Galaxy Diver III — a purpose-built Galápagos diving liveaboard

Galaxy Diver III is for divers who want the Galápagos to remain a diving trip, not a naturalist cruise with a few tanks added. The boat’s dedicated platform, camera facilities, nitrox and schedule of up to four dives on the busiest days all point in the same direction: more time in the water, less compromise on deck. The standard Baltra-to-Baltra itinerary lasts 8 days and 7 nights, with 19 dives listed, including 12 around Darwin and Wolf. That is the reason to choose this boat over a more comfortable general-purpose yacht. The upper deck still gives non-diving hours some space, with a solarium, panoramic views and a portable jacuzzi, but the centre of the trip is decided by what happens below the surface.

Galaxy Diver III is a wooden vessel with the practical layout of a boat built around diving rather than display. Boarding leads into a main-deck lounge with large windows, an indoor dining area and access to the working parts of the ship: the dive platform, gear stations and tenders. The open-air saloon and upper solarium give the boat two different ways to come out of the equipment routine, while the bar and indoor lounge keep the evening simple. Nothing here suggests a resort trying to hide the sea; the useful spaces are close to the water, and the diving operation remains visible as soon as the first kit is being prepared.

Galaxy Diver III is set up for a small enough group that the same people keep crossing paths: at the dive stations, in the lounge, at the table and on the upper deck. Passenger feedback describes a crew that works hard, responds promptly and knows the islands well. That matters more here than formal polish. Four dives on a busy day produce wet gear, cameras, bottles, meals and questions in quick succession; the crew’s job is to keep those transitions clean without making the diver manage the operation. English and Spanish are spoken on board. Evenings have the ingredients for a quiet debrief rather than a staged show: a bar, open-air seating, the lounge and the day’s sightings still fresh in conversation.

Diving is organised around one guide for up to eight divers. The crew speaks English and Spanish, and the programme requires at least 50 logged dives plus Advanced Open Water Diver certification or an equivalent level. That threshold fits the route: this is not presented as a beginner liveaboard, and the daily plan can reach four dives. Guides lead the diving operation, while the two tenders support entries and pickups around the sites. Nitrox is available without a separate charge for certified users. The boat lists full safety equipment, but details such as oxygen, recall systems, defibrillator provision, briefing format and onboard courses are not stated and should not be assumed.

The dive platform is the strongest argument for Galaxy Diver III. Dedicated gear stations, personal storage, warm-water diver showers and two diving tenders keep the operation close to the water, while the compressor is a LW450 rated at 450 litres per minute. The boat supplies 12-litre tanks and weights; 15-litre tanks and rental equipment are available at extra cost. Nitrox is included for certified divers, and DIN adaptors are carried. Photographers get a dedicated camera station and separate rinse tanks for underwater cameras, so a housing does not have to share the same water as masks and fins. The two tenders handle transfers between boat and dive sites, with the platform providing the place to kit up and return after the dive.

Between dives, the upper solarium is the natural place to dry out, with loungers, panoramic views and a portable jacuzzi. The open-air saloon offers shade and air, while the indoor lounge has large windows, a television, DVD player, small library and board games for the longer gaps. Satellite internet is free, but the boat gives divers better reasons to look up from a screen: the islands remain visible from the outdoor decks and the sea stays close to the working platform. Land excursions and other activities follow the itinerary, so the quiet hours are not forced into a single pattern.

The trip begins with the airport arrival at Baltra and a check dive around Santa Cruz. The following day combines two dives at Punta Carrion with navigation toward Wolf Island. Once the boat reaches Wolf and Darwin, the pace increases to four dives on each of two days, with Shark Bay, La Banana, La Ventana Islet, El Derrumbe, El Arenal and Darwin’s Tower in the sequence. Later days ease back to two dives around Vicente Roca Point, Douglas Cape, Cousin Rock and the Santa Cruz Highlands before the return to Baltra. Meals and surface intervals sit between entries, while the boat moves between islands and the tenders handle the final approach to the water. There is no need to invent a clock for this schedule: the order is what defines the day.

Meals combine local and Western food, served by menu and buffet, with plate service also available. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals can be arranged in advance, which matters on a week built around repeated exertion rather than one long restaurant sitting. Purified water, coffee, tea and snacks are included; the bar serves local juices, cocktails and national and international drinks, while alcoholic drinks are extra. The useful rhythm is straightforward: food arrives around the diving, not as a performance between dives. Divers can eat, drink and get back to preparing for the next entry without turning every meal into an event.

The eight cabins are arranged as Twin, Matrimonial and convertible Matrimonial-or-Twin cabins across the lower, main and upper decks. The single lower-deck twin cabin is 13 m², the main-deck matrimonial cabin is 15 m², and the six convertible cabins are 18 m². Each has air conditioning, storage, charging outlets and a private bathroom with hot and cold water. The lower-deck twin is the most compact option; the larger convertible cabins give two divers more room to live with bags and equipment for a full week. Selected cabins have large windows with panoramic ocean views. At night, the important difference is not decoration but where the cabin sits: lower, main or upper deck changes how close it feels to the boat’s movement and activity.

The cruise departs from and returns to Baltra, with the recorded route running Baltra to Baltra over 8 days and 7 nights. A scheduled group transfer between the airport and the boat is included. Private transfers are separate. Arriving in the Galápagos the night before embarkation is sensible, so a delayed flight does not put the first dive at risk.

Galaxy Diver III is part of a fleet that uses certified eco-friendly paint, treatment plants for black water and bilge water, tin-free antifouling paint, biodegradable cleaning products and low-consumption LED lighting. A single-use-plastic-free policy is maintained on board. These measures address paint pollution, wastewater, energy use and disposable plastics rather than treating sustainability as a slogan.