Wreck Diving Certification

If you go to my blog on Scuba Diving - Learn to Dive Safe, you will see I have done 3 basic classes on Wreck diving. How to Evaluate, navigate, map, penetrate, and special considerations. Todays class in just on what doe it take to be a certified wreck diver for PADI.

As with most PADI classes you will get your course book with the associated DVD. It would be wise to read the text, watch the DVD, and do the required knowledge reviews before you do the dives. Some shops will have a brief class to discuss the material and go over the answers to the reviews.

After the book work it is time to do the required dives, There are 3 dives that must be completed prior to certification. I will go through each dive briefly.

DIVE 1

This dive could be part of the Advanced dive certification. On this dive, you simply will dive on the wreck and do an overview, This will be on the exterior of the wreck. Get the general feel of the wreck, how is it sitting, and where are the hazards. In other words, just have fun diving a wreck. Watch the aquatic life that lives there. During this dive practice avoiding silting. Learn to navigate on a wreck by following the wrecks features (layout), feature references, and base line references.

DIVE 2

Now we start to do some work on this dive. Go to my blog on Scuba diving yo learn more about this. On this dive you will navigate and map the wreck. Look to areas that you can penetrate later. Assess for stability. Look for possible hazards, points of interest, and general condition. Two Benefits to map a wreck are to simiply future dives and to help plan for a possible penetration of the wreck.

DIVE 3

First you will practice how to use the penetration line on the surface. Then when you do the dive you will use the penetration lines along the outside of the wreck. This way you see how to handle the lines underwater. Swim out from the wreck and use the line as a retrieval line. Swim along the lines using your lights. Need to see how you handle all the gear at one time.

DIVE 4

This dive can either be a tour wreck dive or a penetration dive. Some wrecks you dive on can not be penetrated. So you do not need to penetrate to get the certification. But It is nice if you could penetrate a wreck under the supervision of an instructor.

You need to learn how to avoid the 5 hazards of a wreck: This is why special wreck training in essential:
1. Loss of direction
2. No direct access to the surface
3. Restricted passages
4. Falling objects
5. Silt


Once you have completed all 4 dives, and the knowledge reviews, then you will awarded the Wreck Diver Certification.