Camera
Equipment : Underwater
For as much
spectacular wildlife there is above the water's surface, there is
just as much below. Even if you aren't an underwater photographer,
it would certainly pay off to invest in an inexpensive waterproof
point&shoot camera. If you aren't diving, there is still plenty
to see just by snorkeling. We do not suggest though, that the Galápagos
Islands are the ideal place to start learning underwater photography.
There are a lot of conditions here that can make photography difficult
like limited visibility, strong surge and currents.
From
the smallest barnacle blennies to hammerhead and whale sharks, there
is plenty here to keep you busy. Don't overlook the macro possibilities
in the Galápagos. We know that most people go there for the sharks
and other large animals, but you will be missing a lot of you concentrate
only on them.
We have Nikonos
V systems (with 28 mm and 20 mm lenses), as well as housed Aquatica
SLR systems (with a 105 f2.8 macro and 20 f2.8 wide angle), and
dual Ikelite
SS100 strobes. Bringing both certainly pushed that baggage weight
restriction to the limit, but worth every ounce. Using rechargeable
Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)
batteries helped avoid adding the extra weight of many alkaline
batteries for our strobes. Most of the boats should be able to accommodate
battery chargers, and run on standard US 110v/60Hz. Check with yours
to be sure.
Film
A common question
we encountered in our searches, as well as asked ourselves, was
regarding how much film to bring. Some references said we would
shoot every roll of film we bring. Unfortunately there is no easy
answer as everyone's shooting style is different, and the arrangements
of your particular trip may be different. For our 11 day trip (4
days in Quito, 7 days actually in Galápagos, with only 4 land trips,
12 dives), we could have easily shot 60 rolls of film or more, land
and underwater combined, if we were allowed the time, and had the
conditions to do so. We didn't shoot nearly that much, and came
back with much more film than we shot. We did have limited visibility
underwater, which restricted the amount of opportunities with the
hammerheads, therefore reducing how much we were shooting. But when
we shot macro, the entire roll was shot during the dive. As we mentioned,
our time on land was somewhat hurried, further limiting the amount
of shooting time there. So we think 50-60 rolls is probably a good
starting point for this type and length of trip for an avid photographer
doing both land and u/w. Some might think that amount is excessive;
you can adjust from there based on your own experience and shooting
style. If you are shooting digital, bring plenty of storage media.
As far as the
types of film, we were shooting all 35 mm slide film 
and brought a mixture of Fuji
Velvia, Provia F100, and Provia F400. The Provia F400 was primarily
for the sea lions underwater, to have faster shutter speeds as they
blazed past us. It turns out 400 speed film wasn't fast enough for
many of the shots. The breakdown of what we actually shot was probably
70% Provia F100 (some pushed 1 stop), 25% Velvia, and 5% Provia
F400. Provia F100 is a very versatile film for the conditions in
the Galápagos. It is arguably the finest grained slide film available,
nicely saturated, and able to handle the contrast and light conditions
better than Velvia at times. Colorful Velvia was used exclusively
for underwater macro and some scenics on Bartolomé, as we will mention
later.
If you don't
know this already, bring all of your film in your carryon bags,
and politely request a hand check at the Security gate instead of
putting it on the conveyor belt. You can make it easier on the Security
inspectors (and possibly yourself) if you place all of your film
in clear, Ziplock bags, and remove the film from the film containers.
We had no problems with hand checks in the US and Ecuador. Don't
worry if your film does happen to go through the carryon x-ray,
as the individual carryon checkpoints won't ruin your film. Just
keep in mind you may need to go through 8-10 total checkpoints during
your entire journey, and may return with film to be used on another
trip. Since x-rays are accumulative on exposure, it is best to play
it safe where you can.
Do not
under any circumstances put your film in your checked bags, as they
will be ruined if scanned by the latest x-ray equipment used for
checked baggage.
