Question Beginner dives - Santa Cruz, Galapagos - Scuba Iguana- any advice?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

matheneyc

New
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
California
# of dives
0 - 24
Hey Scuba Buddies,
I'm chaperoning a high school trip to Ecuador/the Galapagos in December. I'm planning to stay for an extra week to go diving. My dad is 68 and recently got open water certified in Hawaii. I'd like to bring him down (from California) to join me in this adventure. In talking with some liveaboard companies, it's sounding that that won't be the best fit - because he's so new to diving. Scuba Iguana put together a really nice proposal for us to do some land-based private daily dives.
Questions I have:
  • Have you ever worked with Iguana Scuba?
  • Any advice for making the trip awesome for my dad? (And making it easy for him?)
Thanks friends,
Christine
 
I’ve used Scuba Iguana (SI) several times over many years. You will not find much familiarity here on SB with any land based options as the liveaboard marketing money specifically focuses on North American divers. After several liveaboards, i find a broader experience with SI.

I suggest staying at one of the properties just next to SI. As one walks 12 minutes from town to the Research Station (DRS), the last place on the right will be SI. It is so convenient to take easy strolls thru the DRS in the afternoons after diving.

Just offshore here is a moderately tough (surge), super shallow snorkel with great concentrations of the Marine Iguanas.

Before you go, see the film ‘Master & Commander, far side of the World‘. The scenes featuring the close-up Darwin scientific note taking about the turtles? You will be standing with those same big guys in their scenes.

Also see the Al Giddings Galapagos IMAX film (on DVD from Amazon) that featured the founder of SI, Mathias Espinosa. Dive with him if you can. Say hi for Pamela & Doc.

Yesterday 09/26, a small ferry boat lost 4 passengers due to mechanical problems. You will be using this same route as there are dozens of boats that make the very quick passage between the ‘airport side’ and the road to Puerto Ayorra. I add this just because it’s such a current event, not sure I’d fret over any danger! We try to not ride in the passenger cab for the next leg but instead climb into the pickup truck bed. You will be driven on a straight line, US Army built road, over two long gone volcano domes, through every micro climate imaginable.

The road to and from town is punctuated with many local restaurant options. We found the best food to be the cheapest local places, as usual. The provided food by SI while diving? We ‘traded’ our meals for the simple rice & beans + meat that the dive crew were given. They loved the lunch meats and cheeses, we liked the local fare.

The diving was tailored to the abilities of the divers. These are not RIB/flop in boats, there is a ladder. We saw plenty of Hammerheads and Mobula Rays, even watched a Shark stalk and hit an unfortunate Seal. The closest dive site to SI featured hundreds of Seals much to the delight of my wife.

The beauty of land based is the immediate and daily access to other land based attractions. The Research Station is interesting, but the natural environ of these big turtles is upland in a less-easily walked zone. You take a cab there and they loan rubber boots for this. There are a couple of ‘lave tube’ tours, one very easy stroll, another that did involve some crawling. Both cool.

I really like and appreciate the real-deal eco friendly attitude espoused by SCUBA Iguana, by far the most put-together day dive option that you will see in the town.

Say hi to these fun people for us!
 
Good operation to go with. Gaby Cabrera at Scuba Iguana is excellent with newbies. Not all guides are. Paulo Tobar is, IMO, one of the best dive guides in Galapagos. When I launched Calipso in 2019, I chose both of them as dive guides onboard. Also, sites are no longer flexible. Good sites for relative beginners include N. Seymour and Daphne. Your dad will need 30 logged dives for Gordon Rocks, the site most consider the best in the central islands, because it's an advanced site that can be challenging.

.Just fyi Doc, Mathias hasn't dived with the shop for years now, but they have some superb dive guides / Instructors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Doc
Coming late to this party, but having just returned from the Galapagos, this is not a rookie dive for a 68 yo newly certified diver. I have my SSI divemaster and PADI rescue diver certs, and over 500 dives all over the world under my belt. The Galapagos last month was the most challenging diving I have ever experienced. You name it, it was there. Cold water, ripping currents, absolutely piss-poor viz . . . if you aren't in shape, don't know what you are doing, don't know your gear, can't problem-solve on the fly, you are going to end up in a serious situation ar least when we went in March. We had a guy on our boat that said he's been certified for 25 years . . . and apparently hasn't gone diving since. He was a very nice guy, but so far over his head, no buoyancy control, didn't know his gear or proper weights, couldn't deal with the ripping currents, blowing through his air, the DM had to hold onto him at all times. Wolf and Darwin Islands are no joke . . . definitely not for novices.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom