Sea Ventures dive shop in Fairfax, VA is offering a new course in U-Boat diving. From the course description on the website, "The U-Boat Diving course, developed exclusively by Sea Ventures, is a three-night/one-day (classroom, pool, and quarry) course that will familiarize students with German U-Boat operations off the U.S. East Coast during World War II and educate them on the special skills and equipment necessary for exploring these historic wrecks. The SSI U-Boat Diving course is strictly a recreational diving course. During the course, students will be trained in conducting scuba dives to U-Boat wrecks no deeper than 130 fsw. Students will be prepared to externally examine U-Boat wrecks only; no penetration training will be conducted. All dives will be no-decompression dives." There are five U-Boats in 130 fsw or less within 400 miles of Fairfax. For further information, visit the Sea Ventures website or call the shop at 703 425 7676.
New Course on U-Boat Diving
- Thread starter WRChadwell
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james croft
Contributor
Welcome to SB. I have dove U-boats before but I did not have the special skills and equipment I needed. I just used my normal skills and equipment. How much does the course run ?
Dtaine
Contributor
Welcome to SB!
Not to be argumentative, but if there's no penetration training, and all the diving is at recreational levels, then what's the point of the class?
Does it include the braille diving needed to dive the U-1105? If not, what exactly is taught?
Currents can be strong on the U-85 and U-352 but no more so than any NC wreck and the U-82, U-352, U-701 and U-853 are all war graves, but then again so are most of the WWII era merchant and naval wrecks along the mid atlantic coast so what separates it from a regular wreck diving course?
Does the course focus on identfying features of u-boats - overall layout, major features such as induction valves, various hatches, torpedo tube arrangement, etc? The history of the indiviudal boats?
Currents can be strong on the U-85 and U-352 but no more so than any NC wreck and the U-82, U-352, U-701 and U-853 are all war graves, but then again so are most of the WWII era merchant and naval wrecks along the mid atlantic coast so what separates it from a regular wreck diving course?
Does the course focus on identfying features of u-boats - overall layout, major features such as induction valves, various hatches, torpedo tube arrangement, etc? The history of the indiviudal boats?
OP
To the several questions of "what's the point?", this is essentially a recreational wreck diving course with a twist. Instead of providing information on generic wrecks and wreck research, this course spends two nights on the history of German U-Boat operations off the US East Coast, the different types of U-Boats (focusing on the Types VII and IX), and the specific wrecks themselves. It also goes into where to locate primary source material on German U-Boat operations. Actual dive techniques taught are the same as those for a recreational dive class: tether-line reel, lift bag, redundant air source, navigation, entanglement hazards, etc.
This year, we are combining the course with the "2009 U-Boat Tour" in which we are sponsoring trips to dive all five of the U-Boat wrecks within recreational diving limits. For more challenging wrecks such as the U-1105 and U-701, seats are "by invitation only." For the U-1105, my suggestion would be rather than braille, have a knowledge of the Type VIIC/41 tower configuration so well ingrained that you know where you are at all times.
There are many more divers out there who don't know these things than there are divers who are ready for deco and penetration. If we were going to teach deco and penetration, we wouldn't be limiting ourselves to the five boats within 130 fsw, and would be posting over on the Deco Stop or the technical diving forum here. If that's what you are interested in, this is not the course for you.
The course is $75; $50 for those who are already Wreck certified.
This year, we are combining the course with the "2009 U-Boat Tour" in which we are sponsoring trips to dive all five of the U-Boat wrecks within recreational diving limits. For more challenging wrecks such as the U-1105 and U-701, seats are "by invitation only." For the U-1105, my suggestion would be rather than braille, have a knowledge of the Type VIIC/41 tower configuration so well ingrained that you know where you are at all times.
There are many more divers out there who don't know these things than there are divers who are ready for deco and penetration. If we were going to teach deco and penetration, we wouldn't be limiting ourselves to the five boats within 130 fsw, and would be posting over on the Deco Stop or the technical diving forum here. If that's what you are interested in, this is not the course for you.
The course is $75; $50 for those who are already Wreck certified.
Gilldiver
Contributor
You can start here for the U-853
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-england-lobsta-divahs/182520-u-853-look-inside-6.html
Post 60 is where I start a detailed description of the dives and what you will see.
If the course is put together by someone who has dove the wrecks and also knows the construction and arrangements of them as it changed through the war, this course could have a lot of value to some diver.
So many divers have no idea of what they are looking at, so if don't have some background and you are spending anywhere from $125 to $500 to dive one of the boats another $50-$75 could make the experience much greater.
It will all come down to how much background and personal knowledge the instructor has.
For any diver looking to dive the East Coast boats I recommend that they get a copy of Hank Keats "Dive into History: U-Boats" and for the US Subs get "Dive into History: US Submarines."
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-england-lobsta-divahs/182520-u-853-look-inside-6.html
Post 60 is where I start a detailed description of the dives and what you will see.
If the course is put together by someone who has dove the wrecks and also knows the construction and arrangements of them as it changed through the war, this course could have a lot of value to some diver.
So many divers have no idea of what they are looking at, so if don't have some background and you are spending anywhere from $125 to $500 to dive one of the boats another $50-$75 could make the experience much greater.
It will all come down to how much background and personal knowledge the instructor has.
For any diver looking to dive the East Coast boats I recommend that they get a copy of Hank Keats "Dive into History: U-Boats" and for the US Subs get "Dive into History: US Submarines."
NJMike
Contributor
I understand the classroom part. Where does the pool and quarry fit in?
What is the "2009 U-Boat Tour" ? And how exactly does it fit in with this course?
What is the "2009 U-Boat Tour" ? And how exactly does it fit in with this course?
divengolf
Contributor
Maybe PADI should make this a "specialty" course. Remember that all time fav "Boat Diver"!!
Put Another $$ In.
Buy one of the aforementioned books or Operation Drumbeat, learn as much or more and save yourself $$, plus these are a good read.
PS> I used to drive USN nuclear subs so I know a little about them. Not sure what you'll learn about U-Boats swimming around in a pool. Or a quarry for that matter. This gives real scuba training a bad name. If you want a wreck course, go take a real one.
BTW, Gilldiver-the post on U-853 is great.
Put Another $$ In.
Buy one of the aforementioned books or Operation Drumbeat, learn as much or more and save yourself $$, plus these are a good read.
PS> I used to drive USN nuclear subs so I know a little about them. Not sure what you'll learn about U-Boats swimming around in a pool. Or a quarry for that matter. This gives real scuba training a bad name. If you want a wreck course, go take a real one.
BTW, Gilldiver-the post on U-853 is great.
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