Skills to practice Wreck/Deep Dives

[boulderjohn]

From that you develop the helicopter turn which is kind of one leg doing a frog kick, the other doing a back kick.

The back kick is the hardest to master and by far the weakest kick. Arguably it's one of the most useful to stop your forward motion and manoever backwards.

There are two distinctly different ways to do the back kick and helicopter turn. I worked on the technique I was originally taught for years before being introduced to the other. The technique I used to use requires a twist of the foot to put the flat surface of the fin into position to be the propelling surface. The other keeps the fins flat and uses the sidewalls of the fins as the propelling surface. The second method is much easier to learn.

I don't want to turn this into a seminar on kicking techniques; I just recommend that if you seek out instructional videos or personal instruction, you keep this difference in mind.

 

[Marie13]

OP, I see you’re in TX. Get yourself to cave country in FL. A cavern class would be useful for you in pursuing what you want to do with wreck penetration. You’ll work on the non-silting kicks, how to run a line, long hose air sharing, etc. Cavern can be done single tank with TDI. Not sure other agencies. You need to add some gear tweaks, such as a long hose, but it’s a place to start. I originally took cavern/intro to cave (done together in sidemount) to improve my wreck diving, but I caught the cave bug and ended up doing full cave two years later.

 

[Tigerpaw]

OP, I see you’re in TX. Get yourself to cave country in FL. A cavern class would be useful for you in pursuing what you want to do with wreck penetration. You’ll work on the non-silting kicks, how to run a line, long hose air sharing, etc. Cavern can be done single tank with TDI. Not sure other agencies. You need to add some gear tweaks, such as a long hose, but it’s a place to start. I originally took cavern/intro to cave (done together in sidemount) to improve my wreck diving, but I caught the cave bug and ended up doing full cave two years later.

Thank you. Yes I'm in the great state of Texas, however Florida is my home state. I've been eyeing cavern so thanks for that confirmation!

 

[Tigerpaw]

OP, I see you’re in TX. Get yourself to cave country in FL. A cavern class would be useful for you in pursuing what you want to do with wreck penetration. You’ll work on the non-silting kicks, how to run a line, long hose air sharing, etc. Cavern can be done single tank with TDI. Not sure other agencies. You need to add some gear tweaks, such as a long hose, but it’s a place to start. I originally took cavern/intro to cave (done together in sidemount) to improve my wreck diving, but I caught the cave bug and ended up doing full cave two years later.

Oh and Great Lakes diving is on my list as well!

 

[RyanT]

Work on solid buoyancy control and controlled ascents/holding a safety stop, particularly doing so while not holding on to an anchor line. In S. Florida it is common to shoot a bag and make free ascents off the wreck. Once you can do this competently, it will also pay dividends as good buoyancy control inside wrecks.

 

[RyanT]

Whoops sorry, I just realized your original post said "besides buoyancy." At any rate, I still think being able to maintain buoyancy on a free ascent is critical, and particularly be able to hold a stop.

 

[Tigerpaw]

Whoops sorry, I just realized your original post said "besides buoyancy." At any rate, I still think being able to maintain buoyancy on a free ascent is critical, and particularly be able to hold a stop.

No apology needed, I've been constantly working on my buoyancy, maintaining it without an ascent line is something I'm going to work on more.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

When I taught the SDI recreational wreck class it was a minimum of 6 dives. The focus was always on buoyancy, trim, and non-silting kicks to start. That was the 1st two dives.
Next we worked on swimming around the wreck with the goal of surveying it while identifying all possible hazards. Those were the ones around possible entry and exit points as well as those on the outside.
Depending on location wrecks can turn into death traps on the outside as well.
Monofilament line, nets, etc. Work on your powers of observation as well as situational awareness. Don't get so focused on skills that you lose sight of the environment.

I would watch a student doing a survey and then casually loop a length of line around the fin strap buckle or tank valve and see how long it took for them to notice and then the reaction. Most times it took way too long for them to notice the 1st time and then they would invariably move in such a way (rapid twisting motion) that if I had no let the line slip off them as a real line trap would do, they'd have been tangled quickly.
Work on moving slowly and stopping to slowly turn and look behind you to see what may be going on.

Following that dive 4 would be mapping it using a slate or wetnotes.
Dive 5 would be line handling on the outside.
Dive 6 would be a short penetration using a line with proper tie offs and swimming through a spider web I'd build inside the wreck. With goal of moving slowly and avoiding getting entangled. Or making the decision that going further was not wise.

Then of course I'd swim into it and spin so that they got practice in helping a buddy get untangled.

Best compliment I received on the recreational course was a student telling me it showed him why he had absolutely no business inside a wreck without technical penetration training.

I had others tell me had they taken the course earlier there were DM's and guides they would never have followed into some spots.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

When I taught the SDI recreational wreck class it was a minimum of 6 dives. The focus was always on buoyancy, trim, and non-silting kicks to start. That was the 1st two dives.
Next we worked on swimming around the wreck with the goal of surveying it while identifying all possible hazards. Those were the ones around possible entry and exit points as well as those on the outside.
Depending on location wrecks can turn into death traps on the outside as well.
Monofilament line, nets, etc. Work on your powers of observation as well as situational awareness. Don't get so focused on skills that you lose sight of the environment.

I would watch a student doing a survey and then casually loop a length of line around the fin strap buckle or tank valve and see how long it took for them to notice and then the reaction. Most times it took way too long for them to notice the 1st time and then they would invariably move in such a way (rapid twisting motion) that if I had no let the line slip off them as a real line trap would do, they'd have been tangled quickly.
Work on moving slowly and stopping to slowly turn and look behind you to see what may be going on.

Following that dive 4 would be mapping it using a slate or wetnotes.
Dive 5 would be line handling on the outside.
Dive 6 would be a short penetration using a line with proper tie offs and swimming through a spider web I'd build inside the wreck. With goal of moving slowly and avoiding getting entangled. Or making the decision that going further was not wise.

Then of course I'd swim into it and spin so that they got practice in helping a buddy get untangled.

Best compliment I received on the recreational course was a student telling me it showed him why he had absolutely no business inside a wreck without technical penetration training.

I had others tell me had they taken the course earlier there were DM's and guides they would never have followed into some spots.

Now THIS is a wreck course I’d take. Just going to repeat what we’ve heard a thousand times, what you get out of a class depends ALOT on the instructor…

 

[Wibble]

Best compliment I received on the recreational course was a student telling me it showed him why he had absolutely no business inside a wreck without technical penetration training.

I had others tell me had they taken the course earlier there were DM's and guides they would never have followed into some spots.

This ^^^^