We Need Galapagos Opinions

[erikandjoy]

Greetings from Raleigh, NC. I posted a question similar to this in the newbie forum, but I thought this forum would be better. My husband and I are thinking about taking a dive trip to the Galapagos this year or next if this year doesn't work out. We would love to get some opinions from other divers who have been to the Galapagos. Here are our main questions.

1. When is the best time of year to go? I've heard that Jan and Feb are the best, but I just read on here that April and even the summer are good. So which is best temperature-wise? I'm hoping to just use a thicker wet suit. Also, are whale sharks around more at certain times of the year than others?

2. Can you recommend good live-aboard operation? I saw Deep Blue posted as a suggestion in a previous post. And do any operations do 4 or 5 day trips? Since I've never done a live-aboard, I'm not sure if I could endure more than that.

3. Are the currents very strong? I've done drift dives in Cozumel that I thought were pretty strong.

4. Finally, if you have dove in the Galapagos, how was it?


Take care, Joy (and Erik)

 

[Fionab]

We went on Deep Blue in October 2007 the time of year was great we had 32 whale shark sightings in 6 dives.

You won't be able to do such a short trip and get up to Wolf and Darwin as this is where all the action is, Galapagos is an expensive and long trip from the UK and I wouldn't bother going if you could only do the southern islands.

There are lots of reports about Deep Blue on here and it was because of these we booked but because of some issues I was very disappointed with the operator of the boat and one of the dive guides.

The currents and surge was strong at Wolf and Darwin but that's why there is such a lot of shark action, we had great dives with Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks and obviously the whale sharks which is what we went for.

Most of our group took 5 or 7mm suits and I wouldn't risk a drysuit without a backup. Some other people on another forum have recently been and they took membrane suits which they said were fine.

 

[Kevster]

I was on the Aggressor I in Oct 2008.
The diving is amazing.
Whale sharks were the highlight. Best time to see them is Aug-Oct.
Water is colder & seas may not be as calm compare to Jan-May but it was an amazing exp to see them.

The current & surge was really difficult at Wolf. Darwin was ok. My 1st dive at wolf i was thinking what the heck have i got myself into. The surge was a nightmare. You need to have reasonable exp & confidence in your abilities to cope with difficult conditions.
Diving at Darwins arch was amazing.

Diving Gal in summer months (Jan-May ) you will prob not see any whale sharks .

Galapagos has been the best dive trip i have ever done. I would recommend the aggressor boats.

 

[diveChiq]

my friend and i went in september but before we left we decided not to do a liveaboard. we were travelling through south america for six months and wanted to explore the islands as well.
at the time that we were there, there were complaints from the liveaboard owners about the national park service cutting the amount of places that they could go to and some of the trips were cut short and therefore people were trying to get refunds.
also the price of the entry to the national park has doubled so be prepared to pay $200USD per person in cash as soon as you go through customs at Baltra airport.

our diving was on day trips and i wasnt disappointed. diving in the galapagos is not for the faint hearted or the non-confident. in late spetember, the temperature was around 20 degrees and i was okay in a 7mm suit but then again, my dive times were exactly long (45-60 mins).

we dived northern mosquera in the most crazy current i have ever been in. there were many galapagos sharks and black tip reef sharks and they do come in very close.
we also dived gordon rocks and spent a long time with our backs to the rocks just watching the schools of hammerheads. just glorious.

please do dive/travel with a reputable operator. some tourists are taken advantage of and it would be a shame for that to mar your opinions of a wonderful heritage site.

 

[pikeblenny]

For 2009 the permits for liveaboards in Galapagos are limited yet again to the Aggressors, Sky Dancer, Deep Blue, Estrella del Mar and a few select weeks for other boats. I just got back from a few weeks land based there and had some great land based encounters. I have done several triips in previous years to Darwin and WOlf.
All liveaboard trips are 7 night trips. This is mainly because the trip from the central islands to Darwin and WOlf is more than 20 hrs each way by boat. The best diving is historically July to November as your chances of seeing whale sharks are much greater in those months. In 2007 and 2008 AUgust to the end of November were the most productive times.
The diving is phenomenal but is definitely not for beginners. I have done dives at Darwin where the current was so strong it felt like your regulator would pull out of your mouth. The water can be cold too, depending on where you are used to diving. I would suggest a 7mm suit with a hooded vest and gloves. I have done a lot of diving there and am currently suing the Pinnacle Kodiak, a 8/6 semi dry. Fantastis suit. Let me kno if I cna be of any more help.

