Slight hijack here but, RM would you expand upon this? Just curious - I'm scheduled for a Galapagos liveaboard later this year. Are you referring to inexperience with currents, colder water and panga diving, that sort of thing? Feel free to PM if you'd like.
Not really a hi-jack as this thread is discussing
the overall liveaboard experience.
Yes, exactly- the currents, the temp, and small boat entry & recovery.
Vertical as well as lateral currents- many folks have experienced some minor currents, but few onboard will have anything more under their belts other than Cozumel.
As to the Galapagos example in specific, the thought of grabbing hand-over-hand on black lava "reefs" is foreign to most. Did you bring leather work gloves? Understanding not just drift diving, but how to "hide" behind rocks from current as you hold on and watch the critters.
Some divers may have had some real current experience, but very very few have had vertical current (up and downwellings) experience. It's quite a steep learning curve for everyone the first go round. Some folks never figure it out.
Temps? Not just the issue of cold water, but also the repetitive dives offered by liveaboards. On your surface interval, in an ideal world, you would doze comfortably. Try that on a liveaboard. Being on a ship saps your strength even as you are unaware of it... or asleep. The cold, the humidity, the motion, the unfamiliar surroundings. It all adds up to make your SI less than perfect for recovery.
Small boats? Don't assume they'll be pangas or RIBs, but you might want to be ready for wither and understand that they are somewhat similar... and different. The big trick for most is doing negatively buoyant back-rolls in current. Most dive ops there suggest you enter with "a little air in your BC and then descend very quickly". Call it what you will, if you are safe and prepared, a negative entry and fast descent in current is the way to go (when so directed by the dive guide)
Deploying your SMB sausage from a depth of 25fsw and hanging off at 15' waiting for your boatsman to oplot and schedule your pick up. Most divers have an SMB, but it is worn as an ornament, clipped to their BC. No idea what to do with it, most will surface, blow it up and wave it. They usually puke from sea sickness by the time the boat comes to get them.
Getting back into the boat? Can you safely doff your rig and pass it properly to the boatsman so you don't ruin his day? Are you ready to "get small" with your personal space, your gear area, so that
the world may continue to revolve around you?
Many things like that. And don't forget the big one... most folks have never been aboard a small boat (and don't kid yourself, 140' is a small boat) for more than an evening cocktail cruise. You are stepping into a marine industrial environment and although the crew does their best to keep you alive and toe-unstubbed, many folks are likely to get banged-up in one way or the other.
They get easier as you go, but the point of what I was saying is that for many, the
Galloping Pogos Liveaboard is usually their
first such adventure.
