In the Galápagos Islands, A Bigger Center for Divers The Galápagos Islands, on the wish-list of many scuba divers, will get a new dive center this summer that is bigger than any other on the archipelago. The Red Mangrove Dive Academy will open in July on Santa Cruz Island. The 15,000-square-foot center, based at the Santa Cruz Lodge, will include classrooms and a 20-foot training pool for those seeking scuba certification, as well as a hyperbaric chamber for the treatment of decompression sickness. Two dive boats from the center will visit up to 45 dive sites in the marine preserve, which has many large animals like manta rays, sharks and whales. "The amount of life below water is amazing, even in shallow dives," said Caleb Hayes, a project manager for the new dive center. The last time I was at 30 feet I lost count of how many turtles I saw. Red Mangrove is open to nonguests, though packages bundle lodging and diving, including a four-night, four-dive stay at $1,800 per person, including breakfast and equipment.