Steve was my advanced wreck instructor trainer. Someone asked about Trace. I have not heard from him in a while. He was having some eye surgery a couple months back.
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As good as anyone out there. Very thorough, very detailed, and the area is great for training. Several guys on my crew took wreck penetration classes with Trace in the St Lawrence.Does anyone have any thoughts on how Adv Wreck from Trace Malinowski, on the wrecks in the Saint Lawrence River, compares to some of these world-class instructors that have already been mentioned?
This is a good point for those thinking that they want to get into wreck diving and are looking for expert instruction.Andy where I'm at in the Great Lakes region, few instructors have the skills to teach wreck penetration let alone on an expert level. Not many penetrable wrecks lie in shallow water to practice and the ones that do are in bad shape from either storms or other non skilled divers. The deeper wrecks in and around the technical range we will do at least 8-10 dives before a basic penetration in more open areas are attempted. This is of course after scouting out weaknesses or obstructions. Anything that is sagging or pancaking is a no go. Complicated penetrations into engine spaces are of course run with lines and exit points are noted. I don't go inside tight areas as I need to videotape my finning techniques and BCY control to access myself if I'm ready for it.
This is a good point for those thinking that they want to get into wreck diving and are looking for expert instruction.
I do.I see absolutely no reason to view recreational cavern and wreck training differently. They have the exact same limits, the same hazards (wreck arguably has more) and require the same skills and procedures.