Do I need experience to wreck dive?

[herman]

Welcome to the board Self.
Mike has nailed the biggest problem with new divers and NC diving. Way too many people don't understand what diving off our coast is like. Boat dives in the Caribbean or Florida don't compair. Boat rides of 2-3 hrs is common in seas that range from flat to 6ft. If you have never seen the stren of a 40 ft boat in 5 ft seas, it can be scary not to mention down right dangerous. I have seen over 1/2 of the divers on a boat sick as dogs. Do yourself a favor, get on some close in shore dives before heading off shore. The liberty ship mentioned above is a nice dive.

Mike, nice to see another Raleigh diver on the board.

 

[herman]

Forgot to mention, NC charters tend to fill up very quickly on the weekends so if you intend to dive on the weekend you need to try to find a charter now. Weekday trips are not as hard to get on.

 

[ShakaZulu]

No problem, do penetration as well, just leave breadcrumbs so that you can find your way back...........

I guess you have to start sometime, go with some experienced wreck divers after you've completed the Wreck Diver Speciality coarse.......

 

[Curt Bowen]

I have just been certified and can not wait to get started. I am doing 9 dives in Aruba next week and then taking a family vacation in Willmigton, NC at the end of June. I would love to do a wreck dive while I am there. Am I biting off more than I can chew since I am a beginner? If so how can I get experience if I don't jump in? Alot of you are experts out there and would appreciate some advice.

Thanks for your help,
Self

Jump in, do the dive. It cant be that hard

 

[ninjamuzo]

There are a lot of people who love wreck diving and I am one of them. Unfortunatley in our neck of the woods there are not that many wrecks at recreational dive depths though they do have a nice one off the coast of Pattya now. We have a lot at the 70m mark.

If you want to go inside get the training. If you think it is OK to do that without the training then I suggest you read the book "The Last Dive" which will cure you of that urge.

 

[imsharkbait]

I say go for it if you make it out then good on you and if you don't then post before you go so i can get some new gear.


once properly trained everybody has the right to dispose of themselves

 

[MB104]

I am going to give mostly the same advise as most in this post.

First, congrats on becoming a certified diver. As far as I know, there is no law that prevents divers from visiting wrecks without a wreck cert. but some boats won't take you out to a wreck without it. My recommendation is to receive proper training for whatever type of diving you wish to do. Visiting a wreck is like visiting a reef... as long as you only look, there should be no problems.

But....

Don't go inside unless you have been trained in wreck penetration and have the proper gear. Consider the depth, have you been that deep before? Consider the current. Most wrecks are offshore where the currents are different than you may have experienced. Consider the visability. Were you certified in the Carribbean with 100' vis? You may be in for a surprise on some of the wrecks off the east coast. Some have outstanding vis...others don't. Some have ZERO vis. Consider the condition of the wreck. Some were placed on the bottom specifically for divers and others have been sunk unintentionally. Nets, fishing lines, sharp jagged metal from the wreck, and other hazards await even trained and experienced wreck divers.

Bottom line is to dive within your comfort limits. A wreck certification does not make you a wreck diver. Experience does. Don't exceed your comfort level even if you have a wreck cert.

Dive safe!

 

[cornfed]

Jump in, do the dive. It cant be that hard

The worst part will probably be the boat ride.

 

[self]

Hello Self: Congratulations on getting certified and getting in some great dives already. I've read a few posts here and thought I would add a comment or two about having experience for wreck diving. Obviously continued training will never hurt anyone and if you access to wreck diving courses, I highly recommend it because you will pick up things in these courses that you normally will not get in basic and even advanced dive courses... and hopefully get some supervised training while on an offshore vessel.

What concerns me most are otherwise great, healthy, stong divers going 15, 20, even more than 30 miles offshore with limited boating experience. Let's face it, most (but certainly not all) of the really great wreck dives are at least a 1-3 hour boat ride and the seas aren't always smooth. These conditions can impair even the best divers among us.

If you are new to boating start off with a few short trips and build up... obviously if you've been boating all your life and don't get bothered by seasickness then this should not be a concern for you. It's been my experience that most who get in trouble have more difficulty in dealing with seasickness, panic, and other anxiety from having too little experience on the ocean. Yes, it can flat calm some days but this usually is not the case off of NC.

In fact, I was divemaster last weekend on one of the larger commercial boats and we picked up the MAY DAY of the vessel that had the fatality. Since their radio had a limited range, our captain relayed their messages to Coast Gaurd Fort Macon. They were on a 23 footer at the U-352, seas were 3-5 feet, not overly rough for our 50 footer; however, a little much for the 23 footer being more than 25 miles offshore in my opinion. Essentially, the smaller vessel relayed that they were unable to properly render CPR due to lack of room on the vessel and the rough sea state. I cannot say for sure what cuased the diving accident; however, it was quite obvious that the sea conditions and being on a small vessel hindered the ability to properly treat the accident victim.

Bottom line is to use good judgment if operating your own vessel and making sure your expirence level matches the charters you sign onto and never be afraid to ask questions or get a dive leader's assistance if required.

Safe travels,
captain mike

Captain Mike,

Thanks for your feedback. The scubaBoard has been very helpful in guiding me on my next step.Even though I am comfortable on a boat I will start with the Liberty ship and then try the Hyde later on in the week. I am doing the U-352 dive at the end of July with my dive instructor who has done this dive numerous times. Your information on the death at the U-352 was very sobering. As much as I think I am going to enjoy this actvity, it still can be very dangerous if you are in a situation beyond your training. Hopefully I will always know what that is for me.

Thanks for takng the time to respond,
Self

 

[Skip Freely]

I live in VA and did my cert dives off a wreck here as well as every dive after.