After a lot of research, I decided to take Andy Davies’s Advanced Wreck Diving course in Subic Bay as a recreational diver. Andy, who helped write the RAID wreck diving standards, is one of the leading side mount and technical divers in Asia, if not globally. He’s also a prolific blogger and I’d definitely recommend checking out his seminal work on gradient factors and shearwater.
I signed up with some trepidation, unsure if I was ready for the challenge. However, after a few exchanges with Andy, I felt confident that he would tailor the course to my skill level, teaching me at a higher standard than required to pass the course. Plus, Andy's extensive experience in Subic made him the perfect guide for this kind of training.
Day 1: Arrival & Course Introduction
Upon arriving in Subic Bay, I made my way to Scubaholics, a new PADI center run by two larger-than-life cheery Brits, where we kicked off the course. Andy arrived soon after, and we spent some time over coffee going over the gear, the course outline, and key concepts like wreck skills, types of wrecks, gradient factors, the rule of thirds, and more. Andy also inspected my gear and gave me useful tips for improvement.
Day 2: Skill Development & First Training Dive
The morning was dedicated to learning new skills, such as using different types of reels, proper tie-offs, and calculating SAC rates. In the afternoon, we dove the El Captain. During the first dive, Andy focused on making sure I was comfortable with the long hose and performing the S-drill at 5 meters. We then did a "follow your leader" dive into the wreck, where Andy set up a 100-meter line, and I practiced navigating back along the line with limited visibility attempting to keep my eyes closed as I retraced the line out. It was a good introduction to low-visibility conditions.
We then dropped down into the ship's funnel, repeating the dive several times while facing increasingly poor visibility. By the end, it felt like complete black-out, though I later learned that what I experienced was not a true black-out. After the dive, Andy called an out-of-air (OOA) situation, and I had to donate air for the first time in 30 years. Back at the boat line, I had to deploy a DSMB to Andy’s standards—a task he insisted on for most of the dives.
The second dive was similar, but this time I was in charge of laying the line, with Andy leading the safety. After reaching a 6-minute deco time, I had to reel in the line and work through some challenges as Andy deliberately stirred up silt to make navigation more difficult. We ended the dive in complete black-out conditions, and I had another chance to shoot the DSMB.
Day 3: Task Loading & Problem Solving
On Day 3, I was mentally prepared for a challenging day of task-loading. After a morning of theory and skills review, we headed back to the El Captain. Dives 3 and 4 focused on skills like line laying in varying viz, the lost line drill, torch failure, and the lost mask drill. These drills posed unique challenges, but the real test came after the first dive when I was rightfully called out for not paying attention during the safety stop. I had become too focused on my own tasks and failed to check on Andy, a mistake I quickly learned from.
Day 4: Pony Bottle & Advanced Drills
Day 4 brought new challenges, including slinging an 11-liter pony bottle on an Aqualung Outlaw, which wasn’t easy. We completed two more dives on the El Captain, including drills like lost diver protocol, reeling in lines, and more advanced line-laying tasks. I even experienced my first reel tangle, plus Andy has a unique knack of combining skills learned from earlier dives in ways that you do not expect. Though I was once again called out for not tuning the dive at the agreed time, I accepted the feedback and realized it was all part of the learning process.
Day 5: The New York Wreck
The final day brought us to the New York wreck, which was an incredible dive. The wreck itself is impressive, with its massive brass prop and complex layout of rooms, tunnels, and gangways. Andy led the dive, but I was in charge of line-laying, dive planning, and calling the exit. As we explored deeper into the wreck, we passed areas where divers had tragically lost their lives due to mistakes—an experience that reinforced the seriousness of wreck diving.
We also encountered a large old turtle on our exit, which followed us up to our safety stop. It was a surreal and special moment to cap off the course.
Final Thoughts
Andy is an exceptional instructor, and in hindsight, I probably should have taken a buoyancy course with him first. While my buoyancy was decent, but my kicking could have been better, and I struggled a bit with slinging the pony bottle on the Outlaw. I also wish I had done the course with a traditional backplate and wing or side mount, as I found certain tasks more difficult on the Outlaw.
The visibility in Subic Bay wasn’t great, but it didn’t hinder my experience. Most dives had around 5-10 meters of visibility unless Andy (or I) deliberately stirred up the silt. Subic itself is a bit of a round down town (past its best) with a mix of ok restaurants and a few ok bars and a plethora of seedy bars. While it may not have been my favorite destination for non-diving activities, the wreck diving here is truly special.
Would I return? Absolutely—either to dive the New York again or to take another course with Andy. But for those who aren’t as keen on wreck diving, there may not be much else to keep you occupied. I would also 100% recommend Andy as instructor, he knowledge, standards and skills are up there with the best globally.
