Galapagos Diving Tips

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

seagal

Registered
Messages
34
Reaction score
2
Location
Seattle, Washington
# of dives
100 - 199
I am traveling to the galapagos this july for a liveaboard dive trip! I am very excited. I generally get very cold when diving. In hawaii where the water is 74F+ I wear a 7mm suit with a 3mm hooded vest and seem to be just right. In July in the Galapagos the water will be in the 60degree F range. What kind of wetsuit would you suggest for me?(womens wetsuit) I have an oneil suit right now and its just not stretchy enough for me. Would you suggest a semi-dry suit? I do not have any experience with semi-dry suits. Any other gear I should bring special for the galapagos? We are traveling with Explorer Ventures aboard the new Humboldt Explorer. Anyone have any storys of diving in the galapagos in July? Thanks! :D
 
If you are already wearing a 7mm, you may want to consider a semidry or a 2 pc. 7mm wetsuit. When I go in Aug./ Sept. I will be taking both my drysuits & a few undergarments. One to wear & one as a back- up. I've never dove a semidry personally, but know a lot of people who have (our quarries are kind of cold). I know most who have dove the SP Nova Scotia have reported that they get a little water in the arms & legs to about the knees & elbows then are dry elsewhere. The only things that are really different about them is the back zip across the shoulders (you'll need a buddy to get dressed) & the neoprene seals that have to be tucked in so that the shiny side of the neoprene is resting flush around the skin of the ankles, wrists & neck to help seal out the water. Getting through the neck seal as you pull it over your head can be a bit tricky, as it is long (for the tucking), the LDS you order it from should be able to explain it to you the first time you try it on. Also be aware that the seals will probably feel tight (not as bad as drysuit latex seals),..... as long as it doesn't restrict breathing or the blood flow through the neck (important to check for safety), you'll be fine. Before getting into the water, you will need to "burp" the air out of the suit or getting down will be a PITA. This can best be done by squatting down into a crouching position while putting a finger down the neck seal to break the seal, letting the air out. Also be aware that there can be a little extra squeeze by the suit at depth (a little uncomfortable if you're not used to it, at first, but not dangerous) because the suit doesn't have an inflator valve. I would certainly give it a few dives before taking it to the Galapagos to adjust to it & make sure your weighting is correct.

Oh yeah, something I heard you'll want to make sure you have plenty of is gloves. Even though I'm not going until after you return, I have heard reports that you will want to take several pairs of gloves, as hanging on to the volcanic rocks can cause them to wear out very quickly. There are PDF files on Exploere Ventures' site that have other stuff you will need (surface markers, Dive Alert horns & such).
 
Is it too late to go to Cocos instead? Your suits will be fine at Wolf/Darwin where 74 degrees is about the norm that time of year, but you're gonna freeze in the Central Islands. Maybe a 5mm core warmer to go on top of your 7mm and 3mm vest?
 
.....loading up on neoprene, with multiple thick layers, will make you float like a cork, necessitating a possible massive amount of lead to sink it, which will be a pain to deal with, especially depending on the exact dive procedures/methods you will be following......trying to walk around a heaving, slippery boat deck, or getting into or out of a zodiac, with lots of lead, will not be fun! Also, massive amounts of neoprene make bouyancy control, especially at shallow depths, much more challenging, even more challenging if the water is already rough/turbulent. Also, I'd choose a one-piece thicker wetsuit over a multipiece thinner 'layered' wetsuit any day of the week.....'layers' provide too many water entry points. As already suggested, Galapagos isn't the place to figure out your bouyancy, get in a pool at least with whatever configuration you will be using on location (including the same tanks as the boat will have) and try to dial things in as closely as possible. (making the obviouss adjustments for fresh versus salt water.) Warm gloves and thermal head protection are critical as enormous amounts of body head are lost through the head/neck areas. AKONA makes some very nicely designed gloves with armored fabric, they're tough and have the best wrist sealing design I've yet seen in a wetsuit glove.

As already mentioned, if you go with 'semi-dry', I'd HIGHLY suggest you try that out at your local dive shop BEFORE dragging it all the way to the Galapagos and THEN discovering you hate it! They can be a bear to don/doff, and it's easy to overheat in one if there is a time interval between zipping up and splashdown...again, IMHO, Galapagos isn't the best place to experiment with substantial amounts of major new gear.
 
Also, I'd choose a one-piece thicker wetsuit over a multipiece thinner 'layered' wetsuit any day of the week.....'layers' provide too many water entry points.
The problem with that idea is the potential temperature variation of 15 degrees between the central islands and Wolf/Darwin. Either two different full suits, or layers. Layers are easier to pack.

