Junk diving

[khacken]

The quarries I dive have "junk" sunk to make the place more interesting. These consist of small boats, small planes, and so forth. They have large entries and exits, and have plenty of light inside. Most have most of the interior items such as seats and so forth removed. They are all in <30 feet freshwater.

What type of certification would be needed to enter these things? Would the AOW wreck dive cover this? I would consider these significantly less dangerous than true wreck diving as you always have light, and have multiple large exits. However, I realize any overhead environment is dangerous.

 

[LSDeep]

according to padi (there will be diff. standards with diff agencies) with any overhead environment (also with having the padi wreck / cavern course done) you should dive within a total line to surface of max. 130ft (thats horizontally and vertically combined) within the natural light area with easy exits at hand .
i would assume thats given in your situation, considering you said the "junk" is in average 30ft of water and small.

 

[Lake Mead Tony]

Have you ever been in a small plane. As a SEL pilot I can tell you even with the seats removed it is close quarters. For your own safety, stay out of the small planes. There is a lot of stuff in there to get tangled up in and with such close quarters how is your buddy going to help get you loose. Dive safe! We would hate to loose you!

 

[msedivingdoc]

If you have not been graced by natural selection then I suggest to stay away from these "wrecks"... That in mind if you want to poke around a bit, just keep in mind that you (with scuba gear) are probally bigger than the holes in a plane . Just try not to win a darwin award. It's a small boat or plane in a quarry in TX not the Spiegal Grove in Key Largo.

 

[Ed Marshall]

OW, in my opinion. Lake Travis has the same stuff here in Austin (including boats and a plane fuselage). Care should be taken but, as long as you have a buddy close by, these things are probably less dangerous than a typical "swim through" on a reef.

Ed

 

[Guba]

Khacken, I assume you're diving at Terrell, a place I'm familiar with as well. While normally I'd suggest avoiding such items as a plane, the one there is unusually roomy and reasonably devoid of entanglement hazards. In addition, safety lines are pre-strung and I've never seen the interior silted so badly that one could not find one of the four exits, all of which are large enough for a person wearing scuba gear to pass through easily. As long as one has a competent buddy, maintains proper buoyancy, and monitors their air supply, it should be reasonably safe. The caveat, however, is that each diver should be aware of the hazards and remain within their comfortable skill zone. If you are unsure or anxious about this environment, then take the wreck course and get confident with your abilities before entering.
NOTE: I am speaking of ONLY this one specific place, which is designed for safety and training purposes. I would not suggest entering a wreck or other overhead environment at all without the proper training and requisite equipment.

 

[khacken]

Yeah, I am actually speaking of Athens Scuba Park and Clear Springs Scuba Park. They have safety lines in the plane, and the exits are very large. Also, as mentioned, it is never more that 130 ft to swim out, then to the surface. Hmmm, maybe a cavern diving class?