Wreck Dive: not so fun

[Gemmington]

Earlier this year I took my AOW while on holidays in Thailand. My first dives since my OW (thinkg about it now, it probably wasn't such a good idea).

Our first dive was a wreck dive, the HTMS Koot. When we decended, it was supposed to be our instuctor, then me (the most in-experienced) then my cousin/buddy. When we penetrated the wreck, I started to feel uncomfortable. I couldn't get my buoyancy right, I was over weighted and using a larger tank than normal. My cousin pushed infront of me and left me on my own on the outside of the wrek, i really didn't want to be there, but I took a deep breath and followed my cousin through as fast as I could. After what felt like zig-zagging all over the wrek, it was time to head up. The instructor told us to ascend in the same order as we decended. As soon as we were outside the wrek, I started to relax (there was nothing for me to run into out there).

I am supposed to do another wreck dive on the 11th of march, is there anything I can do to make it more comfortable/enjoyable experience?

 

[spectrum]

Are you saying you haphazardly PENETRATED a wreck as an AOW wreck dive?

 

[Web Monkey]

Earlier this year I took my AOW while on holidays in Thailand. My first dives since my OW (thinkg about it now, it probably wasn't such a good idea).

Our first dive was a wreck dive, the HTMS Koot. When we decended, it was supposed to be our instuctor, then me (the most in-experienced) then my cousin/buddy. When we penetrated the wreck, I started to feel uncomfortable. I couldn't get my buoyancy right, I was over weighted and using a larger tank than

Congratulations on not getting killed.

The "uncomfortable" feeling was God slapping you on the head telling you it's not yet time to die. There's absolutely no way on this planet that your first dive (or even you 50th dive) after OW certification should be a wreck penetration.

I am supposed to do another wreck dive on the 11th of march, is there anything I can do to make it more comfortable/enjoyable experience?

Yes. Don't show up for the dive and find another instructor.

Wreck penetrations require training, planning, equipment, excellent buoyancy control and a known good buddy. Anything less is just not good enough.

Terry

 

[Gemmington]

yes, that's where we spent most of our time.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Let me suggest that you consider renting dive gear, it's so much cheaper if you only use it a few times.

 

[TSandM]

Gemmington, what the guys above are trying to tell you is that wreck penetration is a fairly advanced thing for a diver to do. Wrecks are fraught with hazards, including things you can get tangled in and things that can damage your gear. In addition, rust and debris percolates down from the ceilings with your bubbles, decreasing the visibility, and the floors are often covered in deep silt, which is easy to stir up with your fins. If you reduce the visibility to zero (which is quite possible), then you won't know how to get out, and because you're inside the wreck, you can't make a direct ascent. People get killed that way.

To penetrate wrecks safely, you need to know non-silting kicks, and how to run a reel to keep a continuous guideline to the outside of the wreck. You need good lights (and spares). And even then, people get killed doing this. We lost a very experienced technical diving instructor in the San Diego area last year, getting trapped inside a wreck he was quite familiar with.

I know there are wrecks that are "swiss cheese", where the interior has been cut apart and large rents have been made to the outside in many places, so that you can always see an exit, and beginners do go inside them. I swam through the RMS Rhone in the BVI myself. But one should always be familiar with the hazards, and pay attention to that little voice that told you this was something you shouldn't be doing.

For your next wreck dive, simply tell your instructor (if there is one) and your buddy that you have no intention of doing any wreck penetration. Your buddy should respect that; if he won't, you shouldn't dive with him.

 

[Web Monkey]

Gemmington, what the guys above are trying to tell you is that wreck penetration is a fairly advanced thing for a diver to do. Wrecks are fraught with hazards, including things you can get tangled in and things that can damage your gear.

Thanks, you were much more eleoquent than I was.

People doing dangerous dives right after certification is always a hot button for me since I went on a few myself, and only realized how badly they could have turned out much later on.

