Wreck Diving. Much more than a one or two-day specialty course -

Wreck Diving

Much more than a one or two-day specialty course

Article by José Pablo Mir

Pictures by Cezary Abramowski

For many of us, wreck diving is why we dive so frequently and passionately. Wrecks are not something that happens to be there when we jump into the water; they are the main reason.

Those who do not consider themselves wreck divers should allow themselves to discover what it’s all about. It goes far beyond quick tours during annual vacations in tropical destinations. Each wreck is a challenge to face. Over time, we will unravel its mysteries and discover its secrets, whims, resting areas, and danger zones. In our imagination, we will relive moments of glory, adventures, struggles against the elements, and possibly tragic endings.

My beginnings

I clearly remember my love for wrecks awakened while diving the wreck of the Grecian shipwreck in Montauk, New York, over a decade ago. It was the first time I developed a taste for navigating in low visibility conditions, in what, in that particular case, was a field of debris scattered on the seabed. The boilers were the only easily recognizable structure. Still, it left me with a tremendous sense of adventure.

On that occasion, that shipwreck was simply the place for an end as I was taking my first steps in technical diving. It was not a wreck dive, as I interpret that label today. However, my fascination with that dive would have been entirely different if it had simply been a sandy bottom, a reef, rocks, or another type of natural formation that merely served as a landmark. I don’t want to give the impression I disparage those other environments, but in the end, we have our hearts set in different directions.

A few months later, on a diving trip with my youngest son to North Carolina and Florida, my fate was sealed. Undoubtedly, being able to observe shipwrecks almost entirely, from end to end, gave me a new perspective on what wreck diving involves. This persisted even upon my return to the North, where we usually only see the wreck in chunks of 15 to 30 feet, 5 to 10 meters, or less at a time.

Getting started as a wreck diver often requires finding the right buddy or the proper mentor who can convey their passion for this practice. Otherwise, the transition can take time. I had obtained my wreck diver certification a few years before that visit to the Grecian, but it seems I was waiting for the opportune moment or the right environment and conditions to take root in me. I imagine the same may happen in other diving specialties and adventure sports.

How to get started

The first step is learning, getting certified, and practicing to gain proficiency. Our SDI Wreck Diver is the ideal entry point for this practice. It provides the essential tools to plan and execute non-penetration or limited-penetration dives to the natural light zone of wrecks. It analyzes the main risks this practice presents and the necessary equipment and tools and introduces concepts of good planning and execution.

Once this step is completed, we will be ready to start diving wrecks within our reach, according to our level of certification regarding depth, environment, and type of gasses. And our reach will likely be vast, whether locally or with some kind of transfer to nearby sites, as the number of diveable wrecks in rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans worldwide is enormous.

The next step

As we progress and feel more comfortable and relaxed, we want to go further. Those limits that initially seemed suitable and prudent will begin to feel increasingly restrictive. We will need to continue our training throughout this advancement towards new frontiers. This is where technical diving courses, such as TDI Advanced Nitrox Diver, TDI Decompression Procedures Diver, TDI Helitrox Diver, and TDI Trimix Diver, allow us to go deeper, for longer, and use more exotic gas mixes to keep Narcosis, Oxygen Toxicity, and the density of our bottom gas under control.

On the other hand, advanced wreck diving courses, like TDI Advanced Wreck Diver, teach us techniques for penetrating beyond the light zone, as much as we want or can within the wreck’s structure. This is the primary path to follow for wreck divers: it is our black belt.

With these new skills will come new abilities, equipment, and tools; we will develop new strategies, set new procedures, plan each dive more and better, and execute them with increasing precision. Sooner rather than later, we will realize that we are exploring those passages and chambers where, until recently, we didn’t even dare to imagine we could want to enter one day. Wreck diving is an endless source of growth, wonder, and enjoyment. There is always more to learn, see, discover, and more adventures to live.

Can cave diving training replace wreck diving training?

Obviously not.

The idea that learning and training to cave dive or engage in technical diving, in general, could be sufficient and, therefore, could replace specific wreck diving training is incorrect, misleading, and dangerous. The same is true in the opposite direction; wreck diving courses are not suitable for teaching cave or cavern diving, even if to some of us it may seem so. Remember that we dive for fun; it’s not worth taking unnecessary risks by cutting corners. So, if you want to learn to dive wrecks, you must engage in wreck diving training.

What possible differences might exist between a wreck and a cave warrant differences in the instruction received and the practice performed? Many. In the following list, I have summarized three fundamental aspects:

1.- Wrecks are smaller, and penetrations often have multiple entry and exit points. This allows for, and most of the time requires, different gear, configurations, navigation, marking and signaling strategies, and contingency criteria. It also deceives the careless and ill-prepared, who may think that penetrating without being prepared does not present significant risks.

2.- The risk of entanglement with fishing lines, ropes, and electrical cables is real. The risk of getting trapped by parts of the structure that can block passages or fall on us is considerably higher. Injuries from sharp or moving parts are very possible. We must take different precautions and modify the type and number of tools we must carry.

3.- Most wrecks are located in the ocean. It is easy to imagine most of the implications and the many considerations at stake, whether operational, safety, or emergency-related -our own, others’, weather, maritime traffic, etc.

Our goal is to dive

Courses and workshops are the beginning and our first steps in any specialty we are learning. But they are not an end in themselves.

We, divers, want to dive. Learning and getting certified are the essential tools to achieve that goal, but the goal lives beyond that.

We should not be satisfied just with getting certifications; we should put them to good use by practicing and gaining real experience by diving. Open water practice and the knowledge and experience we gain from actual dives make us more confident and enable safer practices.

Through diving, we will discover new destinations, sites, and environments and grow as active practitioners of our sport.

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