Galapagos in October
 

We are considering going to the Galapagos Islands in October, but are concerned about the weather and rough seas. Do you have first-hand experience about traveling during this month? I know what the "books" say, but I would really like some personal feedback if possible.

We were there at the end of September, and I thought the water a bit rough, but we were in a small boat. The weather was perfect, but the water was really cold.

Thanks Peg. I just made plans to go mid-October as having nice weather rather than really hot temperatures is really important to me. I'll take lots of anti-seasickness meds with me. I opted for a 80 passenger boat (even thought I prefer a smaller vessel) to help avoid rough water problems. Did you use a wetsuit and did it keep you comfortable in the cold water? Did you snorkel?

I did use a wet suit, as did one of my friends. We were the only two on our boat that had them and we were the only ones to maximize our snorkeling as we could stay in the water longer. It was cold at first, but after awile it wasn't so bad with the suits. I would have never made it without my wetsuit. Then again it depends on how tolerant you are. I am a whimp when it comes to cold water though. A couple of people were able to snorkel a bit longer than others without.

I took Bonine as my anti-motion sickness medicine. It worked well. I just couldn't stay below when we were moving, except to sleep. Other than that I needed to be up on deck looking out to the horizon.

Peg, were you on a small boat or a large one. I will definitely take lots of Bonine.

I don't have a wet suit (just a vest), but the boat has enough for everyone. I have to check to see if they are full suits or shorties. What did you see when you snorkeled?

Your feedback is very much appreciated.

I was on a 16 passenger boat called the Aida Maria. Although everything was wonderful, I do get motion sickness very easy, but wanting to see the Galapagos comes in over that any day.

Just some advice on wet suits. They need to fit well to work. So if you have one that is really loose it won't hold your body temperature like the one that will fit. They need to be tight, but not to the point of not breathing or "choking" you around the neck.

We only did the southern islands, but here are some of the creatures we saw:
golden, sting and eagle rays
sea turtles (black and marine I belive)
reef shark
huge star fish
colorful fish (many schools)
snorkeled with the sea lions (cannot remember exactly what island, but I think it was Santa Fe), this was my favorite because they were so fun.
There was also a rare sighting of a bull shark in that area, we didn't see it but had to wait to snorkel until they were sure it was gone.

Cannot remember if there was anything else off the top of my head. I would have to look at my pictures. Which I strongly urge you to take an underwater camera. I have one, which jammed as I was inches from a turtle while he was eating off the rocks and didn't care that I was there, and no one else was around so I do not have a picture of it. My one friend just had the throw aways and they worked fine. You never know what you might see coming over top of a rock.

Please let me know if you have any more questions, if I cannot answer them my friend Percy, who was on the Legend I believe might be able to.

A 16-passenger boat is small, but it must have been great. I get seasick on a swing so I didn't want to take a chance and chose a big boat. Happy to hear that Bomine worked.

Our photos using a disposable underwater camera in Hawaii were really poor, but they do remind us of what we saw so we'll give it another try.

Your wetsuit comments are interesting. I'll see if I can find a decent locally one for not a lot of money rather than depend on the ship's supply.

I read past posts about shoes and Tevas. What did you use for wet landings? Do you know anything abou Teva Water shoes? I'm concerned about wearing sandals in the strong sun, insect areas and sharp rocks.

How careful did you have to be in the sun at the end of Sept? Did you have to load up on sunscreen all the time? Was it buggy?

Since you have some time before you go, might I suggest e-bay for a wetsuit. You can get a good used one (make sure you read the comments carefully) for pretty cheap, then hand wash it in the tub and you would be good to go. Most people I have ever come into contact with wear a bathing suit underneath them. If you get it cheap enough (which I have seen) and you don't want to haul it around the rest of the trip you could donate it to the boat then and free up space in your suitcase.

I am with you, I get sick in a car if I try and read. Again, it wasn't bad because we did our big travel at night and I was in bed.

Unfortunately, the disposal cameras are like that. Lisa's didn't turn out as well as mine before it jammed, but in the Phi Phi Islands hers turned out just as good. The closer you are to the object, the better with them. I have to say though I would have rather had a darker picture of me and the turtle than none at all, which is what happened to me.

As for Tevas, that is what I wore all the time. On wet landings we just took our shoes off in the dingy and put them back on after getting on the beach. Even though my Teva's are waterproof I didn't want to walk around with wet shoes. They navigated the trails very easily, so no need for hiking shoes. They can be pricey though. Check out Teva's web site for sales. Some of the sandals run about a half a size smaller. There are rocks but you go slow and can pretty much stay away from sharp ones.

There are no insects that we encountered, so no bug bites.

