Aqua Liveaboard, Galapagos
- from $ 498 / day
- 9.0 Superb
- 99 Verified Reviews 99 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 16 guests onboard 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. The cuisine served on board combines local Ecuadorian and international cuisine.
A wide range of activities is included in all itineraries, giving guests a 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. A spacious dive deck has 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 receive a personal marine rescue GPS, a storm whistle, a diving beacon, and a surface marker tube for added safety and peace of mind.
Note: 50 logged dives is the minimum required experience for the Aqua, due to the more advanced conditions of certain dive sites.
Book your Aqua liveaboard cruise easily online today.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Land Excursions, Naturalist Guide, Snorkel Gear, Snorkeling Guide, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (120 USD per trip), Visas and Fees (20 USD per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities (40 USD per day), Local Flights (460-510 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 2023
- Length 25 meters
- Deck area 5.5 meters
- Beam 5.5 meters
- Top speed 10 knots
- Cruising speed 10 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
- 9.0 Superb
- 99 Verified Reviews
- Vessel 8.3
- Crew 9.1
- Food 9.6
- Diving 9.3
- Value 8.8
- 8.8 Fabulous
- Bruce P
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![Canada]()
Canada
Saw everything we wanted to see
Just returned from our diving trip in the Galapagos with the Aqua/Penguino Explorer. The sea was pretty rough at the beginning of the trip. The diving was very good and we saw everything we wanted to see (except the Mola Mola) . Crew on on the boat was very nice and attentive. Cabin kept clean at all time. We had cabin 2 and it was smelly… and noisy when the boat is cruising. Food was very good and plenty of it. Dive guides were good and nice. My only complaint is the area where you get suit up before dives is too small. We were 16 divers and it is tight and uncomfortable. No regrets and would come back.
- Recommended for
- Sea lions, whale shark and hammerhead sharks
- 8.4 Very good
- Cailin S
-
![Australia]()
Australia
Lovely trip on a medium budget
Seeing Oceanic Mantas, Schooling Hammerheads, Marine Iguanas, Bottlenose Dolphins, Giant tortoises and Molas. Diving with amazing guides on amazing sites
- Recommended for
- Dive guides, Dive Sites and safety
- 9.2 Superb
- Jessica K
-
![Australia]()
Australia
Amazing trip!
The diving was incredible, we saw a pod of dolphins and a mola mola whilst diving (amongst all the other animals you expect to see) as well as some orcas from the boat. Unfortunately we had a week of unusually bad weather which affected the diving conditions but the guides did their absolute best in the circumstances. Would recommend :)
- Recommended for
- Incredible dives, great boat and crew.
- 9.2 Superb
- Joao Paulo N
-
![Brazil]()
Brazil
Best value for money in Galápagos
The staff was very friendly. They were always concerned to give the best experience in diving for all, searching for the best dive sites. Also, it was possible to do snorkeling and tours as alternative activities. The cabine was exactly as I saw on pictures, decent size and comfort. The food was very good and local.
- Recommended for
- Itinerary, Dive Guides, Staff
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Steven C
-
![Canada]()
Canada
A trip of a lifetime!
Thank you for an excellent week of diving in Galapagos. The trip was more than I expected. I was overwhelmed by the sea life we encountered and the ability of our dive team to get us right where we needed to be to ensure that we had the best experience possible. The Aqua is a boat built for divers and this is clearly an operation focussed on the needs of divers. Not the newest or most luxurious vessel around, but certainly a boat that prioritizes the dive experience over other secondary concerns. The dive team were extremely knowledgeable and were able to deliver on all of our dive objectives. The crew were friendly and attentive, and the food was plentiful and hearty. What more do you need?
- Recommended for
- 1. Focus on professional and safe dive operations. 2. Knowledge of the dive masters and naturalists. 3. Great support and service from the boat staff.
- 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
- 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
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Yanxin H
-
![China]()
China
Great value!
Dolphins!
- Recommended for
- Food is good, rental gear is super new, good service
- 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
- 10 Exceptional
- Alejandro N
-
![Argentina]()
Argentina
has it all
Sharks dolphins rays sea lions turtles iguanas penguins cormorants
- Recommended for
- Marine life. Comfort. Staff
