Aqua Liveaboard, Galapagos
- from $ 389 / day
- 8.9 Fabulous
- 32 Verified Reviews 32 Verified Reviews
- Nitrox available Flexible Booking
Highlights
The M/Y Aqua liveaboard in the Galapagos offers the choice of 7-night diving itineraries or 3, 4 or 5-night naturalist itineraries. Nine cabins spread over 3 decks cater to 18 guests on board and a choice of twin or matrimonial bedding. Each room features a private en-suite bathroom, individually controlled air-conditioning and storage space. Main and upper deck cabins also have picture windows to offer sea views. Social areas dotted around the yacht include a shaded outside lounge, sun deck, indoor lounge and library and dining area. Cuisine served on board is a mixture of local Ecuadorian and international cuisine.
A wide range of activities are included in all itineraries, giving guests the chance to get up close and experience the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. Naturalist cruises include guided hikes, bird-watching and incredible photography opportunities. Divers will be blown away by the amazing marine biodiversity, with the chance to see whale sharks, schooling hammerheads and even Mola Mola. There is a spacious dive deck with plenty of room for kitting up and gear storage. Two diving tenders make diving from the MY Aqua a comfortable experience, and enriched air nitrox is available for those certified. Divers will also be provided with personal marine rescue GPS, a storm whistle and diving beacon and surface marker tube for added safety and piece of mind.
Book your Aqua liveaboard cruise easily online today.
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Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Kayaks, Land Excursions, Naturalist Guide, Snorkel Gear, Snorkeling Guide, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (100 USD per trip), Visas and Fees (20 USD per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities (10-12 USD per day), Hotel Transfer, Local Flights (460-500 USD per trip), Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Welcome Cocktails, Nitrox (150 USD per trip), Nitrox Course (200 USD), Rental Gear (250 USD per trip), Scuba Diving Courses.
Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.
* Extra fees are shown per person.
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Boat features
Food & Drinks
If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.
Diving
The crew speaks English and Spanish.
Gear Rental
There is diving gear available on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. Show prices.
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Accommodation
Boat Specifications
- Year built 1998
- Year renovated 2019
- Length 26
- Deck area 5.5 meters
- Beam 5.5 meters
- Top speed 9 knots
- Cruising speed 9 knots
- Engines 2 x 250 H Caterpillar
- Max guests 16
- Number of cabins 9
- Number of bathrooms 9
- Tenders 2 Caribe (C-20 & C-17) with 50 HP Yamaha four stroke outboards
- Water capacity 176
- Fuel capacity 2000 gallons
- Freshwater maker 1200 gallons
Boat Navigation and Safety
Aqua Reviews
- 8.9 Fabulous
- 32 Verified Reviews
- Vessel 8.3
- Crew 9.1
- Food 9.4
- Diving 9.3
- Value 8.5
- 8.0 Very good
- Jeffrey Y
![United States]()
United States
Great service excellent locations
Snorkeling and locations
- Recommended for
- Food, service and snorkeling
- 8.4 Very good
- Allen E
![United States]()
United States
This was the dive trip of a lifetime.
The highlights were the abundance of sharks, the large schools of reef fish, the hundreds of thousands of birds in the islands, and the outstanding enthusiasm and competence of the crew. However, what I feel needs improvement is the information provided before the trip. I did not receive a good summary of what to bring and how to meet the boat. I did receive the itinerary for the trip, but it says that the boat leaves from Puerto Ayora, while the boat actually left from a bay near the Airport. I was sent the correct information four days before the trip, but I had already left home and did not get the information until the evening before the trip. One other suggestion is that the recommended 7mm wetsuit may not be warm enough for some divers. Although the islands are on the equator, there are cold currents that lower the temperatures on some dives to the low 60's, depending on the time of the year.
- Recommended for
- The unique underwater life, the abundance of marine life, and the outstanding service of the crew were the three best things.
- 10 Exceptional
- Stacy G
![United States]()
United States
Amazing trip! Didn’t want to leave
I had an amazing time aboard the Aqua. From the moment I met with the crew, everything was a breeze. I didn’t need to worry about anything during the duration of the trip. The days and schedule were organized so well. The staff took care of everything so all we really needed to worry about was waking up on time :)
- Recommended for
- Boat, crew, ease of everything.
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Steven N
![United States]()
United States
Awsome
Hammerhead and Galapagos sharks. Manta, spotted Eagle, and Stingrays. Having two combination naturalist/divemastes.
