Galapagos Sky liveaboard: cabins, rates and diving requirements

Is Galapagos Sky the right boat for your trip?

Galapagos Sky is a dedicated 16-guest scuba liveaboard with eight en-suite cabins and seven- or ten-night Galapagos programmes. Choose it for a diving-led trip with substantial Wolf and Darwin time, rather than a naturalist cruise with occasional scuba. The first decision is whether its current, cold-water and tender-entry demands match your experience; the second is which route and cabin to book.[6][4]

The useful cabin distinction is specific: Master cabins have an upper-deck picture window and a king-or-twin arrangement; Deluxe cabins are lower-deck twins with a porthole. A Master upgrade changes your room, not the underwater conditions or the operator’s certification rules.[1][4]

Which cabin should you choose?

Choose Master if a picture window, wider twin beds or a combined king bed matters enough to justify the premium. Choose Deluxe if you want twin beds and would rather spend less on the same diving programme. The operator lists only a modest difference in total room area; neither category is a large suite.[1]

Solo guests may share a Deluxe cabin with another guest of the same gender under the published booking policy. Master sharing is restricted while Deluxe cabins remain available. Sole-use supplements are listed at 85% for December–May and 100% for June–November, with 100% for group bookings and full charters regardless of cabin type. Establish whether a quote buys a berth or sole use of the room.[7]

What the published rate does and does not buy

These are the operator’s published 1 January–31 December 2027 cabin-category rates, reviewed on 25 October 2026, not a live availability check or a sole-use cabin quote. The listed Master premium is $300 for seven nights and $400 for ten nights. Request the named passenger occupancy, departure date and final invoice before committing.[7]

The fare includes cabin accommodation, meals and snacks, listed beverages, a standard 80 cu ft/12-litre tank, weights, guiding, Nitrox and island airport/dock transfers on cruise departure dates. Flights, dive-accident and cancellation insurance, rental equipment, gratuities and the listed park, transit-card and chamber charges are excluded. The chamber contribution does not pay for treatment. Premium beverage purchases can also be extra.[7][5]

Seven nights or ten: confirm the airports before buying flights

Ocean Wonders is the seven-night Sunday-to-Sunday sample, beginning and ending at San Cristobal (SCY), with three full days at Wolf and Darwin. Deep Blue is the ten-night programme, with five northern-island days and an additional Cabo Marshall/Roca Blanca day. Its departure can run SCY to Baltra (GPS), or the reverse; the actual direction comes with the booking.[2][3]

The ten-night page’s generic airfare exclusion still names SCY, but its explicit route note says the trip uses different islands. Do not buy a return SCY ticket from that boilerplate. Ask reservations to attach the dated route, arrival airport, departure airport and transfers to the quote. Published sample programmes do not establish which dates still have cabins.[3]

Experience and Nitrox: resolve these before paying

The diving page recommends 50–100 open-water dives, strong-current experience, recent diving, good buoyancy, negative back-roll entries and the ability to remove equipment in the water and board a tender in choppy seas. It describes typical depths of 20–30 metres. Those are operator criteria and conditions, not a universal legal minimum or a personal fitness assessment.[4]

Bring your highest-level certification card and Nitrox card. Sky does not teach Nitrox onboard. Its diving page says uncertified Nitrox divers cannot dive on days three to five at Wolf and Darwin; the FAQ says they cannot complete all dives on those days. Both require a private guide for divers without Nitrox certification. Obtain written resolution if that applies to you; included Nitrox or a paid guide does not remove a certification restriction.[4][5]

What the operator actually publishes about safety

Sky lists VHF and HI-SUB radios, GMDSS, radar, GPS and an EPIRB, and identifies its hull as steel. The yacht page reports a 2026 dry dock. Its sample embarkation day includes a safety drill. These are operator-reported particulars, not an independent inspection, safety rating or verification of current equipment servicing.[6][2]

The diving policy lists an SMB, audible surface signal and Nautilus Lifeline for each diver, available on loan. With a full boat it describes two groups of eight divers, each with one park-certified dive guide. It prohibits solo, sidemount, rebreather and doubles diving and requires non-decompression diving. These are relevant operating limits for your booking, not evidence that the trip is suitable for every qualified diver.[4]

Non-diving partners and booking terms

Snorkelling is restricted at most of the dive sites under Sky’s stated permit, and the operator also warns about unsuitable surface conditions. Do not book a non-diving partner expecting a parallel snorkelling cruise. The rates page advertises a 5% non-diver discount from June 2025, while the diving page still says there is no non-diver discount; have the quoted fare resolve that conflict.[7][4]

For direct individual bookings, the rates page lists a $1,000 seven-night or $1,200 ten-night deposit per person within ten days of booking and final payment 120 days before departure. It lists 100% non-refundable terms at 120 days or fewer, while agent, group and charter terms can differ. Read the terms on the actual booking rather than assuming a public promotion changes cancellation exposure.[7]

Request the actual Galapagos Sky departure

Use the operator’s own itinerary and quote links to request a dated sailing, cabin number/category, bed arrangement, occupancy basis, route direction, extras and applicable cancellation terms. This guide compares published specifications and policies; it does not sell confirmed cabin inventory or certify the vessel’s safety. Sources reviewed 25 October 2026.

Sources and programme documents

These are the operator documents used for the cabin, route and policy comparison, reviewed 25 October 2026. Published samples and rates are not live departure availability.