Wreck Diver Certification (Blindfolded reel-in)

[lermontov]

Following a line is easy. Following a line in silt-out conditions is fairly straightforward

following a well laid line is easy- a bad one not so much, personally I thing line laying is a crucial and underrated skill. First class line laying -considering all aspects related to entry and exit is an art bordering on the occult. One of the skills i constantly try to to improve on

ive seen more problems relating to poorly laid line than I care to recount. Id encourage all instructors to spend more time on line work, it's a skill that will give a solid return on investment for when (not if) it all turns to custard.

The last thing you need when your strung out is a crappy line that creates confusion and stress when your trying to exit never mind trying to share gas at the same time. Getting tangled up when your low on gas can be the proverbial straw.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

To clarify my question; when, or why, is it recommended to lay line into a wreck?

You know the drill:

1. Just a peak inside, no need to run a line...
2. Maybe I should run a line? But I would need to return, it takes time, and it's still OK...
3. Oh what is this big open silty space inside the wreck? I can no longer see the walls...
4. Oh sh*t I should've been running a line.

Alternative take on the PADI recreational wreck diver course: I think it's incredibly useful and it changed my diving.

I did a wreck diver course with two instructor candidates who needed the "speciality" to be able to teach it, I was just tagging along. All of us were on twinsets diving a bus in a quarry at 25? 30? meters. It was ran by someone who participates on expeditions to "real" wrecks. That someone also tends to follow the rules so we were not allowed to get into deco (diving air) and the course was in January, so there was a thermal limit too.

Potentially an absolutely useless course, swim around, get a card. I was initially disappointed that we will not be focusing on penetration or running a line.

What I learned: time flies when you have 20 - 25 minutes on the bottom and "work" to accomplish and you absolutely need to prepare. Memorise the dive site, draw diagrams, split roles in the team. Rehearse on the surface who does what. Changed my diving. It's also real life task loading, as opposed to trying to recover a reel in a total silt out...

 

[lizardland]

To clarify my question; when, or why, is it recommended to lay line into a wreck?

It's been a long time since I've been within the PADI environment but if I remember right the cavern diving cert (which obviously relies on line work) was very limited in its application. Within the visible light zone and 40m to a clear surface (i.e. allowed penetration was 40m - depth) as I recall. I would imagine wreck penetration would be within those same limits.

Is laying line penetrating into an overhead wreck environment pushing people’s expectations beyond their skills and a dangerous activity to encourage?

You only have to look at experienced wreck divers using guidelines and half of them just drag it behind them and let it go where it goes, regardless of line traps, obstacles or anyone else. More than a few occasions I've had people swim past me and then just sweep their line right across me. My first love is cave diving and wreck diver line handling, at least in the UK, is pretty poor generally. If experienced wreck divers struggle with it then inexperienced wreck divers will even more. I suspect a lot of these courses are run just to give the customer the feeling that they've done something productive. And that's applicable across the board, half the stuff I've done on technical courses is just utter shite that's there as a filler to make you feel like you've done something hard.

 

[noserider]

After completing the RAID Advanced Wreck Course (recreational level) with Scuba Tech Philippines in Subic, it’s clear just how much deeper and more comprehensive this training is—especially when it comes to line work and dealing with silt outs or poor visibility.

Here’s just a sample of what we covered and hands-on practiced during the RAID course with Andy:

1. When and why guidelines should be used
2. What is progressive penetration and how to do it safely
3. How to lay and follow a line inside a wreck
4. What causes silt outs—and how to prevent or handle them
5. How to make smart, calm decisions when zero visibility hits
6. The dangers of silt outs and how to manage them
7. The SOUL protocol for navigating silted conditions
8. Tactile signalling when exiting on a line in zero viz

This is just a fraction of the course content. I won’t give away all of Andy’s training gems—you really need to experience it yourself.

If you’re serious about safe, skillful wreck diving—not just swimming around a rust bucket—this course probably offers a lot more than the PADI course