Calipso

Constructed in 1991, rebuilt and relaunched in 2019, M.V. Calipso is a stylish 109 ft (33m) long steel-hulled motor yacht, fitted with and powered by 2 Cummins 400 HP marine engines and authorized to conduct week long Galapagos liveboard diving tours.

This modern yacht has 8 en-suite cabins to accommodate 16 guests, and has plenty of space onboard. Each cabin has a TV with a large selection of onboard films.

The social areas have been well designed for guest comfort. The sundeck has a Jacuzzi, sun beds, bar and BBQ area. The spacious air-conditioned saloon with panoramic windows on both sides has a large flat-screen TV for briefings and movies, and there is a comfortable dining area and bar. Calipso is the only liveaboard in the Galapagos Islands to offer wifi to guests. The yacht has 11 crew members available to attend to guest needs.

The dive deck has been expanded for greater space and features a bi-level rinse tank and table for cameras, charging stations, a nitrox air system, towels embroidered by cabin number to assure guest hygiene. Diver safety is a priority and this is expressed with the free guest use of Nautilus Lifelines, Dive Alerts, SMBs, and safety noisemakers. There is also a bathroom and 4 hot water shower heads on the dive deck. Educational dive briefings are given by video, and all dives are done from the 2 motorized pangas.

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Notes: Galapagos is a popular destination with limited liveaboard spaces. We recommend you book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Dive experience: January-May departures: a minimum of 50 logged dives with experience in strong current and 7mm wetsuits are required. June-December tours: a minimum of 100 logged dives with experience in strong current and 7mm wetsuits are required. Nitrox is compulsory if you have less than 100 dives. The nitrox course can be taken on board.
Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult on Calipso cruises.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, 1 soft drinks, land tours, transfers to the boat from the airport in San Cristobal, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (1 guide for every 8 divers), dive alert, basic SMB, Nautilus Lifeline, tanks, weights and weightbelt, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 275 per week), dive computer (US$ 100 per week), gloves, diving insurance, chamber fee (US$ 35), Galapagos park and reserve entrance fees (US$ 200), TCT visitor card (US$ 20). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card. Credit cards are subject to a 5% processing fee).

Optional extras: Nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 150 per week), 13.2 litre tank (US$ 60 per week), torch, alcoholic drinks. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: Calipso's liveaboard diving tours in the Galapagos Islands depart from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal. Guests fly into Ecuador and take a daily connecting flight, through Guayaquil or Quito, to San Cristobal. The recommended flight is Avianca AV1630 which lands in Galapagos at 12:40 hrs. Guests will be met at the airport and escorted to the vessel. You will need to overnight in Guayaquil or Quito before flying on to the Galapagos.
If guests arrive in Galapagos before the cruise departure date, you can meet the boat in San Cristobal at the main passenger dock by 13:00 hrs to be collected by zodiac.
The last dive of the trip will be at around 11:00 hrs on the penultimate day. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. On the return leg to the mainland, the recommended flight is Avianca AV1631 which leaves from Galapagos at 13:20 hrs and arrives in Guayaquil (and then Quito) mid-afternoon
We can place your domestic flight requirements with the liveaboard operator upon request. For more details, including airlines, see our Galapagos travel information section.

Non-diver rate: USD 200 off the full published price.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional. Single travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 70% of the published price for cabins on the main and upper decks.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests, and 1 additional person can join the cruise free of charge.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 14 guests and 2 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge.

Add-on package: For most visitors, this is a once-in-a-lifetime destination, and the land creatures and environments are just as impressive as those underwater. You can extend your time in this nature-lovers paradise by adding a 3, 4 or 7 night non-diving wildlife liveaboard safari. These are nature tours around some of the finest locations in the Galapagos with naturalist guides, literature and presentations. Don't just leave after a week of scuba diving, get the full picture of the incredible Galapagos islands!

Central Galapagos, Wolf & Darwin (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, seals/sea lions, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Isla Lobos, Marchena: Punta Espejo and Punta Mejia, Wolf and Darwin, Cabo Marshall (Jan-May) or Cabo Douglas and Punta Vicente Roca (Jun-Dec), Cousins Rock. Wildlife land tour of Santa Cruz Highlands, and Darwin Station Interpretation Center visit.