- Recommended for
- Dive leaders/naturalists, food, dive sites.
- 10 Exceptional
- Taylor L
![United States]()
United States
Great diving
Aqua is a comfortable boat with a wonderful crew. Food, drinks, and facilities were excellent. Rental gear is in very good shape and the crew maintains the boats and equipment very well. The crew and dive guides prioritize safe diving. They were also very flexible and rearranged the itinerary to fit the conditions as best as possible. The diving was great - all kinds of sharks, rays and mola mola, etc. Plus, unlike other dive boats, Aqua’s dive guides are also naturalists and were able to lead panga visits to islands so we could learn about and photograph wildlife above the water between dives. Great trip, we highly recommend it!
- Recommended for
- Dive itinerary, crew and guides were great
- 10 Exceptional
- Janice B
![United States]()
United States
Fantastic trip!
We saw lots of sharks, eagle and manta rays, even a couple mola mola and marine iguanas. The rental equipment is well maintained and safety is priority. The crew kept the boat clean, always helpful with any concerns and always with a smile. The dive guides are also naturalists with lots of info while on the panga rides and giving informative talks about the islands in the evenings. Only thing I would change is the beer to the Pilsener! 😁
- Recommended for
- Boat crew and dive guides, dive itinerary and atmosphere
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Kristen L
![United States]()
United States
Beautiful Marine Life in a special high value liveaboard
We experienced for the first time the awe-inspiring underwater terrain of the Galapagos. We got to see whale sharks, mantas, mola mola, more hammerheads than we could count, marine iguanas and sea lions. We went as a group of seven friends and enjoyed the dives and crew immensely. They were organized and professional. All gear was available and setup for you. We used two inflatables to get our different divers out to the sites, and did up your four dives a day. It was just an awesome value for the price. No need to go on more expensive liveaboard... the marine life, crew experience are the same. Give Aqua a try! Will go again.
- Recommended for
- Wildlife, frequency of diving, value
- 8.0 Very good
- Ernesto R
![United States]()
United States
darwin and wolf are not to be missed.
whale shark
- Recommended for
- dawin wolf staff
- 8.4 Very good
- Pierre L
![United States]()
United States
Excellent service
We saw many hammerheads on the Darwin and Wolf dives, and a number of whale sharks on the Wolf dives. Altogether, we had a much better experience than our prior Galapagos trip in June 2015. We had a nice experience aboard Delfino Explorer. Although this boat is quite smaller than the typical liveaboard, things are quite well organized and the service and food are quite good. Our overall experience was better than aboard Aggressor III back in June 2015.
- Recommended for
- Exceptional diving experience, great service and wonderful dynamic with guides and divers
- 6.0 Review score
- Arun S
![United States]()
United States
Excellent dive destination, just OK boat experience
Overall this trip was fantastic, but this is mostly due to the location itself and the underwater life. The Galapagos Islands are fantastic dive destinations, albeit challenging. In terms of the Aqua boat, I would say that the quality is pretty poor compared to other boats I've been on. It got the job done, but I'd say if you have other choices I'd consider those first. Let's break it down: Boat: The boat is small, and the cabins are even smaller. Don't expect much comfort here. Food: Food is ok and buffet-style as is normal. It wasn't the tastiest food, wasn't the worst. Just average. Guides: This is the department that could use some work in my opinion. The guides were very "checklist" type of guides, and they did in fact help us see all of the animals on the list. However, I came there more for the experience and not for the checklist, so it was a little disheartening when we surfaced after 25 minutes or so on some dives because we saw the animal on the list for that spot. Additionally, I understand it's a taxing job, but I felt as if the guides were more so going through the motions rather than enjoying giving a great experience to us as guests. Service: In terms of service, the crew definitely seemed overworked to me. They didn't seem very happy at their jobs, and at the end of the cruise, we all said goodbye and didn't receive much more than a sideways glance. This is probably not their fault and honestly felt kind of bad for them. Overall this cruise is super expensive for what you get. I understand it's cheaper than some in the Galapagos and that made it worth it to me. I'd just recommend going somewhere else if you can / afford it.
