Wreck diving can be a dangerous underwater sport that has its own thrills and excitement. However, it is not advisable to embark on a wreck diving expedition alone and unsupervised especially without any proper training. There are many locations in the world where experienced and professional scuba divers conduct deep-sea diving tours.
These wreck diving professionals are very familiar with the underwater terrain and know all the underlying hazards, such as different species of predator fishes and underwater currents that might be lurking in the diving area and how to combat them. Most importantly, these scuba divers are highly trained in life-saving exercises and trained for defense against shark attacks. Certain locations in the world are well-known for wreck diving and training, famous wreck diving locations are Florida, Bermuda and parts of the Pacific like Truk, Scapa Flow, and Bikini, those places are excellent grounds for the experienced scuba divers to learn wreck diving skills.
Wreck diving can be a risky activity, and sufficient training must be provided to the scuba divers before allowing them to commence an exploration of any wreck in the sea. Technically, a wreck is a ship or a plane that may have sunk off the coast or out at sea. The older the wreck grows, the more treacherous it is to wreck dive around the sunken ship. The parts of the ship would probably have deteriorated and can become become a death trap to the inexperienced diver. It only takes one wrong move to trigger a chain of collapsing wreckage and the diver runs the risk of getting trapped if he or she is not careful.
Besides, there may be fishing nets covering or weeds growing in the passageways of the wreck, which can easily trap the arms or legs or gear of a scuba diver. Even worse, it would endanger the scuba diver’s life if no one is able to locate him or her in time. Wreck diving training would equip a scuba diver with all the necessary knowledge to survive in troubled waters. It includes the important SOS signals for attracting attention and how to use the safety equipment, such as underwater flares.
Many wrecks are actually mapped. This means that the scuba divers are taught where to swim and dive and where not to venture into. Some wrecks have safety signs and unique identifiers. If a scuba diver gets stuck or trapped, he can signal his location to another scuba diver and request for the nearest rescue centre to dispatch rescuers.
As many wrecks are located at vast depths of the sea and oceans. Scuba divers must have the appropriate knowledge of how deep they are allowed to dive and how long they can stay there. Deep sea diving has its risks. Prolonged wreck diving can produce symptoms of the “bends,” a very excruciating situation where the diver suffers from excessive nitrogen dissolving in the blood because of the pressure of the water. It should not be taken lightly because it can be a life-threatening situation and scuba divers must detect the early symptoms of the bends.
Most of the wreck diving training centers offer basic wreck courses which will teach you everything you need know about wreck diving. You will learn how to safely plan and execute a penetration dive inside a wreck. These courses are usually taught over two to three days which usually involve theory and practical training.
Theoretical training covers rules and regulations related to wreck diving, safety training, and wreck dive planning.
Practical training will normally involve about four non-penetrating wreck diving training dives to learn how to examine and evaluate the wreck. This is followed by at least two to three penetration wreck diving sessions using a combination of dive plan, reels and other sophisticated wreck diving equipment. There are even advanced technical training courses that cover complex and deep wreck diving penetration.
In general wreck diving can be very safe and is no more threatening than regular scuba diving. But without proper training it can also carry much greater risks, especially when penetration of the wreck is involved. Wreck diving training allows both the new and experienced divers to be aware of the dangers of the mysterious deep and to understand how to handle critical situations.
One of the best wreck diving training courses is being given by PADI. The PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course gives you the skills, knowledge and teaches you the procedures needed when you want to start wreck diving. To start this course you need to be in possession of a PADI Adventure Diver certification (or one from another qualifying organization) the minimum age to start this course is 15. The PADI wreck diving certification counts toward the PADI master scuba diver rating.
Visit Mattsscuba.com for all your scuba diving equipment