Nortada Liveaboard, Galapagos
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8.5 Fabulous
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- Free Internet
- Nitrox available
- from $ 412 / day
- Book Now
“Whale shark and hammerheads at Darwin were amazing but other dives would have a fantastic variety from penguins and playful sea li…”
Highlights
The 26m Nortada liveaboard presents a different kind of Galapagos dive liveaboard experience. With only 4 cabins onboard and catering to a maximum of 12 guests, the Nortada offers divers a more intimate and personalized experience. The dive platform with a bench and camera table was carefully designed with divers in mind, and the 2 tenders and 2 assigned dive guides allow for small dive groups and attentive dive experience.
The comprehensive 7 or 14-night itineraries to the world-famous dive sites including Wolf and Darwin nearly guarantee guests dive trips of a lifetime. Pelagic sightings involving hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, giant mantas, whale sharks, and mola molas are not uncommon, and guests can also hope to see the Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Penguins, Marine Iguanas, and several other endemic species during the cruise. Nitrox is available for an additional cost, as is rebreather support and technical diving. For non-diving guests, the Nortada also offers the Naturalist itinerary throughout the year.
The Nortada is available for individual bookings and full charter. Call us or reserve online today to start your amazing Galapagos adventure.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Soft Drinks at Meal Times, Tea & Coffee, Welcome Cocktails, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Extra Dives, Night Dives, Land Excursions, Naturalist Guide, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels, WiFi internet.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (100-200 USD), Visas and Fees (20 USD).
Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer (50 USD), Alcoholic Beverages (3-6 USD per item), Soft drinks (2 USD per item), Wine with Dinner (20 USD per item), Nitrox, Nitrox Course (210 USD), Private Dive Guide, Rental Gear, Kayaks, Snorkel Gear, Snorkeling Guide.
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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Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Nortada Reviews
- 8.5 Fabulous
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Vessel
7.7
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Crew
8.5
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Food
9.3
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Diving
8.7
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Value
8.1
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- 6.8 Review score
- Stephen W
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United States
Galapagos dives are incredible however the boat needs a major remodel.
The Galapagos dive sites are fantastic. You see once in a lifetime wildlife. The chef created satisfying and tasty meals. She also had a personality that lit up the room. The crew including the waiter, panga crew, and dive prep team were excellent. That being said, the ship is old and dated, and it shows. This could be overlooked id not for the lack of air conditioning. The biggest issue was the air conditioning ventilation system of the cabin rooms. Two of Four rooms had no air-conditioning whatsoever. It made sleeping very challenging if not impossible. Proper ventilation of the cabins is an expectation, not an optional extra. The crew was unable to rectify the situation despite multiple complaints. This should not be considered a luxury cruise. One of the cabin rooms windows leaked when the waves crashed up against the boat. The guests rooms had a bad odor that emanated from the guest bathrooms.
- Recommended for
- Galapagos Dive Sites. Waiter and Cabin Stewart - Angel. Boat staff was extremely helpful..
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- 9.2 Superb
- Ke T
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United States
Very good way to dive the Galapagos!
Pros: - Dive sites are absolutely amazing - The chef was fantastic, all the food was awesome, plus snack and beverage service. - We were a group of 7, and bc of the roomy sun deck the boat didn’t feel crowded at all. - Crew was so welcoming and helpful, great tenders, took our minds off of the little things and ran the boat smoothly. - Dive guide was attentive and passionate, had a lot of interesting information before, during, and after the dive. Cons: - Bring your own equipment. My rental mask fogged constantly despite burning/scrubbing, at one point my BCD had a leak and would not inflate during a dive, and the torch I was given died within minutes of use underwater. - Cabins smell musty and like toilet cleaner. AC control is all over the place so sometimes it’s very hot, others it’s super cold. Overall 4/5, worth the money and the small inconveniences to be able to dive at one of the coolest places in the world and see hammerhead sharks, rays, marine iguanas, sea lions, batfish, mola molas, etc.
- Recommended for
- Good dives, good food, good crew
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Anita J
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United States
I cannot imagine another dive experience coming close to this Galapagos experience!
Schools of hammerheads, swimming with dolphins, playing with sea lions, seeing sunfish, increasing skills as dive conditions were sometimes rough, night diving In caves entered thru lava tunnels
- Recommended for
- The amazing dives, the remoteness of our dive sites (no one else around), the dive masters’ knowledge of the diving conditions and the marine life.
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- 9.2 Superb
- Benjamin S
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United States
Excellent!
Amazing diving around the Galapagos. Great crew, very friendly and helpful.
