Dan
Contributor
I went to Galapagos once in December 2016 & twice in October 2022, as shown in the trip reports posted, below.
scubaboard.com
scubaboard.com
Water temperatures in December are 1-2C (2-4F) warmer than in October. I was wearing 5mm full wetsuit with 2mm shorty over the 5mm wetsuit and 1mm hood in December. The lowest temperature then was 16C (61F) in Cabo Douglas & Punta Vincente Roca. I felt cold, but able to hangout for 50 minutes then. Darwin & Wolf water temperatures were 24-25C (75-77F). So, I was quite comfortable with wearing those 2mm shorty over 3mm wetsuits with 1mm hood.
Since October is colder season, I wore 7mm full wetsuit with 1mm hood. I was comfortable diving with that setup in Darwin & Wolf. However, I was cold diving in Cabo Douglas & Punta Vincente Roca, where the water temperatures were as low as 15C (59F). After 40 minutes & seeing Mola Mola, I had to get out of the water (gave a thumb up to my dive buddy & DM to ascend alone, launched my DSMB & flagged the panga to get me out of the water).
I’m going back to Galapagos this December 18-28, 2023. This time I plan to bring the 7mm full wetsuit, 1mm hood and 7mm hooded vest. Even though December is warmer than October, I plan to put the 7mm hooded vest over the 7mm full wetsuit when we dive in Cabo Douglas and Punta Vincente Roca. We’ll see how that setup work then.
How is diving in Galapagos in December?
I'll be vacationing in Galapagos for the first time in December. For those who have gone there in December, how is your diving experience like (in terms of water temperature, current, visibility, what you would expect to see underwater in December, etc.)? I'll be on a 7-night liveaboard trip...
Trip Report - Diving in Galapagos in October 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...
Water temperatures in December are 1-2C (2-4F) warmer than in October. I was wearing 5mm full wetsuit with 2mm shorty over the 5mm wetsuit and 1mm hood in December. The lowest temperature then was 16C (61F) in Cabo Douglas & Punta Vincente Roca. I felt cold, but able to hangout for 50 minutes then. Darwin & Wolf water temperatures were 24-25C (75-77F). So, I was quite comfortable with wearing those 2mm shorty over 3mm wetsuits with 1mm hood.
Since October is colder season, I wore 7mm full wetsuit with 1mm hood. I was comfortable diving with that setup in Darwin & Wolf. However, I was cold diving in Cabo Douglas & Punta Vincente Roca, where the water temperatures were as low as 15C (59F). After 40 minutes & seeing Mola Mola, I had to get out of the water (gave a thumb up to my dive buddy & DM to ascend alone, launched my DSMB & flagged the panga to get me out of the water).
I’m going back to Galapagos this December 18-28, 2023. This time I plan to bring the 7mm full wetsuit, 1mm hood and 7mm hooded vest. Even though December is warmer than October, I plan to put the 7mm hooded vest over the 7mm full wetsuit when we dive in Cabo Douglas and Punta Vincente Roca. We’ll see how that setup work then.
