Beginner Wreck Dives?

[SailNaked]

All good suggestions so far. I like the wrecks in BVI for beginners, while wreck diving is not considered a beginner experience the ones in BVI tend to be visible from the surface, relatively safe, and easy to explore, with enough sea life and growth to be very interesting. At one site there are 4 wrecks to explore in one dive. As a general rule beginners should stay on the outside of wrecks, BVI has a variety and plenty.

 

[robint]

Why wreck diving ---only??.....Why not head to Roatan, maybe?, can do the El Aguila, the Odyssey, & the Prince Albert----then do some real divng.......

I agree with you....... I would rather do reefs and wrecks both than to do one or the other. But, since the OP asked....
I also agree that Roatan has some awesome wrecks. You forgot the Mr. Bud in your list.

 

[SIR VEYOR]

I agree with you....... I would rather do reefs and wrecks both than to do one or the other. But, since the OP asked....
I also agree that Roatan has some awesome wrecks. You forgot the Mr. Bud in your list.

He asked me specifically about "wrecks". As he's a supervisor on an industrial construction site I work on, I think the engineering aspects of sunken ships (and damge to them) may be a bit of a kicker. Most wrecks will have fish and coral on or in the vicinity, so kind of a wash with reefs for beginners.
Kinda the "more power"/Tim Allen approach to diving.. Argh Argh

 

[robint]

He asked me specifically about "wrecks". As he's a supervisor on an industrial construction site I work on, I think the engineering aspects of sunken ships (and damge to them) may be a bit of a kicker. Most wrecks will have fish and coral on or in the vicinity, so kind of a wash with reefs for beginners.
Kinda the "more power"/Tim Allen approach to diving.. Argh Argh

I have nothing against wreck diving. I enjoy it, that is why I gave you the recommendations for Fla. There are other great wreck dives in the world, but they are not what I would call beginner. Those in Ft Lauderdale area I would.

If you go do the wrecks in Ft Lauderdale and then get some more diving experience under your belt -- when you are ready:
1. in the Fla Keys there are several nice deep wrecks: Duane, Bibb, Speigel Grove, Eagle, Vandenberg. Panhandle of Fla has the Oriskany.
2. San Diego has a group of deep wrecks that are fantastic dives.
3. NC has some of the best WWII wrecks in the world.
4. dive destinations like Roatan, like I mentioned, have nice wrecks. Bonaire has the Hilma Hooker which is very cool. (see my video of it)
5. The grand-daddy of all wreck diving is Chuuk (Truk Lagoon). Those are deep and covered with growth and life, along with the holds still being full of Japanese vehicles and guns and ammo, etc. THAT is serious wreck diving and not a cheap trip.
6. The Great Lakes have lots of wrecks that are well preserved but in non-recreational depth. You would need tech diving for those.

to see some cool videos of all those wrecks, just do a search on YouTube and Vimeo. Lots of people have done them, some great videos out there, especially the wrecks in NC. My video of Hilma Hooker is here: Bonaire - Hilma Hooker wreck on Vimeo


robin

 

[paddler3d]

3. NC has some of the best WWII wrecks in the world.

In NC you've got U-boats sunk by the USCG and you've got a look of boats sunk by the U-Boats!

There are a lot of 'natural' wrecks there!

 

[Doc]

He asked me specifically about "wrecks". As he's a supervisor on an industrial construction site I work on, I think the engineering aspects of sunken ships (and damge to them) may be a bit of a kicker.

It's a bit of a hike, but if you want to see real maritime disasters?

Fairly shallow and real live wrecks? The Red Sea near Sharm and Tiran.

Actual accidental shipwrecks usually are located in shallow waters. That's where most ships come to grief... by running aground or at anchor. Because of wind and wave action, very few of them survive the "ground swell" of being shallow.

The Red Sea is a notable exception. Shallow and intact is the general rule.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Bahamas or Roatan! Both have some really easy and cool wrecks!

 

[Atomic_Diver]

My take on this is that well i don't think there really are "beginner" wrecks, as most wrecks lay in deeper water (60'-140'), as an Open Water diver, most agencies limit their students to dive no deeper than 60', many things have to be taken into account when Wreck diving:

-NDL
-Nitrogen Narcossis
-Limited Air Supply Due To Depth
-Oxygen Toxcicty (if on EANx)
-Ropes, Nets, Tangel Hazards
-Rust
-Fuel/Oil Pockets
-Sharp Objects

Penetration Hazards:
-Siltout
-Lost Line
-Light Failure
-Loss of Air Supply
-Disorientation
-etc....

Wreck Diving can be very fun, however if your reletively new to it i reccomend getting a guide, or Divemaster to dive with you..
Wrecks sunk as Artifical Reefs would be "more safe" as supposed to other wrecks that where sunk for reasons such as war because most people try to remove as much hazards on the wreck prior to sinking, a few good wrecks (or Artifical Reefs) that would be good for a beginner are wrecks like:

-Spiegel Grove (Key Largo, FL)
-Oriskany (Pensacola, FL)
-Duane (Key Largo, FL)
-Bibb (Key Largo, FL)
-Eagle (Islamorada, FL)
-Vandenburg (Key West, FL)
-Capt Dan (Pompano Beach, Florida)
-Thunderbolt (Marathon Keys, FL)

the above are the most popular of the ones, my advice if you want to really get into wreck diving is to take a Wreck Diver Course....

 

[pmolink]

Barbados is the wreck capital of the Caribbean. Carlisle bay has six wrecks in very close proximity in 30-55 foot deep water. You can actually visit all six on one dive. On the other end of the spectrum is the SS Stavronikita, a 365ft Greek freighter that lies with the stern at 130ft and the bow at 70ft. The Stav is one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean. Excellent reef diving too.

 

[SIR VEYOR]

Thanks to everyone for all the great insights!
As its a group of guys (possibly spread out), Florida probably will get the overall nod. Based on the reports here though, the list I'll give him is something like this:
1. SE Florida for the easy airport access from everywhere with other activities (golfing, etc) available
2. Bahamas- the big shark dive is also an option for them (remeber, all guys, so machismo first, scenery/pretty fish second)
3. BVI or Bermuda (depending on time of year for Bermuda maybe)
4. Barbados / Red Sea / Bali (spots for me to look at soon as well)
5. Roatan - I just got back from there and I don't think it's quite for them yet, at least this time of year. El Aquila? is only around a 10-15 min explore time. shallower options are available in the other spots