- Recommended for
- Dive Guides, Crew, Dive Sites
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- John G
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United States
Good value for the money
Albino Mola mola, several manta rays, swimming with sea lions.
- Recommended for
- Small group size, food and staff flexibility
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- 9.2 Superb
- Patick W
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United States
Diving in the Galapagos you will see hundreds of hammerheads, marine iguanas and schools of many different types of fish.
Seeing schools of hammerhead sharks at Darwin and Wolf Island Swimming with marine iguanas and seeing them eat green algae underwater at Fernandino Island Swimming with Galapagos sea lions and how playful they were. Seeing flightless cormorants dive for fish. Seeing Mola-Mola. The food and juices on board were great. The boat was very clean and the staff were friendly. The dingy rides around the smaller islands that allowed us to observe endemic birds was really cool.
- Recommended for
- Diving at Darwin and Wolf Islands with schools of hammerhead sharks. The food on board was spectacular. At each of the islands after diving, they took us on the dingy to see the edemic birds.
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Michael N
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Germany
If you want to have warm water, go for january - If you want to see everything you dreamed to see, go in august
It is my third time to Wolf and Darwin Island. The trips before I did in january / february. This trip in august you have to be aware of colder water temperatura, however this trip I saw everything what Galapagos is famous for - whale sharks, manta rays, humback whales, mola mola, and all the rest. Everything that is posible to see in Galapagos, this time we saw - uncomparable experience!
- Recommended for
- The dive guide and her way to spot out every attraction. The small size of the boat and therfore small diving group. The service brindered from all the crew.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Marek P
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Poland
great trip
Sharks, sea lions, iguanas, mola mola
- Recommended for
- everything was great
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- 7.2 Good
- Isabelle V
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Netherlands
Good trip, not great
Good dives, especially the Western side. Unfortunately Darwin and Wolf were very empty at the start of April and we saw only a few sharks. We were very disappointed. At the West side of Isabela and at Fernandina we found Mola Mola, marine iguanas and even a penguin which was great. At the East side of Isabela we found an oceanic manta, mobula rays and golden rays, which was also a really good dive. Unfortunately the crew was very nice, but did not know very much about the dive gear. The guides were ok and knew what they were doing, but the zodiac guys did not know how to fix last minute equipment questions, they were not experienced. Also, a few of the tanks malfunctioned causing two of us to have to use the dive guides spare reg. The cook was very kind, food was simple but good. All in all, this was the cheapest boat option for us and I think if we would have done the more expensive boats, it would have been a but more comfortable. If you know what you are doing and you have your own gear, and do not need the comfort of a luxury liveaboard, this is a good boat. They go to the same dive sites as the others, so the diving will be the same anyway.
- Recommended for
- Friendly crew, good dives, comfortable boat
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- 8.4 Very good
- Dmitrij Z
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Germany
Excellent diving, slightly chaotic organization
As far as the diving is concerned, I doubt there is a place left in the world that can compare. After the 3rd to 4th dive you even stop getting excited about hammerhead sharks because there's a bunch of them around every time. Animals that would be highlight sightings on a diving trip anywhere else are just around in the Galapagos and make the experience unforgettable. The boat is not exceptionally large, but as they only take 8 guests it felt much more spacious and comfortable than some of the much bigger liveaboards with 20 guests that I've been on. The crew is extremly friendly and helpful, keen to assist with any issues and it was stunning how the cook managed to prepare excellent, very varied and nutritious meals for every day of the week. The dive guides were very knowledgeable and generally safety-oriented during the dives, so that part was great, too. Unfortunately, there have been drawbacks. Like several other passengers, we indicated in the booking forms that we'd like to dive on Nitrox. Asking about it on departure night I was first told that the check dive would be on air for everybody - fair enough. When I saw the crew filling the thanks with air for the following days I asked again, was shrugged off several times to be eventually told that the Nitrox compressor wasn't working so it would be air for the whole trip. This is a serious concern not only for the dive plans (we had to ascend early a couple of times because the NDL was getting close), but also for the safety, considering we were doing four dives a day in a very remote area. Also, in some instances last-minute changes about the dive plans were not communicated properly and came out "by accident", although this improved after the passengers hat a talk with the staff. Finally, make sure to bring all of your own dive gear. Most rental items that were handed out had some kind of issue, had to be changed several times, suits didn't fit properly etc. I totally understand that this is Ecuador and that's how things tend to be in that part of the world. But considering how the price tag for the trip is not Ecuadorian at all (that goes for all operators, not just Nortada) there's certainly room for improvement as far as organization is concerned.
- Recommended for
- The dive sites and their marine life, the boat crew, the food on board
