 Pinnacle at Bartholome ... good spot for a snorkel by SanguiniA | Tips on Galápagos Islands sports and recreation, posted by real travelers and Galápagos Islands locals. Map |
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 Suited Up For A Snorkel by catalystaLeave a Comment Theme: Scuba Diving
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 Hammerhead (post card
pic) by catalysta
I hear the sightings of whale sharks are abundant and incredible around Wolf & Darwin Islands. Darnit, I didn't have my C-Card yet when I was there, only snorkeled!! Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba Diving
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 D enjoys swimming with
sea lions & turtles by richiecdisc
Though you could bring all your gear for either scuba diving or snorkeling it is readily available there. If you are traveling around Ecuador, it would be a lot to lug around. So, unless you are very into diving, just use what is available there. We found the equipment to be fine and cheap to rent. In fact, if you book your tours through one operator they will throw it in or at least let you use it during the week even when you are not on a tour. We used Charles Darwin Agency and the owner was quite helpful. Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba DivingDirections: Of course, you can snorkel on tours but also check out the free spots like Concha Perla on Isabella and Las Grietas on Santa Cruz.
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 by Quero
As I may have mentioned about a dozen times (more?) the water is cold. Extra thick wetsuits are essential, layered one on the other, hoods are a must, and if you don't wear gloves, you will find you have shredded fingers from holding onto barnacle-covered rocks in surge zones. Because divers wear so much protective clothing in the Galapagos, the amount of weight needed to get below the surface is impressive. I was taking 10 to 12 kg (22 to 26 lbs) down with me every dive, and still hd to fin head-down to get past the first few meters!
Divers enter the water from pangas (dingys) that each dive boat carries with it. The ones from my dive boat were rubber zodiacs. You gear up on the dive deck, hop into the panga, zip over to the dive site, and enter the water with a backwards roll. Getting into the water is the easy part. Getting back *out* and into the panga after the dive was the greatest challenge of each dive, for me. Of course you remove your gear first, but it always took a lot of hoisting and struggling for me to flop myself into the panga like a drunken sea lion.
I took my own equipment, except for the wetsuits, which I rented locally. I used Extra Divers, whose web address is given below. I had two checkout dives with Extra Divers before boarding my dive boat, just to make sure the wetsuits fit properly and to get my weighting down before the "real" diving got started.
Bring a couple of pairs of gloves along, in case one pair gets torn. Consider bringing three pair if you are shooting pictures since you will not want thick gloves for that, and the thin ones will tear more quickly.
You can rent a hood, but they get little tears around the face-hole and can let water in if they are not tight enough. My solution was to take my own warm-water hood along with me and to layer it under the rental hood.
If you can find dive socks, bring them, too. It's awful putting on cold, wet booties, and the socks help. Leave a Comment
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 Pinnacle at Bartholome ...
good spot for a snorkel by SanguiniA
Enquire about cruises especially targeted for diving
For snorkelling just bring along a wetsuit (or else rent one) in the cold season (especially august -november) - The water can be surprisingly cold! It is best to get your own masks ... but fins can be rented from the yacht. Always enquire beforehand for availability. Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba Diving
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 Iguana by K1W1
A pair of trainers would have been a lot more useful than my sandals in the football match. Leave a Comment Theme: Beach Activities
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 Sea Lion Frenxy by martij2
The boat had a good set-up for diving - nice large platform on the back, but because diving is done from the pangas (dinghies) you pretty much suit up, lunge into the dinghies, motor a short distance to the site, and back-roll into the water.
We did three dives: Cousin Rock, Enderby, and Devil's Crown. We saw sharks, turtles, rays, sea lions, and schools of fish so thick that you could not see through them.
The only problem we had (other than the whopper of a current at Devil's Crown) was that the weights weren't labeled, so on the first dive I thought I had 22 pounds of weight while I only had 12. This meant that, with my super buoyant 5mm wetsuit there was no way in hell I was going to be able to descend and had to request more weight. By my calculations I had close to 40 pounds for the first dive. At the next snorkeling stop, we all tested our weighting and I learned that I had only 12 pounds - no WONDER I couldn't descend.
Pictures and full trip report available on our web site
whywework.com Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba Diving
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 SCUBA Iguana's Boat by namastedc
Our first two dives were at North Seymore. We say white tip sharks, tons of sea lions, morays, green sea turtles, giant spotted eagle rays, garden eels, fish cleaning stations, puffers, and I'm sure many other things I'm forgetting.
We also did a night dive in Academy bay, where we saw sea turtles, sharks, and lots of phosphorescent plankton. It was freaky but VERY exciting and rewarding!!!
THe best part of SCUBA iguana was the staff. Our guide was Paulo, who spoke perfect English, and knew the sites like his own backyard. He was able to find every animal we wanted to see except for the hammerheads, which I'm sure is not his fault! He was incredibly friendly, and set up and broke down all of our equipment. At this place, you don't touch the equipment unless it is on your back!!!
The prices are great - two day dives for 105-120, including lunch at a restaurant and all equipment. The night dives were $75.
The boats they use are fast and safe, so you don't have to wait around very long. They are comfortable as well. All the staff is very friendly.
Unless you love your equipment and only your equipment, don't bother bringing it. You need a 7mm farmer john even in the warm months because the water is so cold down deep. A good mask, if you have one, would be good to have, as well as a snorkel. The hassle of bringing all the rest might not be worth it unless you are going on a liveaboard!!! There is only a 10% discount off the price for having your own, so why bother. Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba DivingAddress: Right next to the entrance to the Darwin StationPhone: 593-5-525-6497Directions: Just before you get to the Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Scuba Iguana is on your right.Website: www.scubaiguana.com Other Contact: scubaigu@ayora.ecua.net.ec
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 hmmm dinner :) by cybergenic
The people who went on "organised" scuba dives were constantly frustrated by the disorganisation of the equipment and dive masters Or lack of. There were no real complaints about the actual dives themselves. There seemed to be a lot more shark sightings for the scuba divers compared to us snorkellers
I was snorkelling only. I hired my equipment from my travel agent who wanted US$15 but I talked them down to US$10 quite easily.
My snorkel had no release valve so it didnt work at all. My flippers were a little rough and cut my toes but the goggles were fine.
The water in the South of the Galapagos Islands is cold. No one will tell you this. Sometimes the crew have wetsuits which may or may not fit. They cost about US$2 per day to hire. I recomend hiring a wetsuit from the Galapagos Island mainlaind before you leave on your boat tour. Leave a Comment Theme: Scuba DivingOther Contact: clik on ECUADOR then GALAPAGOS
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