Scuba Diving Blog & Forum
Galapagos diving conditions are changeable with moderate to strong currents, which on some dives you may need to grab hold of rocks to avoid drifting away, visibility varies from 9-30m (30-100f), you may encounter surges and surface conditions may be rough at times depending on time of year.
Diving in Galapagos is cold, especially June to December when the seas are cooled by the cold Humboldt Current that comes from the Antarctica. But even when the seas in the Galapagos warm, there are still cold thermoclines that make it cold to dive, which is why it’s best to dive in a 5-7mm wetsuit
The diving in the Galapagos islands can be difficult, as currents range between moderate to strong, and you may experience surges too that can create challenges for your safety stop. Some dives in Galapagos have such strong currents that you may need to grab hold of rocks to avoid drifting away.
You will need a 3mm wetsuit in Galapagos for snorkelling the warmer months and a 5mm wetsuit in the cooler months, but if you dive the Galapagos you will need a 7mm wetsuit or a drysuit and a hood year-round, as diving can be cold and there are cold thermoclines too.
You can dive the Galapagos as a beginner diver, but the most spectacular sites like Darwin and Wolf Island are off limits for beginners, as dive conditions are too challenging. You should get certified as an Advanced Open Water diver before diving the Galapagos, and log at least 50 dives beforehand.
The best time of year to scuba dive Galapagos is June through October, as the nutrient rich waters results in an explosion of marine life including giant mantas, turtles, eagle rays, large fish schools, whales, sea lions and larger numbers of hammerheads and seeing the arrival of adult whale sharks.
When choosing a liveaboard, you first need to decide on a destination, and then check customer reviews for liveaboards with itineraries to this place. Once your search has been reduced to liveaboards with acceptable reviews, narrow your search further to include liveaboards within your price range.
If you vomit while scuba diving, keep your regulator in and vomit through the regulator exhaust vents. Unless you are vomiting huge chunks of food, it should flow out the exhaust vents without a problem.
April is the best time to scuba dive Komodo, as you get 30+m (100f) visibility, still good for mantas, a good time to dive north and central Komodo dive sites, calm seas, the start of dry season and a good time to see Komodo dragons. But for mantas, then January through March is the best time.
A scuba diving negative entry means you enter the water negatively buoyant, so you have no air in your BCD to allow a fast descent. Negative buoyant entries are often done as a backward roll from a RIB or Zodiac, but can be done using any entry technique including a stride entry from a hard boat.
If you sneeze while scuba diving this could disrupt your mask and create water leaks, or you could dislodge your regulator at the same time as momentarily affecting your buoyancy. During the sneeze you should hold on to your mask and regulator to minimise the affect of the sneeze while scuba diving.
You should rinse the inside of your buoyancy control device to remove saltwater or chlorine depending on your most recent diving activity, to clean out any sediments and to prevent bacterial growth. Proper maintenance of your BCD by regularly rinsing the inside with water will help your BCD last.
