Hey thank. Im in the PADI course. Talked about the frog kick, hazards, (silts and sharps ect.), Linear rule, and rule of thirds and all that stuff. However, I do not believe they mentioned that there is another course for more serious wreck driving.So I will have to look into that. I also would love to do cavern diving.But we'll have to see about that...I dont think there are any cavers around where I dive. But then again, never truly looked.
Wreck Diving Cert
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That's because it's not a PADI course...
There's a fair few of us (cavers) here in NJ, though we need to travel to actually dive in caverns and caves. But we do have wrecks galore here! There's a reason the waters off NJ are called "Wreck Valley! (Ironic that a NJ guy would travel ELSEWHERE to learn wreck diving...)
Enjoy the class, and when you're done with sanitized "tourist" wrecks in warm, clear, Florida water, join us back home in NJ for some REAL wrecks...the kind that the Germans put down for us in 1942!
Well, for now, I still enjoy diving in the warm water. And within a year, ill be moving to Florida, and will be living with my father, who all ready has a house here(which is where im staying for the next week).But Iv never been diving off the shore of Jersey, seems a little cold to me. I've been diving at Dutch Springs in PA, but doesn't even come close to comparing to the ocean. But that doesnt mean I wouldn't love trying to dive off the jersey shore 
. Hows the viz?
. Hows the viz?
But that doesnt mean I wouldn't love trying to dive off the jersey shore
Viz...as far as the eye can see!
But seriously, we have days of +50' on some of the off-shore stuff, but in general we're happy with 20-30' days. It's about WHAT you can see, not about how FAR you can see!
Blackwood
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Don't let that turn into a false sense of security. Thirds may be adequate for shallow caves, but in a wreck you most often have to ascend after you exit. If you use 1/3 of your gas penetrating, and 2/3 exiting, you may find yourself up (or down, as the case may be) sh** creek.
For "130 linear feet from the surface" dives that's probably not an issue.
BTW, given that "130-depth=max penetration" rule, I'd suggest putting knots in your reel or spool you can use to measure distance. One every 10 feet is usually pretty good. So if you enter a wreck at 70ft, when the 6th knot comes around, you go no further.
I mark my reel with a sharpe, one small mark for 5 ft, one large one for 10 ft, works to about 40 FT then you have too many wide marks. you could change colors at that point say red for 50ft.
<Hyjack return>
<Hyjack return>
That doesn't work too well if it's dark or have a low viz situation. Knots are the way to go - if you ask me.
Ever see red at depth? Dark greenish/brown, almost indistinguishable from black.
No reason to have 5' increments really; when do you need that fine-grain resolution?
I use black marker marks, one narrow mark is 10ft, two=20ft, three=30ft, 4=40ft. Then one WIDE mark = 50ft. Next mark is one narrow plus one wide = 60. Continue. 100' = a mark as wide as TWO 50' marks. Sounds more confusing/elaborate than it really is. I have a reel marked to 250' in this way and it's very easy to use/see. The "250ft mark" is only about 1.5" wide and easy to see even on crappy NJ viz days.
Ultimately if the viz is SO poor that you can't see a marked line at your fingertips with a light, conditions are so bad you shouldn't be measuring anything on that dive.
The term "wreck diving" covers a wide range of possibilities.
At one extreme is something like The Copenhagen, which is near where you will be diving. You can call it "wreckage diving" to be more accurate. It is perfectly safe for divers of all levels with no additional training or equipment required.
At the other extreme are the deep, dark, silty, labyrinthine wrecks where an untrained diver can be lost in a heartbeat. The Andrea Doria is such a wreck.
Most are in between those extremes, and the value of basic recreational wreck courses lies primarily in learning the line between what is safe for that level of training and what is not safe. If you want serious training for the really difficult wrecks, you will have to go outside of any of the normal recreational agencies for the class.
The wrecks you will be diving are closer to the Copenhagen extreme than the Andrea Doria. You will never be in a situation where you won't know your way out. There will be nothing collapsing on you, and you won't get entangled in anything. The "silt" inside them is sandy, so even if it gets kicked up a lot, it just settles down quickly.
But they are fun! Enjoy yourself! If I were in the area, I'd be happy to do the trip.
At one extreme is something like The Copenhagen, which is near where you will be diving. You can call it "wreckage diving" to be more accurate. It is perfectly safe for divers of all levels with no additional training or equipment required.
At the other extreme are the deep, dark, silty, labyrinthine wrecks where an untrained diver can be lost in a heartbeat. The Andrea Doria is such a wreck.
Most are in between those extremes, and the value of basic recreational wreck courses lies primarily in learning the line between what is safe for that level of training and what is not safe. If you want serious training for the really difficult wrecks, you will have to go outside of any of the normal recreational agencies for the class.
The wrecks you will be diving are closer to the Copenhagen extreme than the Andrea Doria. You will never be in a situation where you won't know your way out. There will be nothing collapsing on you, and you won't get entangled in anything. The "silt" inside them is sandy, so even if it gets kicked up a lot, it just settles down quickly.
But they are fun! Enjoy yourself! If I were in the area, I'd be happy to do the trip.
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