Galapagos Gloves and Luggage?

[JRRKAR]

I am heading to the Galapagos Islands at the end of December with Peter Hughes. My question is for the people that have been there, what type of gloves did you recommend?

I have a pair of 2mm Kevlar gloves, which should be good for the corral and 70ish water temps. But I'm afraid that the colder waters up around Darwin (low 60's) the water may be a little too cold for these gloves. Obvioulsy everyone's threshold is different. I got a 5 mm one piece suit that I think should be good. I'm thinking maybe a 3/5 glove, but they don't really make these with a kevlar finish.

So what type of gloves (fininsh and thickness) do you recommend from past experience? I will be doing photography so the thinner the better for controls.

Is there anything else you would recommend taking (or not taking)?

What about luggage restrictions on the flight over to Galapagos from Quito? They state you are allowed one 50 pound bag plus a carry-on. How strict were they? Obvioulsy with a lot of photo gear, you can't get all your dive gear plus photo gear in one bag. Any recent experiences?

Thanks.

Jeff

 

[cowjazz]

I went through two sets of 2 mil (non-kevlar) gloves on my trip. My wife's 5 mil gloves lasted the entire week, but they would not have lasted much longer.

The luggage was not a problem for us because we checked in as a group of 16. We talked to other divers who traveled on their own, and they were charged for overweight baggage going to and from Galapagos.

 

[Doc]

Leather work gloves. $4.99 at MallWart

If you need warmth, wear them over a thin pair of scuba gloves.

 

[Manuel Sam]

I've done fine with a pair of 2mm neoprenes, but everyone's experience will vary. You should be fine in Darwin - the Northern Islands tend to be low 70's, at worse high 60's. You probably meant the Central Islands that are much colder (lo 60's or less).

Another item you might consider bringing is a reef hook - if there is a strong current, that frees up both of your hands for whatever else you want to do with them.

And as far as luggage, we also did a group check-in. It was all handled by a person from a local tour operator that is contracted out by the boat. We didn't have to pay. It may have had to do with the person's diplomacy, because I think that a diver with less than 50 lbs. of luggage is a rarity these days.

 

[Fionab]

Our group had the same experience with the luggage, despite being informed it was best to check in as individuals, all our bags were whisked away by the local agent and checked in as a group. We didn't pay excess either way. I had 46kg in 2 bags so about 100lb in old money

As for gloves, I used a pair of Typhoon 3mm gloves with a kevlar coating on the palm and fingers, they still look perfect. Some members of the group were going through thinner ones.

Suit - I don't think I would have been warm enough in my 5mm semi dry, but I did wear a Fourth Element Thermocline top underneath, these are equivalent to 2mm thickness without the buoyancy issues.

As for reef hooks, I wouldn't bother. I think a couple of people in our group took them but they didn't use them as the currents were more surgey than in one direction.

 

[ChrisM]

Gloves - Akona 5 mil Kevlar palms/fingers. Used both trips, and lasted tons of dives after that. Something like $25 at Amazon.

Luggage - like others, if you are going alone, if you have overweight bags likely you'll get charged. In a group, haven't been charged in two trips. I also hear AeroGal is less strict than TAME, but I've never flown TAME, so can't say. Our local agent said they get overwhelmed with 30+ bags for 16 passengers so they basically give up trying to figure it out. And we had one non-photographer among us, we were way overweight.

reef hooks - agree with fiona, I brought one the first trip, it never left the locker. There is quite a good amount of surge, sometimes even down deep, I'd imagine you'd get banged around on the rocks pretty good. Plus, if you have any intentions of seeing a hammerhead, your best location is hunkered down in and behind the rocks, not floating over them like a balloon. You just need to fin a rock outcropping or two, wedge your knees in if you have a camera, and wait. Frankly, if a diver were using a reef hook near me at Darwin Island, I'd get as far away from him/her as possible.

Not to mention you need to have "easy access" to shoot off the rocks quickly when the whale shark comes by. If you've got to mess with unhooking a reef hook, many times the WS will likely be long gone by the time you're in the blue and you end up chasing tail. Just my opinion, but I don't think reef hooks are particularly safe in Galapagos, nor are the realyl needed, you are not divng amongst coral heads there.

Of course, all of this is just my .02

 

[Manuel Sam]

I had mine in my BC pocket the whole trip - never took it out once. Thank God and Mustad for stainless steel hooks. However, Jofre, the dive guide for our trip and for Fiona's trip, used it quite often when he wasn't chasing, as that allowed him to use both hands on the video camera. Hence my suggestion.

So while I agree that for the most part, it will not be needed, as was evidently in my case, better to have it and not use it than to not have it at all, as there may come a situation where one might want one and then it's: "$#%^&#@!!! I shoulda.....".

 

[Fionab]

However, Jofre, the dive guide for our trip and for Fiona's trip, used it quite often when he wasn't chasing, as that allowed him to use both hands on the video camera. Hence my suggestion.

Jofre wasn't the guide on our trip, we had Jeff and Luis - neither of them had reef hooks. As someone said you will be finding a big rock and crouching down behind it otherwise the sharks just won't pass over the top.

It's all about playing peek a boo with the sharks

 

[Manuel Sam]

Jofre is Jeff. Jofre is how he's called in Spanish.

 

[Fionab]

Jofre is Jeff. Jofre is how he's called in Spanish.

Apologies I didn't know. Perhaps if he had bothered to communicate with us I might have been aware of that.