 

[evilclown]

thanks everyone i was thinking about going in 2009, very informative. question, if you do a liveaboard do you also get to explore non diving island/fauna activities?

 

[divedeeepr]

Hey just wanted to share my experience in the Galapagos Islands. Everything that everyone has written to this point is accurate. This is not for anyone less than advanced or higher. You can expect strong currents and cold water if you go in thte Galapagos winter. I have done two trips on the Aggressor in August 2003 and again in late October 2006. Hands down the Aggressor fleet is the best live aboard. It is also the most expensive. They pamper you like you wouldn't believe. Both of my trips were 10 day and 11 days respectively. We opted for longer trips so that we could spend three full days at Darwin's Arch and one day at Wolf. It is my understanding that all live aboards are only offering 7 day trips now. So if you make it to Wolf and Darwin you will only be there for a short time and then you will be heading back South. The Aggressor will make mulitple land tours during your trip. So expect to see sea lions, friggit birds, blue footed boobies, penguins, land and marine iguanas that are all so close to you could touch them. Animals in the Galapagos Islands have no fear of humans. You'll have to step over a boobie's nest with baby in it!!! It is truly an amazing place. The height of Whale Shark season in the Galapagos Islands is August/September. They advertise that the whaleshark season runs July to December but if you really want the highest chance to see Big Mama you better do it in August or September. Of course this means the strongest currents and the coldest waters of the year. That's why the WhaleSharks come Wolf and Darwin's Arch. Once the water warms up and the currents disapate, all the large stuff goes deep. Traveling in Late October on my second trip was completely different then my August trip. The October trip had NO current and warmer water and a lot less fish and animal life overall. We saw NO Galapagos sharks and only few small schools of hammerheads. We had only two sightings of whalesharks out of 10 dives at Darwin. We saw them on dive # 7 and dive # 10. We were getting seriously worried until our seventh dive. We actually had one lady on this trip that sat out the seventh dive. We all came back onboard after that dive hooting and hollaring and she was left sulking. She was lucky enough to finally see to a whaleshark on our final tenth dive. Back in 2003 for my August trip the current was often ripping. There were dives where we were like flags on a flagpole outstretched, constantly holding on to the rocks. The water temps were around 70-72 degrees. But because of this we saw literally hundreds and hundreds of hammerheads and dozens of Galapagos sharks in August. We have 14 Whaleshark sightings overall, one sighting at Wolf in front of the "landslide" and the rest at Darwin. Dolphins and sharks were everywhere on every dive in August. As soon as our boat approached Wolf Island, dolphins raced to our boat to ride our bow! It was awesome. I even had a marlin come up and hang with me for about 60 seconds while I was waiting for the panga to pick me up! I saw a Giant Tuna, Manta Rays, Marble rays, Cow Nose rays, golden rays, turtles, silkie sharks, spotted morays, red-lipped batfish, Dolphins galore, False Whales (a small pod swam right under our panga) riso dolphins, penguins, and so much more! For me, the Galapagos has ruined all other dive destinations for the diversity and large pelagics. If you want to see big stuff and are confident and advanced in your diving this is a trip not to miss. Be in shape too, getting on the panga in 8 foot swells is no picnic but well worth the memories you will bring home. Both of my trips were awesome in different ways. But we were lucky to see whale sharks on the October trip. Had we been on a 7 day trip we probably wouldn't have seen them. Other boats came and went while we were at Darwin in October and didn't see whalesharks. The overall number of species in October was greatly reduced do to the warmer water and no current. If I ever go again it will ONLY be in August or September. One last thing...there appears to be some political unrest happening in Ecuador. I was told recently that DAN is no longer offering trip insurance for Galapagos trips! Other agencies are likely to follow suit. There are many issues with permits not be offered or canceled for the boats by the National Park there. Lastly, I dove a viking Pro drysuit on both trips.