- Recommended for
- Location, large animals, diversity of dive spots
- 9.2 Superb
- Matthias B
![Germany]()
Germany
Friendly staff, delicious food and great atmosphere
Besides the fantastic underwater worlds it was first if all the friendliness and helpfulness of our guides Jessy and Simo, also the quality and variety of food our chef Pedro prepared for us (which was far better than my expectations!) that created a great atmosphere among the group. I also would like to mention dear Mercedes' kindness and amenities such as hot chocolate with cinnamon after our dives in cold water which contributed to the trip being unforgettable!! Thanks also to our panga driver Juanito, Carlos, Ronny, the Capitan and the other Crew members for all their help and patience. The only thing which I would try to avoid next time is getting cabin nr 1 which is located in the underdeck and has no window to let fresh air in.
- Recommended for
- almost new dive equipment, delicious Food, very kind guides
- 8.4 Very good
- Richard O
![Canada]()
Canada
Amazing diving on a reasonable boat
The boat was nearly constantly moving between dive sites, but the northern islands (Wolf and Darwin) along with the day on the west coast of Isabella and Fernandina were definitely the highlights. We saw tons of hammerheads, several whale sharks, a handful of Mola Mola, watched the marine iguanas feeding and more. The boat is renovated but is a tight space for the number of divers and only had 2 guides. The did an excellent job with rental gear and all the paperwork before our trip. Overall, it is hard to go wrong with a liveaboard in the Galapagos because the wildlife is so dense, so it comes down to what amenities and diver to guide ratio you want to pay for.
- Recommended for
- Marine life, Marine life, Marine life
- 8.4 Very good
- Sylvain R
![France]()
France
Really worth it!
It was one of the first diving cruise of Aqua and everything went very well. The boat and cabins are nice. The dive guides were very friendly and knew well the spots. Food was good. The water is of course chilly and the viz not the best but the marine life is so rich it makes you forget everything!
- Recommended for
- Whale sharks, sea lions and hammerheads
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Yanxin H
![China]()
China
Great value!
Dolphins!
- Recommended for
- Food is good, rental gear is super new, good service
- 8.8 Fabulous
- Abhimanyu J
![France]()
France
Great diving experience and friendly staff though slightly cramped cabins
Two days on Wolf island, seeing in a single dive over 300 hammerheads!
- Recommended for
- 1. Dive guide 2. Catering to food preferences 3. Friendly staff
- 10 Exceptional
- matthieu R
![France]()
France
Sensational
it s been a sensational week in all a spect! The diving was simply unreal and the Galapagos are incredible! On top of this, this entire crew has been great! Great guides, great service and food, nice boat, all that with a smile, in one word it s been a phenomenal trip! Thanks a lot for an unforgettable week
- Recommended for
- Stunning diving & great crew!
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Lara C
![United Kingdom]()
United Kingdom
Fantastic!
Hammerheads, seals and the people - all were great!
- Recommended for
- great boat, excellent staff, brilliant diving
- 8.0 Very good
- Leanne D
![Canada]()
Canada
I had a lovely time with the great staff!
The school of hammerheads was fantastic and the sea lion encounters were so awesome!
- Recommended for
- Lots of animals to see, wonderful staff, clean
- 9.2 Superb
- julien A
![France]()
France
Amazing week with the team of Aqua
Unforgettable week with Aqua crew and guides. Due to covid situation we were the only boat un Darwin and Boat. Only 9 divers for the whole place with amazing life encounter... The crew was very friendly and helpfull all along the trip. The food was good and diversified. I highly recommend Aqua for a diving cruise in the Galapagos
- Recommended for
- the dives, the crew, the guides
- 9.2 Superb
- Maurice L
![Germany]()
Germany
Very Professional liveaboard.
Seeing: Mola mola, bullhead horn shark, sea horse
- Recommended for
- diving, atmosphere, food
- 10 Exceptional
- Rafael C
![Spain]()
Spain
Great !
We saw everything that could be seen. Great guides.
- Recommended for
- Incredible crew
- 9.2 Superb
- Thomas K
![Belgium]()
Belgium
A lot more and better than what I was hoping for!
The whalesharks , manta rays, turtles, iguana's and Galapagos sharks. Also inside the caves with the zodiac and diving. The food was superb, and verry, verry gentle and helpfull crew. One of the diveguides also films parts of the dives and makes a 20 min diving compilation movie wich is verry nice to see.
- Recommended for
- Many divespots each targetting a specific species. Extra guiding tours on zodiacs telling a lot over rhe islands and whildlife (also doing caves). The great food.
- 8.0 Very good
- Juan R
![Spain]()
Spain
Great Experience
Seeing 11 whalesharks in Darwin, will never forget.
- Recommended for
- Diving in Darwin, Darwin in Wolf, See molas first time in my life
