PADI Wreck Diver Course

Hi
Has anyone done this course? I'm just curious what's covered in this course, and if it'll really prepare you to dive in a wreck? What are the restrictions after passing out from this course?

Thanks.

It depends on the Instructor. My particular PADI Instructor back in 2005 just finished a GUE Cave 1 course a few months before, so he incorporated a lot of that great overhead training & knowledge in the standard fare PADI Wreck syllabus. (example: reel line laying technique; long-hose gas sharing on egress from inside a wreck; gas management & modified-thirds turn-around etc.).

That instructor is Jo Hjelm, now teaching GUE Fundamentals in San Diego & Honolulu.

Your point on gas sharing reminded me of something. I was talking to a friend who took the course and was told they don't teach long hose.

I was told if air share was needed and they needed to share air and squeeze through a restriction, the donor removes his BCD and pushes it through the restriction while air sharing.

I thought that was strange and sounded kinda unsafe. Especially when use of long hose is a much easier and I think safer way.

What were the restrictions of the card holder who graduates from this course?

WhiteSands:

Hi
Has anyone done this course? I'm just curious what's covered in this course, and if it'll really prepare you to dive in a wreck? What are the restrictions after passing out from this course?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Its up to the instructor whether the course will include penetration or not so clarify that before signing up. If it does include penetration the the following restrictions are taught:

1. Edge of light zone - you should always be able to see natural light coming in the entrance of the wreck.
2. Linear distance of 130 feet - if the wreck is 100 ft deep you don't penetrate more than 30 ft even if the light zone extends farther.
3. Rule of thirds used for gas planning
4. No restrictions too tight for two divers to pass thru together while sharing air with a conventional alternate air source.

The PADI Wreck Diver Specialty has the option of 1 penetration dive. Regardless of whether or not this option is used, this class is not an overhead class and you are not trained or able to safely penetrate a wreck or any other overhead environment. The NAUI counterpart to this course is called External Wreck Survey (or something like that) and is a much better way to think of this course. If taught properly, it gives students the tools and skills to safely dive ON and AROUND a wreck. Many of my students say they really had no idea how much there is to know and how happy they were to have taken the class. Some move on to the more advanced Wreck Penetration Distinctive Specialty Course, which is a minimum of 2 open water dives and 4 wreck penetration dives.

I teach the PADI wreck.

WheelsUSN outlined the limitations: Light-zone, 130'/40m linear from surface, rule of 1/3rds gas and no restrictions (confined passages).

THAT SAID: the course is very basic on the penetration skills. It does not even closely compare with a cavern diver course, which has identical limitations on penetration. That always struck me as a huge disparity. The course has only 1 penetration training dive, where you lay and retrieve a guideline; there are no contingency drills (lost line/lost buddy/entanglement) and no zero viz familiarization (black mask). Then there is only 1 (one) actual penetration dive (and that is optional?).

From my experience; two penetration focused training dives is nowhere near enough to adequately prepare a diver for real wreck penetration. For that reason, I don't count the PADI course as anything more than an introduction to wreck penetration. Nothing more, nothing less.

If taught by a clueless instructor (there are many - the prerequisite training/experience to teach this is a joke.. just 25 logged wreck dives that don't have to be penetrations), then it isn't even a good introduction. It's a waste of time. A 'good' instructor will add what is necessary to make the course more robust, BUT... they still only have 2 penetration-focused dives in which to achieve that tall order. The other two dives (non-penetration) can be used for core stuff like trim/ buoyancy/ propulsion/ situational awareness... a good instructor will take advantage of that (it's critical to being a safe wreck diver).

I only sell this as an introductory wreck course - I think it's disingenuous to pretend it's more than that (and I still add A LOT to the program). I offer post-qualification clinics and 'overhead protocols' clinic training to make up the short-fall...

I teach for both PADI and ANDI currently. I much prefer the ANDI L2 Wreck course - which is a much more direct equivalent of cavern-level diving. It has all the drills and skills (black mask, lost line, lost buddy, entanglement) and 4 actual penetration dives. The course requires redundant gas too - so either a pony (minimum) or doubles (which can be taught as a supplement). It requires their 'complete safeair user' qualification as a prerequisite though (kinda similar to advanced nitrox, but just 50%, no deco).

