Preparing for Galapagos/Socorro

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I drove Socorro in a 3 mil shorty with a long sleeve rash guard in March. Others were in 5 mil suits but no one wore a 7 mil. Water temp was in the mid 70's. This is probably a bit warmer than the Galapagos.

There is a hard bottom on all dives but it can be at or greater than recreational limits. You should be able to comfortably descend and then become neutrally buoyant at a specific depth, rather than needing to go right to the bottom

A hard bottom at 200 feet == No Bottom. In Socorro you visit Roca Partida which is a near vertical pinnacle with no bottom where you will likely spend two full days and at least 6 dives. You dive in blue water with the Mantas, Sharks, and Dolphins. They will draw you deep if you don't watch out.

On every trip I've taken there after a few days some people start ditching their 5mm suits for 7mm. Everyone has a different tolerance for cold, so bring layers like a hooded vest you can add as needed. I've been happy with a 5mm and Lavacore vest with a 1mm hood in both locations. My wife uses a 7mm and a vest + hood. Next time she'll bring her heated vest.
 
I agree with you! What I'm looking for is good locations that will help us develop the skills necessary for a trip like this. We want to get experience in mild/moderate current and any other factors that would help us prepare. We definitely are NOT planning on going to dive Galapagos right away! What locations have you dove in that are not as challenging as Galapagos but have some conditions that could provide training/practice? I know Cozumel has great drift diving, but we are open to other places too!

Every place I've dived has added to my experience and contributed to my diving. However, I think it is important to become an independent diver under a variety of circumstances. That means being able to plan and execute a dive on your own, without a guide. I cut my teeth doing shore dives in Southern California, this was a great primer. Boat dives in California are still a great teacher. I spend the majority of my time drift diving in Southeastern Florida, this is also a great experience. The current, visibility, temperature, surface conditions, all vary very considerably. I spend most of my time diving by myself but this is also a great place to dive with a buddy. I dive in Boynton Beach, West Palm, and Jupiter. There are numerous places to dive south of this. The Florida Keys also presents many possibilities. Much of Caribbean diving is potentially very controlled with a guide and group. Though the option to dive independently is offered, in my experience, few take advantage of this opportunity.

Though you may be diving with a guide in Galapagos or Cocos, you must be prepared to be diving by yourself. That means deploying a dSMB at depth, doing a blue water ascent, and waiting for the panga to pick you up. This will add to both your safety and your enjoyment
 
lancemajor, I'd recommend Jupiter, FL as a great next step. It doesn't sound very exotic, but there are a number of reasons I think it's worth exploring:
  • Bit more challenging diving than many places in the Caribbean, including the Caymans.
  • Inexpensive location where it's easy to get lots of dives in a short amount of time.
  • Virtually all drift diving, so great exposure to current.
  • Temperatures (depending on when you go) and depth similar to Socorro.
  • Lots of large marine life (sharks, turtles, stingrays).
My wife and I go just about every year, as it's interesting diving and easy to get to.

For additional certifications, all you'll need beyond additional experience is your nitrox cert - a must on any liveaboard.

James
 
...Where are the best places for us to travel and get lots of dive experience ...Galapagos...trip?
You know those mechanical bulls where you hang on with only one hand and try to stay on (the rock)?
 
A hard bottom at 200 feet == No Bottom. In Socorro you visit Roca Partida which is a near vertical pinnacle with no bottom where you will likely spend two full days and at least 6 dives. You dive in blue water with the Mantas, Sharks, and Dolphins. They will draw you deep if you don't watch out.

.....and so your advice to the OP considering his/her question is ?????
 
.....and so your advice to the OP considering his/her question is ?????

I’ll jump in and suggest that perhaps the point that davehicks was making, ref Socorro is there may not be an easy answer to a series of dives or locales that your specifically be prep for Socorro, sites like the boiler at roca are unique. The wall is quite devoid of key identifying marks and you can easily find yourself at 140ft thinking you are at 70ft if you don’t watch out, especially is those devil dolphins are coaxing you down :) you can pop your head around the side of the rock and the current can whip your mask clean off your face (happened to a lady on my dive 70ft down, but she was experienced and didn’t panic. Her buddy was carrying a spare..luckily and I always carry a spare now!)

That being said, I don’t want to make out Socorro is something it’s not, it can be a bit of a challenge, but I feel that any experience, as long as it’s decent, non quarry etc will set you up. All dives, Caribbean or North Pole add flight time to your armour, and you could perhaps say, ‘go to drift, current places like Palau, more difficult Red Sea etc,’ to get prepped, but there is no guarantee that would specifically do it, conditions on a specific day etc in Palau and you will likely find it tougher than Socorro! I would just say, go where you feel you would enjoy yourselves and Don’t worry about the ‘gaining specific’ experience bit too much, just make sure you have over 100 and you should be ok. After all, we had a guy on our last boat who was 86 years old and he did every dive....in a dry suit, but he didn’t have issues. You could work yourself up to much expecting a ‘marathon’ experience and then wonder what all the fuss was about.:) I would say best bet is just get some liveaboards under your belt. At least 3 and then go for it with confidence... because it’s great!
 
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I would add that I dive Socorro in a rashy and shorts, but I’m 260 lb and don’t seem to ever get cold. In Nov about 3/4 were in 5 longs or with extra body and hood. Most of the rest in shorties and one other bozo was half naked with me.
 
I would add that I dive Socorro in a rashy and shorts, but I’m 260 lb and don’t seem to ever get cold. In Nov about 3/4 were in 5 longs or with extra body and hood. Most of the rest in shorties and one other bozo was half naked with me.

Same here. Went to the Socorros in November and didn't need a wetsuit.

To the OP, I didn't find the diving in the Socorros all that difficult. If there is a strong current, and typically there was not, we just drifted with it. It's not like they are going to have you swimming against it. I actually found diving there pretty relaxing. We had a few folks on our trip that had less than 50 dives and had no problem at all.

When you do decide to book a Socorro trip, I would suggest going in November on the Rocio Del Mar. A lot of the operations don't start diving there until early to mid December and once all the other boats get going, the sites can become crowded. The Rocio Del Mar starts diving there in November and you may find you are the only boat there. Much better experience for sure. The water is also at it's warmest that time of the year.
 
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