Wreck Diving can be one of the most interesting aspects of sports diving; however, every effort must be made to maximize the techniques of safe diving. The SDI Wreck Course will discuss the equipment and techniques commonly employed during wreck diving. This course can be taught as a non-penetration course or as a course with limited penetration, requiring 3 dives. Limited penetration is defined as a dive within the ambient light of the entry point.
Individuals who wish to learn more about wreck diving, including:
- Researching wrecks
- Mapping
- Proper use of lines during wreck diving
- Exploring underwater history
- SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, SDI Junior Open Water Scuba Diver, or equivalent, or currently enrolled in one of these courses.
- Minimum age of 18 years, 15 years for limited penetration with parental consent.
- Minimum age of 10 years, without penetration with parental consent.
- SDI Junior Open Water Scuba Divers cannot participate in penetration activities or dives below 18 meters/60 feet.
- Divers must have a specialty certification in Deep Diver or be able to provide proof of experience to dive deeper than 18 meters/60 feet in this course.
The SDI Wreck Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:
- Why Wreck Diving?
- Surface supports
- Communications when and if necessary
- Backup procedures
- Buddy system
- Contact with the buddy
- Contact in limited visibility
- Lines
- Line signals
- Positioning
- Navigation/charts
- Use of the slate
- Pre-dive marking
- Pre-dive planning using charts and other information
- Directional determination
- Disorientation
- With/without a buddy
- Lost buddy
- Light failure
- Emergency procedures
- Special equipment
- Lights: primary and backup, size, time, and use
- Knives and cutting devices
- Limited visibility diving
- Silt-out
- Psychological considerations
- Use of light
- Importance of backup light
- Night vision, do not shine light in buddy’s eyes
- Lines and reels
- Types of lines
- Tie-offs
- Directional markers
- Line handling and training practiced on land before performing this skill underwater
- Special emergency procedures
- Safe destruction
- Dangerous or non-dangerous wrecks
- Wreck mapping
- Vertical, horizontal, and feature identification
Upon successful completion of this course, the student can conduct diving activities without direct supervision from an SDI Instructor, provided the following limits are respected:
- Diving activities should be similar to those of the training
- Activity areas should be similar to those of the training
- Environmental conditions should be similar to those of the training
The SDI Wreck Diver certification counts towards a specialty rating to achieve the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.
- Complete all open water requirements efficiently
- Demonstrate wreck diving techniques