Here's a relevant article: How to evaluate a wreck diving course

---------- Post added October 1st, 2013 at 08:47 PM ----------

Kevrumbo:

My particular PADI Instructor back in 2005 just finished a GUE Cave 1 course a few months before, so he incorporated a lot of that great overhead training & knowledge in the standard fare PADI Wreck syllabus. (example: reel line laying technique; long-hose gas sharing on egress from inside a wreck; gas management & modified-thirds turn-around etc.).

Click to expand...

For reference: gas-sharing in the overhead is specifically prohibited on the PADI Wreck Diver course (instructor standards).

Everything else (proper guideline procedure, gas management, redundant gas etc... can be added). Other skills can be added in open-water training sessions (not overhead) - that's where I get my black masks out to play...

---------- Post added October 1st, 2013 at 08:50 PM ----------

WhiteSands:

Your point on gas sharing reminded me of something. I was talking to a friend who took the course and was told they don't teach long hose.

I was told if air share was needed and they needed to share air and squeeze through a restriction, the donor removes his BCD and pushes it through the restriction while air sharing.

I thought that was strange and sounded kinda unsafe.

Click to expand...

That isn't taught - and any comments suggesting so were the thoughts of that particular instructor (a scary one, it seems).

The purpose in not allowing recreational wreck divers through restrictions is to ensure that they can always exit air-sharing without a long hose (side-by-side or piggyback). Beyond restrictions is the preserve of more advanced/technical wreck training - where the long-hose is mandated and taught.

WhiteSands:

Your point on gas sharing reminded me of something. I was talking to a friend who took the course and was told they don't teach long hose.

I was told if air share was needed and they needed to share air and squeeze through a restriction, the donor removes his BCD and pushes it through the restriction while air sharing.

Click to expand...

DevonDiver:

If taught by a clueless instructor (there are many - the prerequisite training/experience to teach this is a joke.. just 25 logged wreck dives that don't have to be penetrations), then it isn't even a good introduction. It's a waste of time.

Click to expand...

Your friend definitely took the course from one of the clueless instructors that Devondiver was talking about. If you were considering taking the course from the same instructor then don't take it.

The course can be a good intro to wreck diving if taught by a good instructor. If you expect more than an intro or don't have a good instructor then the class will be a major disappointment or even worse teach you the wrong things that will give you false confidence that could lead to real problems.

I took it years ago from a good instructor who is (was?) a well known cave diver. The penetration was interesting, learning the reel/line techniques, pitfalls, etc. I doubt I will ever penetrate anything and if I ever did it would be WELL within the 3 rules mentioned above. We learned to map a wreck--again interesting--how many of you desire to do this? Other info. like all the safety stuff diving outside a wreck is good to know, though a fair bit of that is just logical. But I didn't know something like not going near a big porthole when current may suck you in, etc. The course I took was at Vortex Spring on the FL panhandle, so I'm sure negotiating our way through that structure wasn't exactly the same thing as a wreck in the North Atlantic...

I should add that after the course our instructor added that this was just the very beginning to wreck penetration and if we decided to do some to do it well within the limits we learned and with extreme caution. A couple of fatality stories he told us made that point very clear.

I took PADI Wreck Diver from Wayne Fisch (DiverSeekers.com and The Scuba Connection in Hillsborough, NJ) who is an excellent instructor and does the class right:

1.) Super-qualified to teach it: He's GUE trained, full-cave certified, and most importantly actually dives real NJ wrecks week in, week out, and has for years.
2.) Positions the class as the reality of "Intro to Getting Your Feet Wet Wreck-wise" and not that you're ready for the Doria
3.) Sets the standards as high as allowed, and...
4.) Sets them even higher if you want to work to exceed the standards (which - if you're training with Wayne - you no doubt do.)

Truth be told, when I went down to Florida for my first NACD course that instructor (billed around SB as "demanding") found it hard to believe that my only buoyancy, propulsion, penetration, and line-skill training at the time was a PPB course and a PADI wreck class - both taught by Wayne. I think my NACD instructor was also surprised that my gear comprised anything but hammers and crowbars.

Once in Truk, the first mate on the Odyssey asked me "Do you ever do any dive in NJ? You dive exactly like a guy who was on the boat six months ago... name of Wayne Fisch."