Dry Suit for Galapagos Islands?

[Doc Intrepid]

One issue to consider with drysuits....seals...especially given the $$$$ you are shelling out for the trip. If it were me, I would bring my drysuit....but I might think through options of what to do if a seal lets go.

- bring wetsuit for back-up = more luggage - :-(
- If seals are older, take a pre-emptive strike and have them replaced before the trip
- Zip seals (DUI)
- Perhaps boat has back-up wet suits available for rental

excellent points...

If taking a drysuit, you should take extra seals, a small tube of the glue, and any tools you need to change them. 3-4 hours later they'll dry, and cure overnight. If this is not an option, revisit going wetsuit!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

My instructor dove there last year and everyone was in dry suits. She said you didn't need one, a 5mm wetsuit would have been fine. The down side of the dry suits? The barnacles are sharp and the currents eventually will end up pushing you into one or more leaving holes in the suit. She said everyone on the trip, herself included ended up having to send the suits off to have all the pin holes fixed because there were so many of them.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[chicoval]

I just got back from the Galapagos Islands. Not one of the 15 divers on our boat wore a drysuit. Mostly 3 and 5 mil wetsuits, a couple of 7/5 mil suits, a lot of hood/ vest combos. I wore a one piece 5 mil hyperstretch ( as did 3 other women), no hood or vest. No complaints about being cold in the water from anyone at Darwin, where the water temp was 77-79 F for the 3 days we were there, and very few in the other islands (although the water at Cousins had a mean 66F thermocline). The surface temps were cool and breezy, so bring a polartec sweatshirt for between dives.