As for the sun, I am a red head, so fair skin and do not leave home without 30 spf. Again, I wore my Teva sandals, but remembered to put sun screen on the tops of my feet so no burning. What I usually do on trips is carry a small travel bottle full of suncreen in my cargo shorts pocket or if I take my small backpack (which I didn't on hikes), so if I feel it starts to not work, I have that small bottle with me. Our weather in the Galapagos at the end of Sept. was sunny everyday and mid-80's.

First let me say Hi Peg.!!

Peg gave you a lot of good advice.

I was on a 40 passenger Yacht at the end of August into September.

If you are prone to getting motion sickness, then you will get motion sickness.

People have become ill on 16-22-32-40-60 and 100 passengers Yachts.

They try not to move the Yacht when you are dinning , as this is the worse time , only once did we have to get going during our evening meal.. out of 36 people,16-18 did not make it to the dinning room.!!!!!
Some had their dinner in their room.

Now about Tevas:
Peg has Tevas but she had these before her trip to the Galapagos.

They are good ,I have a pair.
But I went out and bought a pair just for this Galapagos trip... that was a mistake for me.
My wife got a pair of Merreles Sandals because the Tevas she tried on were sort of pinching her foot.!!

I wore my Tevas for about two week before my trip so I could break them and be comfortable at the Galapagos...well as luck would have it , my Tevas were uncomfortable to me and I tried my darnest to try to get my feet used to them.

I thought for sure everyone at the Galapgos on my Yacht would have either Tevas or Merrelles.....wrong again.

I went to Wal*Mart and bought a pair of River Rapids for $14.95.
I took both the Tevas and the River Rapids with me, but only wore the River Rapids (this is just a brand name, no big deal).
On our Yacht almost everyone had the most simplest of Sandals.
Three ladies from California ,said to me "I just went down to the corner drugstore and bought these beach sandals for $4.95.

So , in my opinion ,any sandal that you have and you are comfortable with, then wear it , it will be good enough.

They tell you the night before whether the next morning landing is going to be wet or dry...if it is wet, you will have to disembark from the Panga (boat) and then step in about ankle deep water before you get to shore.

And as Peg wisely stated ,just before you have to step into the water off the panga, remove your sandals and then put them back on again on dry land.

Like Peg says the weather was in the 80's and whatever is wet dries fast.

When on dry land you are walking on dirt, and gravel and in some areas lava rock...so in reality any good sandal will do.
If you have Tevas , then by all means taken then and a cheaper pair along also.

I still have my Tevas but I wear them here at home so if and when they pinch or irritate I can make a switch.

Bonamin helps and I hope you can get it over the counter in your area.

Gravol is also good and this you can get over the counter.
There was a fulltime Doctor on our Yacht ..just in case you need a pill or a shot of something.

Have a nice trip.

Percy

Hi Percy:

Don't you just hate when I am right all the time! (HA)

I am sorry to hear about the Tevas. I would have never guessed. I love my Tevas, they are the most comfortable sandal I have worn. I bought them just before our Costa Rica trip in October of 2001, and they traveled to Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and never had a problem. In my case it was worth the investment. I wear them all the time, I am even thinking about buying a pair of thier hiking shoes.

Percy you are right on the sandals though. People say Teva's becuase they are specifically made for going from land to water and back again in any terrain. Some people do not take off their shoes but we did, so that is why I think Tevas are popular. All wet landings were on a beach, so why not take them off.

Percy, what is Gravol? I do not think I can get if over the counter in Ohio. Bomine I can, but never saw the other, and you can be assured I look. I also take a perscription Antivert (sp) with my over the counter pills, it helps me to be able to read on the plane and things. Kind of like a motion sickness booster.

I have been in mid-November. Temps were 70s every day and I remember the water being refreshing, probably 60s, bathing suit only

I have the same problem as Percy with my Tevas. My husband swears by them (he's had 3 or 4 pairs) but they kill my feet! Percy, what are River Rapids, are they just another brand of sport sandals? I had decided to leave my Tevas at home and just bring a pair of tennis shoes for dry landings and flip flops for wet landings. Do you think that would be sufficient or do I really need a more rugged sandal? If so, I'll have to go shopping this weekend :)

Peg:

The Antivert you are taking is for dizziness..The Bonamine is for nasuea.

Gravol is an over the counter medication for "motion sickness", "nausea" and "dizziness"

There is a big difference between dizziness and motion sickness.

The reason why I like Gravol is because it comes in so many different doses:
like 15 mgm for children
25 mgm for juniors
50 mgm for adults and a 75 mgm L/A tablet.

The L/A stands for "Long Acting."
So this 75 mgm tablet , release 25 mgm immediately and then release the other 50 mgm over the next 6-8 hours.

