Galaxy Diver III — A wood-built Galápagos dive boat made for long days underwater

Galaxy Diver III is built around the reason to come to the Galápagos: repeated dives, not a hotel stay with occasional access to the water. The dedicated platform keeps gear, cameras, tanks, and tenders in one working area, while the upper deck gives the group somewhere to dry out and look across the islands between dives. Up to four dives a day are planned on most diving days, with nitrox included and six days of diving within the eight-day, seven-night cruise. The boat suits divers who want a compact group, a practical setup, and enough indoor and outdoor space to make a demanding week comfortable. A minimum of 50 logged dives and AOWD or equivalent certification keeps the trip aimed at divers ready for the conditions.

From the dock, Galaxy Diver III presents as a wood-built liveaboard rather than a stripped-down dive platform. Its size keeps the group within reach of one another without making the boat feel like a floating dormitory. Inside, large windows bring daylight and sea views into the main lounge, where a TV, DVD player, small library, and board games share space with the bar. The open-air saloon and upper deck shift the day outside when the weather allows. Movement between the living areas and the dive platform is straightforward, which matters when wet gear and cameras are part of every day. Two diving tenders take divers away from the hull and bring them back after the dive.

Galaxy Diver III keeps the social scale close: the boat carries up to 16 passengers, and the cabins, lounges, dining area, and dive platform are all part of the same shared space. Divers spend the day moving between briefings, gear stations, tenders, meals, and the upper deck, so the group quickly becomes familiar with one another. The crew works in English and Spanish, and the guide ratio is one guide to eight divers. Evenings have a simple choice: stay in the indoor lounge with its sea-facing windows, use the open-air saloon, or settle on the upper deck with a drink. The boat’s character comes from that combination of a working dive setup and places where the group can stop being a dive group for a while.

The recorded route is a Galápagos Islands itinerary running from Baltra back to Baltra over eight days and seven nights. It includes six days of diving, with up to four dives on a diving day and one dive on the final day. Individual dive sites and their depths are not listed here, so the route cannot be described honestly as a sequence of named pinnacles, walls, wrecks, or cleaning stations. What can be said is that Galaxy Diver III is set up for an archipelago itinerary: the tenders carry divers from the liveaboard to the sites, then return them to the dedicated platform between dives.

Dive guides work in groups of up to eight divers, with English and Spanish used on board. The required starting point is AOWD or equivalent certification, plus a minimum of 50 logged dives. That threshold is appropriate for a route where divers need to manage their own equipment and stay responsive to briefings rather than rely on an instructor for every basic decision. The guide leads the briefings and organises the groups before the tenders leave the platform. Full boat safety is provided, but no more detailed emergency equipment or recall system is specified here. Courses are not listed as part of the onboard program.

The dive platform is laid out for repeated use, with dedicated gear stations, personal storage, camera and photography space, separate rinse tanks for underwater cameras, and warm-water showers for divers. Two tenders take divers to and from the sites, leaving the main boat free as the working base. The compressor is an LW450 rated at 450 litres per minute. Standard diving uses 12-litre tanks and weights; 15-litre tanks and rental equipment are available at extra cost. Nitrox is included, and DIN adaptors are carried. The camera area and separate rinse tanks are particularly useful in the Galápagos, where photographers need to handle equipment carefully between dives. Technical diving is not supported.

Between dives, the upper deck is the main escape: sun loungers, panoramic views, and a portable jacuzzi give the group room to spread out after coming back from the water. The open-air saloon works for conversation and fresh air, while the indoor lounge offers shade, windows, a small library, board games, and a TV with DVD player. The bar serves cocktails, local juices, and national and international drinks. When the itinerary brings a break from diving, land excursions and other activities are part of the program. The boat therefore gives a diver several ways to spend the interval without turning every quiet hour into another organised event.

A diving day is built around repetition: the group prepares on the dive platform, receives a briefing, boards the tender, and returns to Galaxy Diver III for the next interval. Up to four dives can take place during each of the six diving days, while the final day includes one dive. Meals, drinks, snacks, and time on the upper deck or in the lounges fill the spaces between entries into the water. Cameras go through their own rinse tanks, gear stays at the dedicated stations, and the warm-water shower is waiting after the tender ride back. The exact hours depend on the itinerary and site conditions, but the shape is clear: briefing, dive, recovery, food, and preparation again.

Meals combine local and Western food, served through a mix of menu and buffet service. Plate service gives the table a proper meal when the day allows it; the buffet format makes it easier for divers to eat what they need around several dives. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals can be arranged in advance, and dietary restrictions are catered for. Purified drinking water, coffee, tea, snacks, and hot and cold soft drinks are available, with hot drinks and water available around the clock. Alcoholic drinks and spirits are served on board. On a four-dive day, the table is less about ceremony than recovery: a hot plate, enough choice, and food that does not hold up the next briefing.

The cabins are arranged as Twin, Matrimonial, and Matrimonial or Twin categories on the lower, main, and upper decks. The lower-deck twin cabin is 13 m², the main-deck matrimonial cabin is 15 m², and the convertible cabins are 18 m²; selected cabins have large windows with panoramic ocean views. Each has air conditioning, storage, charging outlets, and a private bathroom with hot and cold water, a hair dryer, and a towel dryer. Bedding matters here because the same layout does not suit every pair: some cabins can change between twin and double arrangements. After a day of diving, the useful details are the private shower, a place for equipment and clothes, and a cabin that can be cooled before sleep.

The cruise departs from and returns to Baltra in the Galápagos. A scheduled group transfer between the airport and the boat is included. Arriving in the Galápagos the night before is sensible, so a flight delay does not put the embarkation at risk.