the ferry pier when dropped off. Concha de Perla is to the left. Easy to find.
Free access, no booking required
We always visited in the early to mid afternoon. Every session delivered penguins.
Never more than five other tourists in the water at any given time
Sandy bottom, gentle slope, waist deep for quite a distance. No fins needed.
Just put your mask on, wade in, and put your face in the water. The penguins will find you.
We brought our GoPro (my favorite snorkeling camera). You will want footage of the penguins hunting. Trust me.
Watch in all directions simultaneously. The action comes from above (pelicans), below (penguins and sharks), and every angle in between.
Pair it with Concha de Perla for a full morning and afternoon snorkel day

Final Thoughts

Playa Isabela was one of the most unexpectedly extraordinary snorkel experiences of our entire 17-day Galapagos trip. Not because of coral or reef diversity.

Because of the penguins.

Snorkeling with penguins as they torpedo, hunt, and feed right at your feet, while pelicans bomb from above and baby blacktips cruise through below, is a wildlife experience I had no idea was possible from a free public beach.

You do not even need to swim. Just wade in, put your face in the water, and let the Galapagos do what it does.

If you are staying on Isabela, do not miss this afternoon event!

I’m Nichole, the author of all the blog posts on Enriching Pursuits. Think of me as your geeky discerning travel friend who dives deep (Google Page 20, forums, travel groups deep!) to uncover the best ways to enjoy exceptional outdoor adventures and foodie experiences.

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