Galapagos in 1 week !!!

[dpaustex]

I'm jealous of all you people that went to the Galapagos - except I get to go next month!!!

I have solicited everyone's opinion at the dive shop, and everyone seems to say to dive with a 7mm w/ hood. So much so I ordered one. However, I am usually fine in a 5/4/3 in 70 degree water, even staying in the water for hours at a local spring were we do checkout dives for lessons.

That being said, is there anything anyone did not take on the trip that they wish they had? I am lugging all of my camera gear (1 still underwater, 1 video, and 1 topside full-frame w/ telephoto), overweight charges be damned. However, I don't see how AeroGal has a big deal, considering they use a 737 to fly the Quito/Guayaquil/San Cristobal route, so weigthing shouldn't be an issue....

But back to the question at hand...is there any gear you WISH you had taken?

Thanks for all of the great posts.

 

[ronscuba]

Only thing I forgot was a spare dive computer battery. I got a low battery warning on the 1st day, but luckily it lasted the trip. I took too much stuff. Way less clothes, less tools, less toiletries. I read the barnacles tear up gloves and to bring extra gloves. Not sure what barnacles they had, but my regular dive gloves with suede palm and fingers was fine. Didn't need the 2 extra pairs I brought.

 

[dpaustex]

Thanks for the info. Good info. I do have the spare batteries (and a spare computer).

 

[laurendell]

Aww Eddie, so CLOSE. But I think the checkout dive was Isla Lobos.

It only took me about 10 hours, but I think my photos are finally done. I labeled all with the dive sites as well, I will send them over.

I have been trying to use picasa to put all of my short video clips (or, peices-o-crap if you're comparing to Ron's...) into one video so they can be watched all at once, but whenever picasa puts them together (which takes like an Hour) they play all choppy with lots of freezing. I don't know what's wrong with it. I might give up soon :-(

In terms of stuff I wish I had brought -- more warm clothes. I thought the air would be a lot hotter than it was. So, a couple more fleeces, long sleeve tees, or sweatshirts. One of the women had one of those calf length, fleece lined windbreakers - That would be great. Less tank tops. Less bathing suits (I thought I'd be lounging around on the boat between dives, wasn't really warm enough) Also, I would definitely have liked to have had a reef hook. Extra fin straps are a good idea - one of mine broke. An extra mask ( I lost mine - man, I sound like a mess! ). I forgot a hat for the sun - def. good to have. More conditioner (4 dives a day is not good on your hair).

Reading about everyone ripping through their gloves, I brought 4 pairs. One 7mm pair, 1 reef pair, and 2 pairs of $5 ones from Home Depot. Both my reef ones and 7mm ones are still in perfect condition after 30+ dives of hanging on the rocks. Home Depot ones still have the tags on them.

 

[kennedy]

Thanks for the comments on taking warmer things! I probably wouldn't have packed any!

 

[SelkieDVM]

This is very helpful for me, too. Thanks to you all very much - three weeks to go and I am getting excited.

 

[ronscuba]

1 other thing. It pays to be in shape. Chasing the whale sharks against the current is not easy. I'm glad I did started running a few weeks before the trip.

BTW, some more Galapagos videos up on my vimeo page. Click the link in my signature below to view.

 

[kennedy]

Just viewed Ron's videos again - great stuff!

 

[ronscuba]

Thanks Kennedy. Going to start making revisions and adding a narrated introduction to each park. Just curious, if you've watched all 5 parts, which part was your most favorite, which least favorite ?

 

[kennedy]

Ron - 2 and 3 are my favs - I love how close the hammerheads came to you - and the squadrons of rays - worth the price of admission right there!!! I don't think there was a least favorite part - it's all amazing to me. I like on part 4 where the viz is bad and then "poof" the whale shark appears - very cool!!