Terry

 

[Whale Whisperer]

Wreck Diving supposed to be fun! I don't know what was said and done because I wasn't there, but from the sound of your story the instructor had no reguard for safety! Was there any training (ie: classroom, practice dives, etc) done prior to this dive? Did he brief you and your cousin about the dive and the hazards involved (This alone should have set off bells and whistles)? How deep were you and how far did you penetrate? etc etc... There's many questions to ask here.

I made my first wreck penetration on my 33rd dive, but that was after extensive training and beatings in the pool and outside the wreck by my instructor, which I still thank him for!

Wreck Pentrating is fun and rewarding if you have the proper training, Equipment, and conditions. A dependable dive buddy extremely important as well. If the Crap hits the fan and they bail on you then what good is he? Especially if they silt out the compartment your in. You won't be able to see 2 feet in front of you which is a very bad situation to be in if you don't have a penetration (guide) line deployed!

If you're not having fun then your not doing it right. Don't forget that anyone in the dive team can thumb (abort) the dive without question. If your buddy doesn't respect your call then I'd look for another buddy for your next dive

 

[Gemmington]

Thanks for the tips. I don't plan on penetrating the next wrek at all. And never will again after my last experience untill I have the proper training. I'm glad to know that I am right for feeling that it wasn't ok for us to be penetrating the wreck, but annoyed at myself that I didn't thumb the dive when I wass uncomfortable. I will defiatly remember this the next time I'm uncomfortable underwater.

There was no classroom work or anything before the dive, we didn't read the book untill we returned home that night, which I thought was strange, but stupidly didn't question.

This is something I never want to happen again, and will remember for future reference.

 

[Blox]

First of all: sorry to hear that you had such an unpleasant experience, and I'm glad that you are fine and able to write about it.

I've dived the "Koot" a couple of times, as it's basically in my backyard
The "Koot" is a landing craft that was purpose-sunk sometime in autumn last year as a treat to the dive community. There's not much growth on it (yet), and the structure is very much intact. The layout is, as is typical for a landing craft, pretty open. Essentially it's the main deck, a front ramp (closed) and superstructures on both sides and a closed stern. There are a few hatches on the main deck through which you can descend into compartments below the main deck. There are also a few openings that permit "penetrating" the superstructures on the side (mainly on portside), the one being mostly used is essentially a swim through, with a door leading inside, a left turn taking you to another door inside about 1.5 - 2.0 meters away, and you're ending up in some kind of a walkway which is open above and offers the possibility for a direct ascent into open water/to the top of the superstructure. The "Koot" is not exactly what I'd call an easy dive or a dive for beginners - there's frequently a good deal of currents, and typically you would descend down the line and once you reach the top of the superstructures, to which the line is fixed close to the stern, you'd kick your way over the side and down onto the main deck right away, so that you get out of the currents. On the pretty protected main deck itself, there's typically not much current to be felt.

There's a few things that I'd be interested in to hear in addition to your report:
1. from your report it appears that you did descend and after descent you hit the bottom outside of the wreck?
2. Where exactly did you penetrate the wreck? Drop down through the hatches on the main deck or into the superstructure on the side?

Either way, I think that the instructor should not have taken you inside the wreck, unless you were ready for it and willing to go. It seems quite clear that you weren't ready for it, or really willing to go. Did you make that clear to the instructor? Did you get a proper dive briefing and was penetration of any kind discussed beforehand?

If I had been in your shoes, I would have refused the penetration, if I did not feel comfortable with it, and that's also my advice for your next dive: If you don't like it, don't do it. I'm sure you know the underwater sign for "no" and if that does not work, the one-finger-salute will work just fine under water too. It's the one single, most important lesson all of us have to learn when diving: There's only one person who can judge our capabilities and comfort level under water and that's ourselves.

Nitrogen Narcosis probably contributed to your feeling uneasy with the dive. The wreck lies on sand at about 32 meters or thereabout, and the deck is still at about 28 meters.

I'd appreciate if you PM'ed me the name of the dive shop you've dived with. I'm just curious.

Dive safe!