Galapagos Livaboard - Torch needed

[Hackric]

Hi all,

I am going to dive to Galapagos end July/beginning August on Galapagos Sky.

I have spoken with a bloke who went diving there and told me it is not compulsary to bring a torch (no night dive / most dives are "in the blue").
I want to take pictures, and sometimes use my torch as a complement for light.

What are your thoughts?
Coming from Europe and need to comply with weights constraints... Considering the apeks flight as an alternative solution!

Cheers,

Ced.

 

[Doc]

There's not a lot to photograph in the Galapogos that will require a light- mostly because what you will be seeing is big and relatively far away.

Using a flashlight to assist in photography? Two reasons: finding the little camouflaged critters and/or assisting the focusing system of a camera to operate in macro/low light. Neither situation is all that prevalent in the diving conditions of the commonly visited dive sites.

There is some interesting small stuff, a few different Nudibranch, some types of Coral Polyps, and a few sedentary odd-shaped bottom dwellers. Nothing you can't shoot with even a point and shoot. Obviously, when working with more wide-angle subjects, lighting becomes problematic unless you have National Geographic lighting gear or are cleverly using available light.

Yes, occasionally when a Mobula Ray or Hammerhead, maybe a Seal comes in close for a look, your lighting system might come into play for a brief instant- but most any interesting picture that we amateurs produce in the Galapagos are with natural lighting, good white balance and thoughtful positioning.

Most Galapogos dive guides and liveaboard routes concentrate on what 99.9% of their guests believe that they came there to see. They will often blow-past very quickly some very sporadic and unusual macro critters- most guests can't see them in the currents, anyway.

the dive guides know what gets them tips. Not many guests are interested in things such as the two almost identical Nudibranchs (one large and one small) that are continuously engaged in a prey and predator relationship. Most unusual, but then again- most come here with Shark Fever.

I always carry a light when I am there, if for nothing more than signaling and safety considerations.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hi all,

I am going to dive to Galapagos end July/beginning August on Galapagos Sky.

I have spoken with a bloke who went diving there and told me it is not compulsary to bring a torch (no night dive / most dives are "in the blue").

You absolutely need a light. Not for taking pictures, but in case you don't make it back to the boat. A light isn't just for you to see things, it's so you can be seen.

There is other safety equipment I'd also bring, but a light is certainly at the top of the list.

Terry

 

[Hackric]

Well, I cannot use this one at the surface, so I will not bring it for sure!
Thanks for the info.

 

[Hackric]

Do you know as well if 15l cylinder are common there?

 

[Dom@DiveAdvice]

Hi Hackric - 15litres tanks are very difficult to find in Galapagos. There maybe a few around but rare. You may want to check with Galapagos Sky if they have access to any but its been hard to find them in the past. Suggest you bring a small flashlight that you can stow in you BC pocket for signaling but more important I highly recommend the mini-strobes. They weight nothing, store in your BC and are one of the best ways to be seen in the worst case scenario. They are cheap too !

 

[fweber]

Al 80's unless they state otherwise. And for photography concerns, a reef hook would probably be the first piece of gear I would consider. The majority of dives that we did there were in pretty significant current.

 

[Hackric]

Thanks for the info - I do have a mini-strobe (I dive in the UK waters!) and was planning to buy a hook for current (and actually two, because if I have one and not my buddy...)
Any pony cylinders then?
Do you think free diving fins can be useful? albeit no that great with 12l, requires more efforts...

 

[fweber]

Don't recall seeing any poy cylinders. In fact, most the dive masters we went out with, thought nothing of encouraging non-buddy divers to equalize air resources by breathing off others tanks until all surfaced with hardly a breath left. We also got seperated from the boat once, because the dm went in a different direction around a ridge from what he agreed with the captain, and were only located by the captain because I had a smb and whistle(which the dm had neither of). One unrelated diver on one of our boats suffered ear issues from a hasty ascent whilst low or out of air. And a few more hair raising stories.

A co-worker of mine also had her dodgiest dives ever whilst in Galapagos. The rental regs she was using wouldn't breath correctly. They hung them back in the mix and handed her identical but better working ones(it wasn't her imagination). Hmmmm,......wonder who got them next?

I love the place. BUT, they have a captive market and it shows in their level of customer service. One day and afternoon boat for one of the other operators will have been very late leaving. They were waiting for our DM, who had double booked himself into a morning dive for operator A and afternoon dive for operator B. Only problem? We were late back from the morning dives, because,..........we got a late start when the DM showed up late to the boat. Not just a little late, but actually after the appointed departure time.