Galapagos Training

[Racer_X]

So I went with the family in August of 2024 on a cruise. I packed the scuba extras (computer, lights), but didn't end up diving because it was a family thing. Snorkeled a lot, and the really really bad current snorkel ended up being me and a the dive guide as the only ones that made it through the fun part - everyone else bailed to the boat. OTOH, the school of eagle rays was amazing.

But....Wolf and Darwin. Yeah....Wolf and Darwin. So I'm planning a 2028 just me liveaboard trip. For those that have done it, looking for some validation on what to do to get ready.

Background:
Local <sigh> lake - max depth around 50ft, but as a bonus, the max water temp is 73F. So perfect for practice in the temp. with 7mm full wetsuit. Not to mention the 5ft vis. Practiced with DSMB a fair bit, that's going to continue. Man, I hate cold water.

Gear:
Going BP/W. Getting a Resqulink and marine radio with DiveFob for Xmas. Understand the need for kevlar gloves, which I hate because I hate gloves when diving, but I'd rather end the dive with skin still on my hands.

Plan:
October - liveaboard practice. Bahamas/Caribbean just to get used to it. Dial-in dives for the gear in salt water. Packing practice for gear to stay in carry-on.
March 2026- Drift dive/current practice: Cozumel. Just got back last week after learning drift dives. Figure another week-long trip for practice. Maybe give Barracuda Reef a try.
Practice wing maintenance/repairs.
Sometime 2026 - tacking on some dives in South Africa to our safari. prolly Aliwal/Sodwana.
Beg the LDS to let me observe regulator servicing so I can practice repairs as needed so I don't bring 2 full sets of gear to the Galapagos.
March 2027 - Back to Coz, live at barracuda reef.
August 2027 - Do a long liveaboard to practice dealing with long liveaboard issues.

August 2028 - do the thing.

Any recommendations on other things to work on? Any other prep-sites worth hitting? Figure my top priorities are covered - strong current, cold water <sigh>, low vis, close quarters. Really don't want to dive dry - that'll be a commitment I'll have to live with for a very very long time to justify the expense, and I don't want to dive in cold water that much.

 

[Dan]

You can start by reading some trip reports. Here’s mine:

Trip Report Thread 'Diving in Galapagos in October 2022'

Nov 6, 2022

Summary
This is two, back-to-back, eight-day (17-24 & 24-31, 2022) liveaboard trips to Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, with Galapagos Master liveaboard. The itineraries, as shown in Table 1 and 2, include 7 days of diving to a total of 18 dives on each trip. We saw several kinds of sharks (Blacktip, Bullhead, Galapagos, Scalloped Hammerhead, Silky) including Whalesharks. Some animals that we captured in our cameras and jotted them down in my logbook include Barberfish, Eels (Fine Spotted Moray, Jewel Moray, Garden), Blennies (Throat Spotted, Panamic Fanged), Calico Lizardfish, Flag...

• Dan
• galapagos master liveaboard hammerhead sharks whaleshark
• Replies: 44
• Forum: South America

• 

Practice on:
1. Launching DSMB at depth
2. Negative entry

 

[Still Kicking]

Assuming you have good buoyancy control (blue water drifting safety stops) you should be fine.

I was very happy in a 7mm with a hooded vest in October.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Racer_X

My friend, @Dan gave good advice.

You have quite a bit of time before your tentative trip to the Galapagos. If you don't mind, how many dives do you have now and what is your training level?

Personally, I do not find the diving in Cozumel to be very similar to the diving in the Eastern Pacific. I have dived at Cocos, Galapagos, Revillagigedos, and Malpelo. You mentioned a liveaboard trip in August 2027, you might want to consider the Revillagigedos. I have been there twice and believe it is a bit easier than Galapagos. It would help you in Galapagos if you were already familiar with diving off a RHIB, backroll, unhurried negative entry, relaxed, stay with the guide and group. If you have a camera, being able to handle that effectively. Reboarding with handing up your weights, BC, and fins.

The water temps in Galapagos may vary quite a bit. Much of the time I dived in full 7mm, I added a 5/3mm hooded vest with the coldest temperatures in the low 60s. Many divers ended up getting quite cold.

As @Dan suggested, read trip reports, here's mine

Trip Report Thread 'Galapagos Aggressor III April 26-May 3, 2018'

Jun 12, 2018

Here is my Undercurrent review of the trip with a few added details. A few photos also, some not so good, but you'll get the idea. I'm quite serious about diving, not so much about photography.

Reservations: I made my reservations on the Galapagos Aggressor III directly through Aggressor, and communicated online and by phone. All of the arrangements worked perfectly. They also made my flight reservations from Guayaquil to Baltra, the Galapagos. I made my hotel reservations in Guayaquil and airport transportation through Aggressor Adventure Travel. These arrangements also worked out...

• scubadada

• 

Best of luck in your quest

 

[Racer_X]

You have quite a bit of time before your tentative trip to the Galapagos. If you don't mind, how many dives do you have now and what is your training level?

Personally, I do not find the diving in Cozumel to be very similar to the diving in the Eastern Pacific. I have dived at Cocos, Galapagos, Revillagigedos, and Malpelo. You mentioned a liveaboard trip in August 2027, you might want to consider the Revillagigedos. I have been there twice and believe it is a bit easier than Galapagos. It would help you in Galapagos if you were already familiar with diving off a RIB, backroll, unhurried negative entry, relaxed, stay with the guide and group. If you have a camera, being able to handle that effectively. Reboarding with handing up your weights, BC, and fins.

The water temps in Galapagos may vary quite a bit. Much of the time I dived in full 7mm, I added a 5/3mm hooded vest with the coldest temperatures in the low 60s. Many divers ended up getting quite cold.


Best of luck in your quest

Thank you all for your advice so quickly. To provide more background, I've been diving since the late 1900s. I stopped counting when I hit 100 just after the turn of the century. However, those were mostly 40'-60' OW dives - reefs and wrecks w/o penetration. I've done a number of cenote dives. A fair bit of night diving. It's amazing how much you can dive and really avoid stuff like ripping current. I'm also a strong swimmer - always have been. Figure about 200-300 snorkel drops off boats and zodiacs since I was about 9 - back roll and "giant stride" - in everything from bare skin to 5mm suits. I've got more experience with tough currents on the surface than at depth.

I've been through NAUI OW I and II (aka OW and AOW), PADI AOW when NAUI lost my paperwork, TDI Nitrox (the first one), and too many useless "pool refreshers." Then there's the post-training training of stuff like "hey, my rentabuddy's rental gear is leaking air, and he's just shrugging at me, fun!"

I've got plenty of experience backrolling off zodiacs, both in motion and at rest. Negative entries is a good call out. I could use a refresher. Especially giant stride negative entries (or giant "jump then keep your feet together" entries?). Appreciate the suggestion on Revillagigedos. I might try that. I'm leaning towards Raja Ampat, but might mix it up.

 

[cetacean]

@Racer_X

Just returned from Galapagos.

Raja Ampat is a great diving destination, but it shares very little with Galapagos (and not a lot of experiences are going to transfer over).

Somebody suggested the Revillagigedos, that's not a bad suggestion, although it is significantly easier that Galapagos (actually said more correctly, the toughtest dives in the Revillagigedos are a middling dive in Galapagos). The only diving that is comparable is either at Cocos (like at Alcyone with a ripping current) or Malpelo (like at "The Fridge").

However, to be clear - 85%+ of the dives you will do in Galapagos are comparable to any number of dives you may do elsewhere (given variable water temp, vis, etc.) - there is no prep needed for these dives. However, Darmin & Wolf, Gordon Rocks, and a few others can challenge your comfort level.

If you concerned about this - try Cocos or Malpelo. Raja Ampat is great diving, but not going to prep you for Galapagos.

 

[Racer_X]

Somebody suggested the Revillagigedos, that's not a bad suggestion, although it is significantly easier that Galapagos (actually said more correctly, the toughtest dives in the Revillagigedos are a middling dive in Galapagos). The only diving that is comparable is either at Cocos (like at Alcyone with a ripping current) or Malpelo (like at "The Fridge").

However, to be clear - 85%+ of the dives you will do in Galapagos are comparable to any number of dives you may do elsewhere (given variable water temp, vis, etc.) - there is no prep needed for these dives. However, Darmin & Wolf, Gordon Rocks, and a few others can challenge your comfort level.

If you concerned about this - try Cocos or Malpelo. Raja Ampat is great diving, but not going to prep you for Galapagos.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the comparisons. The dives for Cocos seem to be almost identical life-wise to the reasons to go to Darwin and Wolf. It's almost like prepping for the dives themselves removes the reason to do them in the first place

 

[cetacean]

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the comparisons. The dives for Cocos seem to be almost identical life-wise to the reasons to go to Darwin and Wolf. It's almost like prepping for the dives themselves removes the reason to do them in the first place

Cocos marine life is significantly different although the conditions are similar. Cocos is known as the "Island of the Sharks" - on most trips you will see more sharks at Cocos, however Galapagos has it's own unique marine life including marine iquanas, the Galapagos penguin, fur seals, sea lions, and you more likely to see whale sharks.

You asked how to prepare - diving the eastern Pacific is how you prepare.

Get kevlar lined gloves (neoprene-only will get ripped to shreds after just a couple of dives) to hold onto the rocks. Also think about your fins - longer is better if you can manage them. Split fins were all the rage a few years ago - they are basically useless in places like Galapagos. I brought my Mares Avanti Quattro's and I'm glad I did on several dives, although snorking with the marine iquanas they were tough because of their length. There were two people on our boat that rented fins from the boat for the snorkeling (which given the surge is a bit like a washing machine). Two of the DMs had free diving fins - initially that seemed like overkill, but with the current at Darwin it worked for them.

 

[rongoodman]

I normally use Deep Six Eddy fins but I found that the DiveRite XTs are better out at Cocos.

 

[Dan]

I brought my Mares Avanti Quattro's

+1 for Mares Avanti Quattro!