PADI Wreck Diver course

Whether sunk on purpose as an artificial reef or the result of mishap, wrecks open fascinating windows to the past. Most divers find wrecked ships, airplanes and even automobiles nearly irresistible because they're intriguing to explore, exciting avenues of discovery, and usually teeming with aquatic life. 

The PADI Wreck Diver course teaches you the ins and outs of rewarding, responsible wreck diving.

The fun part of the PADI Wreck Diver course is visiting wrecks, unlocking mysteries and starting to gain the knowledge and experience that allows you to see things that others overlook. Sometimes, only the trained, experienced eye recognizes that a small hole or open door likely caused the vessel´s demise.

The not-so-fun part is the dangers of going inside wrecks. Hence trainings is very important here. 

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You will learn techniques for diving exploring shipwrecks, and how to avoid common hazards, how to research and learn the background of your favorite wrecks, wreck scuba diving equipment considerations, considerations and techniques for entering intact wrecks. 

The whole course involves planning, drawing sketches of the wreck, entering and exiting the wreck, how to pull reel line and retract it etc. 

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I did my Wreck Diver and Deep Diver trainings at KM Sipadan, Tioman Island in February 2022. 

The sinking of KM Sipadan in 2012

Penetrating KM Sipadan is from the stern where the opening is big, and passing through the hull before exiting at the front. It takes about 10 minutes to enter, navigate, pull the reel line to the front and then retract it and exit at the back. 

The hull itself is not really a straight line. Inside you pass through 2 door openings, navigate a right corridor before reaching the exit. 

 

We did 2 penetrations - the first time my instructor was in front laying the line and I followed suit. The second time we switched position and I was in front laying the line and he followed behind. 

I did have my moments inside the wreck when I was caught stuck at the 2nd door opening, something had me stuck and I had to wriggle and push my way through, kicking up a lot of silt and mud in the process, and dropping the visibility to zero. 

Once through and after calming down, I signalled to my instructor behind me that I am u-turning and began to roll the reel line back. 

Back on the boat, my instructor asked me what happened why was the visibility so bad suddenly. Then I told him what happened down there. 

My take-away:

• I like wreck a lot, so this is a natural for me. Going into wrecks are so exciting! 
• Do it with Deep Diver training and you can also go 30-something metres in the process.

PADI Equipment Specialist course

The latest addition, I took on the PADI Equipment Specialist course last weekend with Scuba Dobedo Divers in Cheras. 

It being a dry course means no getting into the water and can be completed in the classroom means I can take up this course here in KL without the need to go to island. 

The PADI Equipment Specialist course is quite simple and pretty straightforward whereby one learns to identify issues and how to fix minor faults, and also a simple introduction to gears and whatnots. 

At Scuba Dobedo Divers, they went a mile beyond and actually letting students try hands-on to open up a regulator and put it back, test that its properly assembled using a pressure gauge. 

It is a half day course and mostly theoretical.

This intermediate pressure gauge is used to test that the regulator is functioning properly.
A stable reading between 8 to 10bar after 15 minutes is desirable. 
Above 10bar and you will have a free-flowing regulator, while below 8bar you will have a tough time breathing from it. 

Trying my hand taking apart a regulator

After cleaning with ultrasonic solution, it's time to dry each part

The moment of truth.
Putting it on.
If there's an explosion means an O-ring wasn't fitted correctly or something is not right with the assembly.

Master Instructor Tom giving an explanation on scuba tank refill and how it's done.

My take-away:

• This course helps you to better understand scuba equipment and how to spot problems and fix them. Most of the time, it's an O-ring fault and it's a good idea to have a simple set of repair tools whenever out diving. 
• Enhanced your knowledge - there is never too much to learn.

Interested to take up the PADI Equipment Specialist course? Let me know or contact Scuba Dobedo Divers directly.