This was my first experience in a liveaboard and, I dare say, it blew my mind. We booked this through Academy Bay Diving in Puerto Ayora who are absolutely amazing and ever so helpful. From the get go, the crew were outstanding, all the way from the engineer, the Captain and his crew (who you don't really get to see much), to the chef and his amazing and plentiful food and snacks (don't think you'll come here to lose weight), to Sra Cruz (the chamber maid), the whole deck crew, Kevin, the (also) barman, the "pangueros" Juanito & Pablo, and, of course, the incredible dive leaders Daniel and the super energetic, laugh-out-loud-and-dance-like-no-one-is-watching Gaby. Our 8D-7N tour included 2 land tours (North Seymour- Frigates, Boobies, Iguanas (land and marine), Sea Lions; Manzanillo Turtle Ranch) and 19 dives in all in Baltra, Mosquera, Wolf Island, Darwin Island, and Cousins, where you'll be flabbergasted by the insane amount of sea life ranging from Hammerhead, Galapagos, Silky, White tip, and Whale sharks, turtles, dolphins, morays, lea lions, etc, etc. It was just incredible. Be sure to have the energy for up to 4 dives a day and some strong currents at times. The facilities on the boat included hot water, comfy beds, Nitrox (recommended), booze, jacuzzi, second to none service with a smile, always fun in that latin American Style, and, more importantly, always safety conscious. I didn't want it to end.

What an amazing experience with ABD. Everybody, Cpt Eric and his assistant Frank, scuba instructors/guides Oscar, Byron, Leo, the shop cat Guapetón, and owners Hugo and especially Alice, were just so absolutely awesome and pivotal in making my first, hopefully not last, visit to GPS utterly unforgettable. Apart from the incredible diving here, their assistance with everything else, including an awesome liveaboard experience, was simply tremendous and totally ensured the best possible time was had. I cannot recommend this dive centre enough!

What an amazing experience with ABD. Everybody, Cpt Eric and his assistant Frank, scuba instructors/guides Oscar, Byron, Leo, the shop cat Guapetón, and owners Hugo and especially Alice, were just so absolutely awesome and pivotal in making my first, hopefully not last, visit to GPS utterly unforgettable. Apart from the incredible diving here, their assistance with everything else, including an awesome liveaboard experience, was simply tremendous and totally ensured the best possible time was had. I cannot recommend this dive centre enough!

I cannot say enough positive things about Academy Bay Divers staff and Alice. Alice goes out of her way to assist/help in any way. Their dive boat is a roomy and fitted for divers, and very comfortable. On the boat the dive masters help the divers gear up and put your fins on. I would dive with Academy Bay again. They are the best dive shop in Puerto Ayora Santa Cruz. Kudos to Alice for helping make our trip a great memory. Ralph and Lisa

I can't say enough about Alice and Academy Bay Diving. This was a fairly complicated trip to organize with 12 people coming from 4 different US cities over the course of 2 days with travel delays. The itinerary Alice suggested for scuba and land tours was ideal to see a wide range of wildlife in a busy, but well managed schedule. The guides she appointed were excellent and the dive leaders were outstanding. The logistics were flawless from start to finish. From the moment we arrived we had a guide to get us to each and every activity including to and from the airport. Taxis or buses were waiting for us at our doorstep for each tour, and Alice herself met us at different points along the way to make sure we checked in at the hotel, to point us in the right direction at the pier or make sure we knew what was coming next. It was a situation where I didn't have to worry about not being familiar with the local customs or requirements because Alice or someone she chose was there to help every step of the way without feeling herded from one stop to the next. There was plenty of free time to do what we pleased and explore the town, but the guides showed up exactly when we needed them. Academy Bay made this trip feel simple with the flawless logistics and outstanding guidance.