Classes/skills to master for wreck diving..

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Prior to the wreck certification, would recommend Advanced Open Water, Rescue, & Nitrox.

Skills to work on would be buoyancy control, navigation, trim, gas planning and management, buddy awareness, and buoyancy control.

Have fun diving,

theskull
 
. . . and in Michigan . . .

Drysuit diving, it you are not already there!

theskull
 
If you mean wreck penetration, you need a lot more. you need training and expierence in lines, adv rescue, and adv gasses (trimix)
 
dsaxe01:
If you mean wreck penetration, you need a lot more. you need training and expierence in lines, adv rescue, and adv gasses (trimix)

While I agree with the part about training and experience in running lines and even advanced rescue training I'm wondering why a trimix certification is necessary for wreck penetration? Are all the wreck sites in the great lakes at such a depth that trimix is required to dive them? I'm not familiar with the diving in that area of the country but here in Florida there are many wrecks that are well within the recreational limits and could even be dived on plane old air if one wanted.
 
There are plenty of wrecks to penetrate in the nitrox range up here.

Take a class. Intro to Cave, Cave1, Wreck Pen, doesn't mater. Just take one - even if its a lowly PADI Cavern/Wreck. At least you'll know some of the possible dangers.

As for skills you need to have mastered all of the fundamental dive skills. The kinds of things they teach you on a DIR-F you need to know cold. Buoyancy, trim, buddy and environment awareness, dive planning, etc. You need to master the more advanced skills taught on one of these courses. Stuff like line management and zero vision stuff.
 
Padipro:
While I agree with the part about training and experience in running lines and even advanced rescue training I'm wondering why a trimix certification is necessary for wreck penetration? Are all the wreck sites in the great lakes at such a depth that trimix is required to dive them? I'm not familiar with the diving in that area of the country but here in Florida there are many wrecks that are well within the recreational limits and could even be dived on plane old air if one wanted.

It depends where you're at in the lakes. In some areas the shallower wrecks are pretty busted up and there isn't much to penetrate where the deeper wrecks tend to be more intact. That's not true everyplace though of course.

If you want to see the best the lakes have to offer you'll end up deep eventually.
 
A definite course in overhead/confined environments training is essential. I'll be hinest, the only wreck cert I did was from PADI. I wouldn't be able to point you towards other agencies as I'm not familiar with courses offered.
You'll learn a lot from overhead environment courses, really takes a look at your trim and navigation skills. Peak performance buoyancy class is a good one to take also. I've had great results with students teaching that one.

Good luck

Scubafreak
 
I myself am thinking of doing some "light" wreck penetration if you will. I'm thinking of a Cavern course as I'm interested in that as well and it should give me some of the skills I need such as running a line etc. for wrecks. After I get the skills I need to start some easy penetration stuff do you guys recommend going right to doubles? Although I may not need the gas for some of the "easy" wrecks I'll do at recreational depths, I'm thinking the redundancy would be key while inside a wreck. Even though I'm not planning on going in very far I think it would be wise to plan for worse case scenarios, like getting snagged, disoriented etc. In fact, I'm sure most of you will say yes, go to doubles, but I'd like some input from some of you on how you started out.
 
I wonl't go into an overhead environment without doubles.

I took Cavern and Intro on a single. Being back 1000 feet into peacock on a single 95 with an H-Valve and turning at 3rds I realised just how nuts that was.
 

Back
Top Bottom