Tortuga Island Day Tour Itinerary: What to Expect
Departure & Navigation to Kicker Rock
Your day begins shortly before 8:00 am, when you board the boat in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and leave the harbour behind.
The first hour takes you across the open Pacific towards Kicker Rock. Keep your eyes on the water along the way — dolphins are frequently spotted in this area, sometimes swimming alongside the boat or appearing suddenly in the distance. And if you’re incredibly lucky, you might even encounter orcas.
As Kicker Rock comes into view, the scale of the formation becomes more impressive with every minute. Before getting into the water, we’ll navigate around the rock, giving you the chance to take in its enormous volcanic walls from different angles and appreciate just how dramatically it rises from the Pacific.
Snorkeling Around León Dormido
Once we’ve found the right area, it’s time to prepare for your first immersion at Kicker Rock (alias León Dormido). And while the famous channel between the two sides of Kicker Rock is an extraordinary place to snorkel, the experience is about much more than one particular spot. Depending on sea conditions, swell and National Park regulations, your guide may choose different areas around the rock.
Imagine slipping beneath the surface and looking back towards the rock. Above you, the enormous volcanic walls continue down into the blue, their surfaces covered with colour and texture. Barnacles cling to the rock, small invertebrates occupy every available space, and bright cup corals add flashes of colour to the darker volcanic stone. Instead of one bare wall, you are surrounded by a living underwater landscape.
Further away from the rock, the scenery changes. Large schools of fish, such as salema, can gather in the deeper water, sometimes forming a constantly moving wall of silver around you. This is where some of the larger animals come into play. Sea lions can dart through the schools with incredible speed and agility, suddenly appearing beside you before disappearing into the blue again. Blacktip reef sharks may move through the same area, adding another level of excitement as they weave between the fish.
And in the deeper blue, you may find one of the encounters that makes Kicker Rock so special: hammerhead sharks. They can sometimes be seen moving through the deeper waters around the rock, their distinctive silhouettes appearing in the distance before disappearing back into the blue. Sometimes they appear right next to you, which invites to an experience you’ll never forget. Seeing a hammerhead in its natural environment is a completely different experience — you are watching one of the most vulnerable animals pass through its own world.
As you move closer to the rock, the underwater world becomes more intricate. Smaller, colourful reef fish shelter among the volcanic formations, while sea turtles may slowly pass through the area. Whitetip reef sharks can often be found closer to the rocks, their distinctive white-tipped fins visible against the darker volcanic background. From time to time, a group of eagle rays may glide past together, moving effortlessly through the water. These encounters can be brief, with a few graceful shapes appearing in the distance before disappearing again. This is part of what makes snorkeling at Kicker Rock so exciting — you never quite know what will emerge from the blue.
There is no single fixed underwater scene here. Your guide will adapt the snorkeling locations to the conditions and wildlife activity of the day, looking for the safest and most interesting areas around Kicker Rock. The aim is to experience the rock as a whole living ecosystem rather than simply ticking off one snorkeling site.
After the first immersion, you’ll return to the boat for a short break before heading back into the water for a second snorkeling session. This gives you another opportunity to explore a different area and experience how the underwater landscape changes around the rock.
