Recreational overheads, especially wrecks

[boulderjohn]

Every day of the year, divers around the world are entering overhead environments. It might be simple swim-throughs in places like Cozumel or wide open wrecks in the South Florida artificial reef program. They do so despite the fact that the only language you see in almost all recreational diving agency literature is "Don't do it!"

I had an email exchange with PADI about this last year, and in that exchange, they said that that kind of diving is perfectly acceptable, and they argued that the language in their publications does not prohibit it. I argued that is sure seemed to prohibit it, and I pointed out that according to the language in their wreck diving course, even someone who has completed that course cannot cut the corner of a wide open deck when circling a wreck. They asked me for alternative wording, and when I provided it, they asked permission to use it in the future.

My wording appeared in print for the first time this month. PADI published it in the 3rd quarter issue of their professional journal, the Undersea Journal. It provides for the first time in their publications a definition of a swim-through and makes clear that they can be acceptable dive sites. It talks about using good judgment when entering overhead environments rather than the old "just say no" approach.

I have written a short article that should serve as a guide for those wishing for more detail. The focus of the article is on wreck diving, because that was the focus of our conversation and the language they asked me to write, but the basic ideas apply to other overheads as well.

Entering a Wreck
EDIT: I have added a direct link that can be downloaded from this site.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Thank you for this, as I am a rec diver who enjoys wrecks. I don't have the means to get serious wreck training, and I don't have the means to really exercise that wreck training, to make it worth it.

Which is fine, because I don't really want to penetrate the wrecks. To me what I like about wreck diving is seeing a large boat looming in the distance (if its large) and then swimming to it and along it, seeing the boat's large features and the marine life that lives and eats on it..

I will use my best judgment to do swim-throughs however, as described in the article.

Maybe in the future I'll look into extending my diving to be able to dive deeper wrecks, but I don't think I'll ever want to penetrate.

 

[Ojai Diver]

I was unable to access your article on this computer, but look forward to reading it later.

However, I will note that my PADI Wreck course, including the textbook, explicitly taught the fundamentals of simple penetration diving. We did our course on the Yukon in San Diego.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Very nice article! I actually learned something from it!

 

[CathyE]

Thanks!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Good article John. I like it a lot. If you'll edit it to include your instructor info I'd pass it on to students. I won't do that unless I'm sure they'll give you credit for it when discussing with someone.

 

[boulderjohn]

Good article John. I like it a lot. If you'll edit it to include your instructor info I'd pass it on to students. I won't do that unless I'm sure they'll give you credit for it when discussing with someone.

Thanks, Jim. I don't know why I did not think of it. It's done.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Excellent topic and a well-written article, John.

My 2¢ ...

Most divers won't realize there is silt in a swim-through before it gets stirred up. In Bermuda, we had visibility on both sides of many coral caverns until the less experienced divers managed to create silt-outs. When it comes to penetration diving, students discount that proper training can be readily available judging by what technical wreck divers wear. Any diver entering the overhead should carry and understand how to use a safety spool. If divers with less developed skills enter a swim-through as a team, one of those divers might end up swimming through silt. If looking for buddies or sunlight, light coming through a porthole in another compartment could potentially lure a diver deeper into the wreck into a place where egress is not possible. Then, it's a matter of depth, time, gas, nerves, luck, and the grace of God that will determine if the diver finds his or her way out safely.

@Superlyte27 Pete, made a good post about not allowing a highly experienced diver who had been going into the overhead to bypass cavern training. I, too, think cavern is some sort of holy grail not to be missed level of education. We keep allowing more and more shortcuts in diving. In so doing, we rob instructors who place safety above all else of their well-deserved livelihood while rewarding the "corner cutter" divers, DM's, and instructors. Those of us who teach cave and wreck penetration know the world of hurt and death we can lure a student into with the wave of a hand signaling, "Come here. Just a little bit."

While I admit that a simple swim-through might seem "mostly safe," I'm reminded that can lead to "mostly dead."

 

[Superlyte27]

Without lots of experience, I don't know that divers can judge what a safe swim through is. I like that the article says "silt free" but I've seen stuff that looked pretty benign turn to absolute crap in an instant. How many divers have you seen where in a moment of chaos their solution was to bolt to the surface?

T.bix was in the Ginnie Ballroom about 5 years ago when farther in the system behind the grate was a collapse, zeroing vis in the ballroom almost instantly. Fortunately he and his sons were there because the lady who was an open water diver had panicked and bolted to the ceiling.

Sure it's a fluke and almost never happens, but I've seen a few similar type events on the Spiegel Grove.

 

[DogDiver]

Excellent topic and a well-written article, John.

My 2¢ ...

Most divers won't realize there is silt in a swim-through before it gets stirred up. In Bermuda, we had visibility on both sides of many coral caverns until the less experienced divers managed to create silt-outs. When it comes to penetration diving, students discount that proper training can be readily available judging by what technical wreck divers wear. Any diver entering the overhead should carry and understand how to use a safety spool. If divers with less developed skills enter a swim-through as a team, one of those divers might end up swimming through silt. If looking for buddies or sunlight, light coming through a porthole in another compartment could potentially lure a diver deeper into the wreck into a place where egress is not possible. Then, it's a matter of depth, time, gas, nerves, luck, and the grace of God that will determine if the diver finds his or her way out safely.

@Superlyte27 Pete, made a good post about not allowing a highly experienced diver who had been going into the overhead to bypass cavern training. I, too, think cavern is some sort of holy grail not to be missed level of education. We keep allowing more and more shortcuts in diving. In so doing, we rob instructors who place safety above all else of their well-deserved livelihood while rewarding the "corner cutter" divers, DM's, and instructors. Those of us who teach cave and wreck penetration know the world of hurt and death we can lure a student into with the wave of a hand signaling, "Come here. Just a little bit."

While I admit that a simple swim-through might seem "mostly safe," I'm reminded that can lead to "mostly dead."

Aman