Day 1
You will be greeted by a Calipso representative at the airport in San Cristobal at around 12:45 pm, who will take care of your luggage for you. You will then be transported to the marina where you will board the yacht at 1 pm. Here you will be welcomed onboard, meet the crew, and be given a safety briefing and additional details about the cruise. During the afternoon and after lunch, you will make a check dive at Isla Lobos, before the yacht sets off for its cruise of the islands. Dinner will be served in the evening.

Days 2-7
The first full day of the cruise will find you at Marchena, which is an exceptional spot for diving as not too many people visit this island. You can find many endemic species, plus some large schools of sharks, fur sea lions, dolphins, turtles, eels, cow-nosed rays, and different types of fish like surgeonfish, scorpionfish, red-lipped batfish. Then it’s on to Wolf and Darwin islands, the center-piece of the safari. This area is famed for its hammerheads, whale and Galapagos sharks, humpback whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions, manta rays, angelfish, tuna and grunts. Next, from January-May, it’s Cabo Marshall at Isabela Island, with its populations of giant manta rays, mobulas, enormous schools of barracudas, Galapagos sharks, and sea lions. Flightless cormorants can be seen resting on the shores of Cabo Marshall.
Or, from June to December, it’s a dive at Cabo Douglas to observe the gracious marine iguanas feeding on algae, underwater. First, you can observe them in the sun to warm up and later they will go into the sea to feed. Then at Vicente Roca, Isabela Island, its mola mola (the largest bony fish in the sea), turtles galore, Peruvian grunts, octopus, Galapagos bullhead shark, penguins, schools of black striped salemas, dolphins, tunas. What a day!
A typical day on Calipso begins at 5-6: am with a Continental buffet of fruit and pastries prior to your 1st dive at 6:30 am, followed by a full all-you-can-eat breakfast at 8:30 am. There is a snack and hot beverage (usually hot chocolate) after each dive. The 2nd dive of the morning is at around 10:00 am. Relax and refresh over lunch at noon, with a selection of international cuisine and local dishes. Chill out on the sun lounges on the sundeck or in the saloon, and look forward to the 3rd dive 0 pm and the 4th dive at 4 pm. There will be plenty of excited talk around the dinner table at 7 pm in the air-conditioned saloon. Dishes usually comprise international and Ecuadorian dishes, prepared with fresh local produce, meat, seafood, 3 vegetable selections and dessert. There is a snack and hot beverage after each dive. Coffee, tea, fruit, candies and snacks are available all day.
Finally, during the final full day, the liveaboard moves on to Cousins Rock to see sea lions, lots of barracudas, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, nudibranchs, frogfish, and sometimes sea horses. In the afternoon, you will visit the Santa Cruz Highlands to see some lava formations and visit the famous giant tortoises in their natural habitat.

Day 8
After a final breakfast you will say goodbye to Calipso and its crew at 8:30 am. Guests are free to visit the Darwin Station Interpretation Center in San Cristobal or wander about town. The bus with luggage will leave for the airport at 11 am.

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[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

Calipso has 8 cabins with ensuite bathrooms. There are 6 double/twin bed cabins on the upper deck, and 2 double/twin bed cabins on the main deck. The average cabin size is 130 sq ft/12 sqm. Cabins have panoramic windows. No carpets are used, in order to help alleviate allergens.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 9 / 12 - hot water

Customer reviews:

"Fantastic boat, excellent service, super friendly crew, very good food.
Dive The World provided quick replies with lots of info, very helpful." - Sophie Kubik, Germany, 17 August 2024 ...

"Beautiful new ship with all facilities. Great cabins with panoramic windows. Good food and professional crew and guides. We had a wonderful experience." - Francisco Asencio, Spain, 13 November 2021 ...

"Excellent overall service, including dive guides and the boat staff. The dive sites were absolutely incredible, especially Darwin and Wolf." - Karol Galanciak, Poland, 20 January 2020 ...

"The boat, crew, dive rental equipment are all excellent and cannot be faulted. If the boat's list is addressed in dry dock and the diving schedule had an earlier start I would give it an excellent rating." - Duncan Wright, USA, 17 September 2019 ...