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.