Skill Level for the Galagapos

czuba@charter.net (czuba) wrote in message news:<72f69e17.0411110823.7c793581@posting.google. com>...
> I have a question for those of you that have dove the Galapagos Is.
>.....
> Can you shed some light/your experiences with the dive conditions
> there? We are looking for challenging diving, but don't want to get in
> over our heads.
>
Christine,
We dove Galapagos Islands with the Aggressor in August 2002. I had
read about the challenging diving conditions there and spent at least
a year preparing for the trip (swimming, weight lifting etc.) along
with getting more rugged equipment (Kevlar-palm gloves and dry suit).
In looking back, the physical conditioning was needed not so much for
the diving but for the short bout with 'Montezuma's revenge' bug
(picked up on the second day by eating an unpeeled fruit at a fancy
hotel breakfast table!) and the high-altitude adjustment at Quito.
As other divers had posted, the current could be quite strong at
Wolf and Darwin. The best way to move around was by grasping rocks or
clawing the ocean floor. I had a bit of trouble getting down quickly
(not sure because of the high salinity, waves or just the thick
wetsuit - chose to wear 7mm suit + hooded vest instead of the bulky
dry suit for the low 70's temp). At one point, I came face to face
with a Galapagos shark at less than 10' below the surface and had to
exhale like mad trying to get down quickly. Getting back to the
Zodiac was not a problem (for 100lbs frame + maybe 30lbs diving gear)
but trying to surface swim back to the Zodiac against the surge was
enervating at times.
Amazingly enough, the dive master told us that he had a 70ish old
lady who did the trip with only the minimum new-diver experience (5
dives?). She got the diving lessons as a birthday present. She liked
diving so much and decided to go for the 'ultimate' Galapagos diving
experience after certification. According to Cris, she was quite a
trooper, never missed a dive and actually dove twice as often as other
divers. She was accompanied by the other dive master and both hovering
at less than 40' deep. Of course, the current was stronger so they
both got swept way past the group then they went back for the second
round!
In comparison with other challenging dive trips which I had
experienced (high waves, surge, extreme cold water), my Galapagos trip
did not stand out as a difficult one and the reward was right at the
top. We saw schools of hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, eagle
rays, golden rays and tons of fishes. The most memorable creatures
were the whale sharks (saw them 7 times in 5 days of diving - missed
two diving trips due to the aforementioned illness). We also had lots
of fun diving with the sea lions. They were everywhere, lethargic on
land but agile and playful like dogs underwater - kept circling
around, upside down and all checking us out! Snorkeling with
Galapagos Penguins was also great fun & of course the land tours were
incredible. I would come back to Galapagos Islands every year if I
ever win the lottery ticket or inherit tons of money