After Subic I went to PG and Asian Divers which was pure magic but in a very different way.
I signed up with some trepidation, unsure if I was ready for the challenge. However, after a few exchanges with Andy, I felt confident that he would tailor the course to my skill level, teaching me at a higher standard than required to pass the course. Plus, Andy's extensive experience in Subic made him the perfect guide for this kind of training.
Day 1: Arrival & Course Introduction
Upon arriving in Subic Bay, I made my way to Scubaholics, a new PADI center run by two larger-than-life cheery Brits, where we kicked off the course. Andy arrived soon after, and we spent some time over coffee going over the gear, the course outline, and key concepts like wreck skills, types of wrecks, gradient factors, the rule of thirds, and more. Andy also inspected my gear and gave me useful tips for improvement.
Day 2: Skill Development & First Training Dive
The morning was dedicated to learning new skills, such as using different types of reels, proper tie-offs, and calculating SAC rates. In the afternoon, we dove the El Captain. During the first dive, Andy focused on making sure I was comfortable with the long hose and performing the S-drill at 5 meters. We then did a "follow your leader" dive into the wreck, where Andy set up a 100-meter line, and I practiced navigating back along the line with limited visibility attempting to keep my eyes closed as I retraced the line out. It was a good introduction to low-visibility conditions.
We then dropped down into the ship's funnel, repeating the dive several times while facing increasingly poor visibility. By the end, it felt like complete black-out, though I later learned that what I experienced was not a true black-out. After the dive, Andy called an out-of-air (OOA) situation, and I had to donate air for the first time in 30 years. Back at the boat line, I had to deploy a DSMB to Andy’s standards—a task he insisted on for most of the dives.
The second dive was similar, but this time I was in charge of laying the line, with Andy leading the safety. After reaching a 6-minute deco time, I had to reel in the line and work through some challenges as Andy deliberately stirred up silt to make navigation more difficult. We ended the dive in complete black-out conditions, and I had another chance to shoot the DSMB.
Day 3: Task Loading & Problem Solving
On Day 3, I was mentally prepared for a challenging day of task-loading. After a morning of theory and skills review, we headed back to the El Captain. Dives 3 and 4 focused on skills like line laying in varying viz, the lost line drill, torch failure, and the lost mask drill. These drills posed unique challenges, but the real test came after the first dive when I was rightfully called out for not paying attention during the safety stop. I had become too focused on my own tasks and failed to check on Andy, a mistake I quickly learned from.
Day 4: Pony Bottle & Advanced Drills
Day 4 brought new challenges, including slinging an 11-liter pony bottle on an Aqualung Outlaw, which wasn’t easy. We completed two more dives on the El Captain, including drills like lost diver protocol, reeling in lines, and more advanced line-laying tasks. I even experienced my first reel tangle, plus Andy has a unique knack of combining skills learned from earlier dives in ways that you do not expect. Though I was once again called out for not tuning the dive at the agreed time, I accepted the feedback and realized it was all part of the learning process.
Day 5: The New York Wreck
The final day brought us to the New York wreck, which was an incredible dive. The wreck itself is impressive, with its massive brass prop and complex layout of rooms, tunnels, and gangways. Andy led the dive, but I was in charge of line-laying, dive planning, and calling the exit. As we explored deeper into the wreck, we passed areas where divers had tragically lost their lives due to mistakes—an experience that reinforced the seriousness of wreck diving.
We also encountered a large old turtle on our exit, which followed us up to our safety stop. It was a surreal and special moment to cap off the course.
Final Thoughts
Andy is an exceptional instructor, and in hindsight, I probably should have taken a buoyancy course with him first. While my buoyancy was decent, but my kicking could have been better, and I struggled a bit with slinging the pony bottle on the Outlaw. I also wish I had done the course with a traditional backplate and wing or side mount, as I found certain tasks more difficult on the Outlaw.
The visibility in Subic Bay wasn’t great, but it didn’t hinder my experience. Most dives had around 5-10 meters of visibility unless Andy (or I) deliberately stirred up the silt. Subic itself is a bit of a round down town (past its best) with a mix of ok restaurants and a few ok bars and a plethora of seedy bars. While it may not have been my favorite destination for non-diving activities, the wreck diving here is truly special.
Would I return? Absolutely—either to dive the New York again or to take another course with Andy. But for those who aren’t as keen on wreck diving, there may not be much else to keep you occupied. I would also 100% recommend Andy as instructor, he knowledge, standards and skills are up there with the best globally.
After Subic I went to PG and Asian Divers which was pure magic but in a very different way.
