Nortada
Twelve divers, eight guides and crew, and four full days at Wolf and Darwin. The smallest dive boat in the fleet, and the cheapest way to reach the north.
Twelve divers
The smallest group in the fleet. Two tenders for twelve people means short waits and quick pickups.
Four days north
Two full days at Wolf and one at Darwin, with a second Wolf day on the way back.
Price
The lowest fare that still reaches Darwin, with tanks, weights and all meals inside it.
Small, old, and pointed north
The Nortada is a 1986 hull, twenty-six metres, tourist class, and she makes no claim to be anything else. What she does have is the thing that matters: a week built around Wolf and Darwin, with two Nautica tenders and only twelve divers to move. On a bigger boat you queue at the ladder; here you do not.
Six crew and two guides run the operation. Four cabins for twelve guests, which means sharing — twin occupancy is what the fare covers. There is a nitrox compressor on board, though the fill is an upgrade rather than an inclusion. Read the excluded list before you compare this price with anyone else’s: the fare is genuinely low, and several things other boats bundle sit outside it here.
At a glance
Eight days, seven nights
Arrival and snorkel tour
Board in the afternoon and get in the water without tanks — a snorkel tour in the bay to shake off the flight.
Baltra NE, Carrion Point, Cousin Rocks
Three calm sites to sort weighting and gear. Cousin Rocks in the afternoon is the good one: sea lions, seahorses and reef fish.
Shark Bay, El Derrumbe, La Ventana, La Banana
A full day working Wolf from four angles. Hammerheads on the cleaning stations, Galapagos sharks and silkies through the blue.
El Arenal and El Arco
The day the trip is built around. You hook in below the Arch, stay low, and let the schooling hammerheads come to you. Whale sharks pass through in season, roughly June to November.
Wolf again
The same four sites on the way south. By now you know the current lines, which is when the diving gets good.
Vicente Roca Point and Cape Douglas
Cold western water and its oddities: marine iguanas grazing on the bottom, mola mola in the upwellings, turtles and seahorses.
Cape Marshall and Roca Blanca
Manta rays and devil rays along the wall at Cape Marshall, then Roca Blanca to close out the diving.
Fausto Llerena and Los Gemelos
A morning on land: the breeding centre with the giant tortoises and the Los Gemelos craters in the highlands, then the flight home.
Nothing in the water is guaranteed, and the crew moves the plan around the sea rather than the brochure. Sites shift with conditions.
What is and is not included
Included
- Naturalist dive guides
- Tenders and transport to and from the dive sites
- 12 l / 80 cf aluminium tanks, weights and weight belts
- Nitrox analysers for shared use
- All dives and land visits where the park allows them
- Accommodation in twin cabin occupancy
- Snorkel tour in Santa Cruz bay
- All meals and snacks on board
- Water, coffee, tea and juice
- Selected safety equipment
Not included
- Nitrox upgrade — USD 150
- Nitrox user course — USD 210
- 100 cf / 15 l cylinder upgrade — USD 100
- Airport transfer, each way — USD 50
- Dive light rental — USD 50
- Park itinerary change fee, per day — USD 180
- Private second guide, instructor and tender — USD 2,280
- National Park entrance and transit card
- Personal dive gear rental
Two things to plan for: payments on board are cash in US dollars only, and the transfers are charged each way. Add both to the fare before you compare this boat with one that bundles them.
Where you sleep
Four cabins for up to twelve guests, so the fare is based on sharing. Simple and functional — a bunk, somewhere to stow a dive bag, and enough space to be horizontal between four dives a day. If the cabin is what decides your trip, this is the boat to look past.
Meals on board
All meals and snacks are served on board and timed around the dive schedule, with water, coffee, tea and juice throughout. Nobody books this boat for the cooking, but nobody goes hungry between four dives a day either. Tell us about dietary needs when you book so the galley can plan.
Is this your boat?
Book it if
- The dive sites matter to you and the cabin does not
- A group of twelve sounds better than a group of sixteen
- You want Darwin at the lowest fare that still gets there
- You are comfortable in strong current and cold water
Choose another cruise if
- You want a private cabin — occupancy here is shared
- You would rather have everything inside one price
- Part of your group does not dive
- You are new to diving or coming back after a long break
Same sites on a newer boat? Compare the Tiburon Explorer or the Humboldt Explorer. Prefer landings and snorkeling over tanks? We arrange naturalist cruises across the archipelago.
Tell us your dates
Departures run Friday to Friday. Send the week you have in mind and we come back with the berths still open on the Nortada and the full cost with transfers included.