Warm gloves and thermal head protection are critical as enormous amounts of body head are lost through the head/neck areas. AKONA makes some very nicely designed gloves with armored fabric, they're tough and have the best wrist sealing design I've yet seen in a wetsuit glove.
Well, "enormous" relative to thick neoprene clad areas of the body to be sure, but the proportion of heat loss from head and hands in a nekkid body is actually pretty small. Especially the hands, since the body's blood shunting mechanisms keep heat loss from the hands to a minimum (unfortunately can't shunt too much blood from the head), though blood flow is nice for the fine-motor control to be able to work things like cameras underwater. Gloves are mandatory in the Galapagos for an entirely different reason, which is why I'd recommend something disposable since fancy Akona-or-whatever-overpriced-brandname-of-choice gloves, no matter what kind of Kevar/Teflon/Armor coating they have, are going to look like a vicious pitbull went after them after several days of holding onto barnacled rocks at Wolf and Darwin.
 
The problem with that idea is the potential temperature variation of 15 degrees between the central islands and Wolf/Darwin. Either two different full suits, or layers. Layers are easier to pack.



Well, "enormous" relative to thick neoprene clad areas of the body to be sure, but the proportion of heat loss from head and hands in a nekkid body is actually pretty small. Especially the hands, since the body's blood shunting mechanisms keep heat loss from the hands to a minimum (unfortunately can't shunt too much blood from the head), though blood flow is nice for the fine-motor control to be able to work things like cameras underwater. Gloves are mandatory in the Galapagos for an entirely different reason, which is why I'd recommend something disposable since fancy Akona-or-whatever-overpriced-brandname-of-choice gloves, no matter what kind of Kevar/Teflon/Armor coating they have, are going to look like a vicious pitbull went after them after several days of holding onto barnacled rocks at Wolf and Darwin.

.....
 
The problem with that idea is the potential temperature variation of 15 degrees between the central islands and Wolf/Darwin. Either two different full suits, or layers. Layers are easier to pack.


Well, "enormous" relative to thick neoprene clad areas of the body to be sure, but the proportion of heat loss from head and hands in a nekkid body is actually pretty small. Especially the hands, since the body's blood shunting mechanisms keep heat loss from the hands to a minimum (unfortunately can't shunt too much blood from the head), though blood flow is nice for the fine-motor control to be able to work things like cameras underwater. Gloves are mandatory in the Galapagos for an entirely different reason, which is why I'd recommend something disposable since fancy Akona-or-whatever-overpriced-brandname-of-choice gloves, no matter what kind of Kevar/Teflon/Armor coating they have, are going to look like a vicious pitbull went after them after several days of holding onto barnacled rocks at Wolf and Darwin.

IMHO, 'layers' are less effective as thermal protection, other things being equal, and ONE good quality suit (I'm using a full 7mm Waterproof), eliminates the need for 2 suits in the first place. If you overheat, just add/subtract thermal protection from the head/neck area, that part of the body acts as an enormous 'radiator' for the blood stream and you can jettison or retain heat as needed my regulating the coverage over that area of the body without the bulk of multiple wetsuits.

My AKONA gloves suggestion wasn't to suggest they're invincible, but they will last way longer than generic cheapie gloves.....and as I just bought a spare pair at Scubatoys yesterday, for under $50, and I'm guessin' any diver who can afford to go to the Galapagos isn't overly concerned about spending the difference between $ 25 versus $ 50 on gloves anyway.
 
There is not such thing as semi dry wetsuit. Its either Dry or Wet. You get into the water with 7mm suit (semi dry), cold water will reach your skin. 7mm suit is ok in Galapagos, thats what i plan to have with me, or 2 x 3mm suits and a neopren tshirt on my skin.
 
From all those who dive "Semidry's" who are good friends of mine, & that is 3- 4 people, they have reported that only a tiny amount water reaches their legs & arms, everything else usually remains dry. Yes, if you want to mince words, you are correct, a semidry is actually a type of wetsuit, because there is a small amount of water gets in, it is technically still a wetsuit. But then, I guess you could say the same thing about my drysuits when the seals aren't quite right or I forget to zip it all the way up:D.
 
In August we had temps range from 62 to 78. Average for the week was right around 70. For gloves, 1 regular pair worked fine for me. It became a joke on board because several guests including myself bought spare gloves because of what we read. We all did fine with our first pair of standard gloves.

Everyone on my boat had 1 suit and just dealt with the varying temps. Some dropped their hooded vest on the warmer dives. Most said they wished they brought an extra warm layer like a fleece or long underwear for before/after the cold dives.

I like Bare wetsuits because they have more sizes. The 7mm one piece with built in hood is nice.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom