8.0 Very good
Jeffrey Y
United States

Great service excellent locations

Snorkeling and locations

Recommended for: Food, service and snorkeling

8.4 Very good
Allen E
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

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

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

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

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

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

darwin and wolf are not to be missed.

whale shark

Recommended for: dawin wolf staff

8.4 Very good
Pierre L
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

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

9.6 Exceptional
Katie P
United States

The most memorable dive trip!

The dive guide and the crew really made sure we had an amazing experience. We had everything we needed and we’re always made to feel at home and comfortable while onboard. It was a great itinerary, making sure we got the most out of our trip. The food was excellent and always a nice variety. We had the best time!

Recommended for: The amazing wildlife, our dive guide and the crew/food.

9.2 Superb
Daniel T
United States

Great crew

People

Recommended for: Fish, people, coral

9.2 Superb
Matthias B
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

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

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

Great value!

Dolphins!

Recommended for: Food is good, rental gear is super new, good service

8.8 Fabulous
Abhimanyu J
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

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

Fantastic!

Hammerheads, seals and the people - all were great!

Recommended for: great boat, excellent staff, brilliant diving

8.0 Very good
Leanne D
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

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

Very Professional liveaboard.

Seeing: Mola mola, bullhead horn shark, sea horse

Recommended for: diving, atmosphere, food

10 Exceptional
Rafael C
Spain

Great !

We saw everything that could be seen. Great guides.

Recommended for: Incredible crew

9.2 Superb
Thomas K
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

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

8.0 Very good
Andre L
Germany

Galapagos is an amazing Experience

First of all, the Galapagos trip feels some Kind of an Excursion. The Diving and the wheather condition is challenging. The Pelagic Life is amazing, the boat is not Luxury but everything was working fine. I would recommend the trio

Recommended for: Hammerheads Iguanas Whalesharks Mola Mola

8.0 Very good
Andre L
Germany

2nd Week on Galapagos, two Trips back to back

Galapagos is an unforgettable experience. The dives can be challenging, but it is a lot of fun. The boat itself is ok, rather small but anything is working fine. I need to point out the Panga drivers. The are doing an amazing Job. I never experienced this on other Liveaboards. They are following the bubbles the whole dive, at any time you ascend, the will be just a few meters away, to pick you up. The boat itself should get a wind protection for the upper deck, to provide more convenience for the guests. The meals are amazing 😉. Thanks to the chef. Thanks for two unforgettable weeks on Aqua.

Recommended for: Hammerheads Mantas Mobulas

8.4 Very good
Andrew F
United Kingdom

Excellent value for money for divers that want the real deal

Just an incredible experience for any diver wanting to tick the Galapagos off their bucket list for as good a price as you can get. The crew were friendly and supportive, the diving was first class. Awesome week

Recommended for: The diving was incredible, the price is better than any other, it attracted a younger traveller crowd

9.6 Exceptional
Giorgia M
Italy

Very good

Sharks dolphins see leons mobulas birds

Recommended for: Quality/money- friendly staff

9.6 Exceptional
charles P
United Kingdom

The boat and the diving exceeded expectations

Marine iguanas, sharks, sea lions etc...

Recommended for: The marine life, the environment and the boat

Aqua Liveaboard, Galapagos

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