 

[boydski]

Excellent post by divedeeepr! The Aggressor fleet does still offer the 10 or 11 day charters, but generally only one charter per year/per boat. It IS worth the extra money to snag one of those weeks if you can. The longer charters go to the West Coast of Isabella Island, which is even more impressive than Wolf and Darwin.

Whale Shark sightings are highly variable. On our first trip in July, we only saw four. Our most recent trip we hit Darwin the first week of November and saw fourteen (even though the previous week's charter saw only two). Part of the equation is the temp and currents as mentioned above, and part is the skill/experience level of the divers. A boat full of very advanced divers will generally be able to swing further around the South Side of the Arch into much tougher diving conditions, but will greatly increase the odds of seeing more Whale Sharks.

For exposure protection, we found that drysuits create a LOT of drag when chasing whale sharks. Everyone wore them on our first trip (we wear them all the time at home) and we found that only the wet suit divers were able to keep up with a swimming whale shark for good photos. On this trip, a few divers wore drysuits down south in the colder water, but everyone on the boat switched to wet suits for Wolf and Darwin. A 5mm works fine with a hooded vest if you're used to cold water.

Have a great trip, you won't regret going! ( Galapagos Trip Report )

 

[oceancat]

Hi. We went on the Aggressor in July '08 and had a fantastic time. Only saw 1 whale shark, but lots of schooling hammerheads and rays. We did some land tours too with the aggressor. I was all prepared for cold water, but Wolf and Darwin were 80F and the coldest water was 72F. Perfectly comfy in a 7mm. I brought a chicken vest and never used it. It was an amazing trip. We went all over ecuador, PM me if you need more info.

 

[Doc]

if you do a liveaboard do you also get to explore non diving island/fauna activities?

That is the crux of the arguments about permits.

"Cruise" Boats do the land based excursions, letting passengers on land at specifically designated points, always in the company of a Naturalist Guide (Guia).

Dive Boats (Live Aboards) developed the habit of bringing divers close enough to wade ashore (thereby avoiding the "wording" of the law that prohibited docking and disembarkation)

Thus the big uproar over permitting. The "Cruise Ship" boats wield the power because of their large dollar base, so the few Live Aboards got shut down pretty quickly. The permitting uproar has subsided and Dive Boats are for diving, Cruise Ships are for Touring.

I have been to the Galloping Pogos many times, on Live Aboard and Land Based (as the post above from PikeBlenny) . Most folks who have done only Live Aboards will tell you exactly what they know and believe it is a universal truth.

It is an absolute loss if you go all that far and don't at least take an extra two or three days to explore the "main" island of Santa Cruz out of the little town of Puerto Ayora. At this stage, I have grown to prefer land based diving out of that town, but as I mentioned- we have done it both ways.

This would be akin to diving the Red Sea and not taking time to see the Pyramids, or diving the GBR and not seeing a Wallaby. You're there~ at least take a few extra days if not considering a land based dive op.

The term Advanced Diving gets thrown around a lot, not only on this thread.

Advanced diving is merely any situation that you have not yet encountered. As these situations may occur in multiples at any given moment, the effect is exponential, not "additional". In English: Things can turn to puppypoop pretty quickly.

Drift diving in Coz aside, there are some other situations that will occur:

•Transfering to and from a small inflatable or other boat from the mother ship while at sea (your gear will be moved for you, but moving your body is a whole circus in and of itself)

•Back Rolls absolutely on timed command

•Inflating and shooting your safety sausage from 15' and hanging there, waiting for pick up while safety stop is in progress

•Being able to quickly doff your gear, hand it up, the effect a re-entry into the small RIB or Zodiac, then getting low and "small"

•Being absolutely up to speed on gear and procedures for surface signaling, including study and pre-visualization of what might need to be done while spending many hours adrift.

As far as thermal protection, no one can tell you what to wear. It is absolutely an individual issue, stuff that you glean over time and repeated dives. I once went there and only had a Polar Fleece to dive in 74-78° water. Not my ideal or plan, but you do what you have to do. My body is likely different than yours. Find out the water temps and go from there. A dry suiot is a lovely thing, but for most folks, absolutely not necessary. A 5/7 and a hood or beanie will do most anyone quite well.