If You Had It To Do Over Again....??

[kennedy]

We just returned from the Galapagos - (trip report here some place)

BATTERIES - both my computer and my husband's computer batteries went on the blink and we'd just changed them - we had ONE back up and thankfully one of the divers on board had a spare.

Sea sick meds...........oh lord. I had them all - nothing worked for me. Make sure to bring them - I can't agree more with Dive the Galapagos on that!!

I had trouble with chapped lips too - I had brought chap stick stuff - but the Vaseline idea is a good one too.

I love live a boards - take the advise of the others - pack light - the boats are very casual - and make sure you have some good shoes for the land tours!

you will have a great trip! enjoy!

 

[Shasta_man]

what everybody else said, plus...

I think, in the Galapagos, you'll be straight to the 7mm.

I have run into drying clothes problems on liveaboards. Between the basic ambient humidity and the bathrooms not always having ventilation, it can be difficult for them to actually dry, what with bringing more wet stuff into the room every few hours. Even though all my suits are quickdry material. Nothing dried much in our little Komodo Dancer bathroom. Don't know what the humidity level is in Galapagos.

Bring ear dryer stuff. THat problem could eventually cause dive problems.

 

[Shasta_man]

on my last couple trips, some people read so many books, I don't know how they brought them all!

 

[Mossman]

I have run into drying clothes problems on liveaboards. Between the basic ambient humidity and the bathrooms not always having ventilation, it can be difficult for them to actually dry, what with bringing more wet stuff into the room every few hours. Even though all my suits are quickdry material. Nothing dried much in our little Komodo Dancer bathroom. Don't know what the humidity level is in Galapagos.

No wonder, you're trying to dry stuff in your room. To dry clothes on a liveaboard, unless it's raining, simply tie them onto railings on an upper deck. Just make sure you tie them well enough so they don't blow away.

 

[Darnold9999]

What everyone else has said. Pack light. Personally I take 5 bathing suits and rotate through them every day. Wear them as shorts, dive them, change into the next pair, tie the wet pair to a railing somewhere. A few t-shirts, something warm top and bottom and that is pretty much it. Wear shoes onto the boat and then again off at the end of the week - or for land excursions. On the boat bare feet, or if that does not work for you something minimal.

Don't know about the Galapagos boats, but there are never enough outlets to charge everything. Camera, computers, lights, strobes, it all adds up. A short extension cord with extra outlets has been useful on several trips.

If at all possible dive a couple of dives in the week or two before leaving just to get dialed in, particularly if it has been a few months since the last dive. It always takes a dive or two to get all the procedures for the specific liveaboard worked out and it makes it less stressful if you are not working out your own cobwebs at the same time.

 

[Doc]

A perfect time to stop dragging a laptop PC along.

Memory stick media is so cheap at this point, there really is no reason to bother. Break the bond!

A Goretex shell parka weighs nothing and can be a life saver. That hooded sweatshirt (and pants) as mentioned makes great sleep wear.

 

[TSandM]

I'd also reconsider the advice to "bring a large dry bag for your dry clothes" as you're going in the dry season to a desert island locale. As long your boat has decent a/c, indoor humidity isn't a big issue. I've been on 11 liveaboards, including 2 in the Galapagos, and never recall experiencing damp clothing.

That's interesting. My week-long liveaboard was in the Red Sea, which is a warm and pretty low-humidity area. But still, but the end of the week, stuff in our room was damp. Stuff I hung on the decks sometimes dried but often ended up slightly damp -- from spray, I assumed. But the comment about AC may be the key -- we had an outside cabin, and left the door open for ventilation instead of running the AC.

 

[ronscuba]

That's interesting. My week-long liveaboard was in the Red Sea, which is a warm and pretty low-humidity area. But still, but the end of the week, stuff in our room was damp. Stuff I hung on the decks sometimes dried but often ended up slightly damp -- from spray, I assumed. But the comment about AC may be the key -- we had an outside cabin, and left the door open for ventilation instead of running the AC.

I try not to bring anything made of cotton. High tech quick drying clothes are great on a liveaboard. I'm sure you've seen them in sporting goods stores. T'shirts, golf shirts, shorts, socks, etc.

 

[Darnold9999]

A perfect time to stop dragging a laptop PC along.

Memory stick media is so cheap at this point, there really is no reason to bother. Break the bond!

A Goretex shell parka weighs nothing and can be a life saver. That hooded sweatshirt (and pants) as mentioned makes great sleep wear.

But I want to see the pictures I just took so the next set will be better, and spend the 20 or 30 seconds to adjust the RAW image on each shot.... but I hear you.