ALso , let us say that you are nauseated but you do not want to take a 50 mgm pill.... well you can use the childrens 15 mgm pill and just keep adding until you get the desired effect.

But once you swallow the 50 mgm or the 75 mgm ..well that's it, now you have to wait until the effects wear off.

Also Gravol comes in chewable tablets, capsules, liquid, suppository tablets and by injection.

Bonamine comes in tablet form only.

Gravol is the Trade Name here but in your State it is probably called something different.....however the Scientific Name is "Dimenhydrinate".

So go to the drugstore and ask the Pharmacist what Dimenhydrinate is called over there.
And Peg ...yes I hate it when you are always right !!!!!

PATTY:
You will be just fine with what you are bringing for foot wear.

River Rapids is just the name of a nice Sandal (like Tevas are a name), with Valcro straps.
They are the cheapest at Wal*Mart.
Last August I paid $14.95 when they had a sale.
At a more fancy shoe store downtown they we on sale for $69.95 !!!!!!!

So if Wal*Mart has these for anywhere between $20-40.00 get a pair.

You know we have a tendency to build things up in our minds, like we need some special footwear for the Galapagos.

You will be walking on dirt,sand and rock, there is nothing special about the dirt and sand in the Galapagos, it is the birds and animals that are so special.
Take Gravol or Bonamin with your, you can also take this medication at bedtime as a sleeping pill, since it may make you a little drowsy.

Have fun , I know you will; as I type this I am looking at a stuffed Blue Footed Boobie that I bought at the Galapagos.... No!!! not a real one.

Goodnight Ladies
Percy

Thanks Percy:

I will stick with my medicine. Bomine does not make me tired, and the Antivert as you stated does not make me dizzy. I get both.

One comment about the flip flops. It would not be a good idea to just wear them to hike. You might find them a bit difficult on some of the trails. I really think a more rugged sandal would be better to navigate some of the lava rocks you would be climbing over. I would also think it might be easier to twist your ankle in flip flops.

I agree , flip flops are okay for just sandy beach wearing ,but on those days that you are going to be walking on Lava rocks...a more durable sandal is better.

Although , this little lady wore her beach flip flop sandals all the time !!!!!

I was amazed at her.
She hopped from Lava Rock to Lava Rock like a little mountain goat.!

Percy

Just got back from the Galapagos yesterday. Regarding any kind of sandal vs "cross trainers"..go with the cross trainers and socks. Sand, gravel, stubbed toes, sunburned feet, cold feet, blisters.etc. warrant a GOOD shoes, but the most important thing is you need ankle support. Wet landings= bare feet and then put your shoes on. Interested in details? Tap back tomorrow! Got the whole scoop, fresh off the boat!!! Hast mas tarde!

Clearly there is a difference of opinion here about sandals vs sneakers. Looks like I will bring both and figure it out when I am there. Deloris, did you wear sneakers in the panga, take them off for the wet landing, and then put them on again? I need to wear socks with my sneakers and am concerned that this on/off business is going to be nearly impossible while trying to balance myself on one foot while everyone is in a hurry to get going on the tour.

Hi!
Interesting discussion on proper shoes!
We are just beginning to plan our trip to the Galapagos Islands and are thinking of going in March.
Deloris - I'm curious how the weather and seas were while you were gone?
Also - for all of you Galapagos travelers - which company did you book with, why and were you happy with your choice? I've been leaning toward a smaller boat and now wonder if maybe a larger boat would be a better option. Any feedback on your experience would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Thanks for the footwear suggestions! I did end up buying a new pair of sandals this past weekend. I'll bring the sneakers along too and figure out what works best when I get there. Better to have a choice :)

Deloris,
What boat were you on? How was the weather (air and water temps)?

LindyE,
We booked with Sangay Touring, a travel agency in Quito, after reading recommendations on this and another message board. We also wondered which size boat would be a better option and ended up choosing a smaller 16 passenger boat. Leaving on May 2nd and will let you know how it works out.

Patty:
You have a great trip, and I hope everything works out.

LindaE: I booked with Sangay Touring. They took very good care of us. I would not hesitate to book through them again. I think the thing to look at the most with the boats is how many people do you want to be with for the time you are there. Although I would have been better off on a larger boat because of motion sickness, I did not want to have to put up with more people. We only had at most 16 people with us in our group, which wasn't bad.

As for shoes, we all wore sandals every day. Remember to put sunscreen on the top of your feet and they won't get burned.

Another thing I think is worth mentioning, again because I am a red head I remember these things, wear a hat. Nothing worse than burning the top of your head. Which still happened to me snorkeling.