Charles Darwin Research Station: Tortoises and Conservation

Charles Darwin Research Station is a dive site in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands.

See below for all liveaboards that dive Charles Darwin Research Station.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the highest customer rated liveaboard diving Charles Darwin Research Station, scoring 9.7/10. You can easily book the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard using this link.

Tiburon Explorer
Nortada Liveaboard

The Charles Darwin Research Station is a land-based conservation visit in Puerto Ayora, not a dive site. Liveaboard itineraries may include time here to see giant tortoises and learn about breeding, research and habitat restoration across the Galápagos Islands.

The liveaboard shown opposite is the second highest customer rated liveaboard diving Charles Darwin Research Station, scoring 8.7/10. You can easily book the Nortada Liveaboard using this link.

Galapagos Islands liveaboards that dive Charles Darwin Research Station

Below are all the dive liveaboards currently found for Charles Darwin Research Station in Galapagos Islands, sorted from highest to lowest customer liveaboard rating, with unrated liveaboards shown last.

Tiburon Explorer

Tiburon Explorer

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.7/10

SDE Rating: 76%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Tiburon Explorer Liveaboard: 76%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:9/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 37/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Tiburon Explorer liveaboard is calculated as 37/60 = 76% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £573.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 129.6 ft·Beam: 24.6 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Nortada Liveaboard

Nortada Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.7/10

SDE Rating: 73%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Nortada Liveaboard: 73%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Nortada Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Nortada Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:7/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:4/10] = 36/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Nortada Liveaboard is calculated as 36/60 = 73% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £401.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 4·Bathrooms: 5·Guests: 12

Length: 25.66 m·Beam: 5.4 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Humboldt Explorer

Humboldt Explorer

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.8/10

SDE Rating: 61%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Humboldt Explorer Liveaboard: 61%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard are ([Diving:8/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:4/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 28/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Humboldt Explorer liveaboard is calculated as 28/60 = 61% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £510.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 8·Guests: 16

Length: 111.5 ft·Beam: 21.3 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Galaxy Diver II

Galaxy Diver II

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.4/10

SDE Rating: 70%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galaxy Diver II Liveaboard: 70%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:9/10] + [Dining:5/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:4/10] = 33/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galaxy Diver II liveaboard is calculated as 33/60 = 70% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £517.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 29 m·Beam: 6.6 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Master

Galapagos Master

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 8.7/10

SDE Rating: 65%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galapagos Master Liveaboard: 65%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galapagos Master liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galapagos Master liveaboard are ([Diving:8/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 31/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galapagos Master liveaboard is calculated as 31/60 = 65% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £325.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 10·Guests: 16

Length: 32.3 m·Beam: 7.5 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Aggressor III

Galapagos Aggressor III

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.1/10

SDE Rating: 58%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Galapagos Aggressor III Liveaboard: 58%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:6/10] + [Dining:5/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 28/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Galapagos Aggressor III liveaboard is calculated as 28/60 = 58% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £510.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 11·Guests: 16

Length: 100 ft·Beam: 22 ft

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Danubio Azul Liveaboard

Danubio Azul Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 7.3/10

SDE Rating: 68%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Danubio Azul Liveaboard: 68%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Danubio Azul Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Danubio Azul Liveaboard are ([Diving:9/10] + [Cabin:5/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:7/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:5/10] = 33/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Danubio Azul Liveaboard is calculated as 33/60 = 68% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £338.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 8·Bathrooms: 7·Guests: 16

Length: 24.84 m·Beam: 5.47 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Calipso Dive Liveaboard

Calipso Dive Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.4/10

SDE Rating: 73%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard: 73%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Calipso Dive Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:7/10] + [Boat:8/10] + [Dining:8/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:2/10] = 35/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Calipso Dive Liveaboard is calculated as 35/60 = 73% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £468.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 10·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 35.4 m·Beam: 8 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 100 logged dives
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Aqua Liveaboard

Aqua Liveaboard

Galapagos Islands

Liveaboard Rated: 9.1/10

SDE Rating: 68%

How SDE Liveaboard Rating works for the Aqua Liveaboard: 68%

The SDE Liveaboard Rating for the Aqua Liveaboard works by taking the six individual SDE Liveaboard Rating scores, with each one being scored out of 10 and then adding them together. For the Aqua Liveaboard are ([Diving:10/10] + [Cabin:6/10] + [Boat:7/10] + [Dining:6/10] + [Drinks:0/10] + [Non-diver:3/10] = 32/60). This total is compared to the maximum possible score of 60/60 to turn it into an overall percentage – which for the Aqua Liveaboard is calculated as 32/60 = 68% SDE Liveaboard Rating.

This makes it easy to compare different liveaboards at a glance. See a more detailed explanation of how SDE Liveaboard Rating works together with all dive liveaboards ranked by SDE Liveaboard Rating .

From £386.00 GBP /day

Cabins: 9·Bathrooms: 9·Guests: 16

Length: 26 m·Beam: 5.5 m

Dive certification:Advanced Open Water Diver
Logged dives:Minimum 50 logged dives
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Galapagos Islands; Charles Darwin Research Station Dive Site Details

Charles Darwin Research Station Common Sightings

Charles Darwin Research Station Liveaboard Itinerary Stop

The Charles Darwin Research Station is a land-based visitor experience in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. It is not a dive site. The attraction is the opportunity to understand the science and conservation work behind the protection of the Galápagos Islands, with giant tortoises forming the centre of many visits.

A stop here adds useful context to the wildlife seen underwater. Breeding and restoration programmes explain why strict National Park controls apply across both land and sea, and why divers are asked to keep their distance from animals and avoid contact with the reef.

Liveaboards may include the Research Station before embarkation, after disembarkation or as part of a wider Santa Cruz visit. The exact programme varies, so it should be checked in the itinerary rather than assumed to replace a diving day. Nearby itinerary pages include Puerto Ayora and the Santa Cruz Highlands.

The Charles Darwin Foundation’s giant tortoise conservation page explains the work being carried out. This page is kept in the itinerary directory so travellers can see that the stop is visited, while clearly identifying it as non-diving.

The ""Charles Darwin Research Station" visitor stop in Galapagos Islands is included on itineraries operated by nine liveaboards. The highest customer-rated liveaboard scores 9.7 out of 10. Prices across these liveaboards start from £325.00.

If you want a more intimate experience, the smallest liveaboard whose itinerary includes "Charles Darwin Research Station" is Nortada Liveaboard, which has 4 cabins, accommodates up to 12 guests, and is 25.66 m in length. If you prefer a larger boat, Aqua Liveaboard, which is 26 m in length, has 9 cabins, and accommodates up to 16 guests.

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