Wreck Diving "certification"

[Pulmcc]

Thinking of going to Key Largo in a couple of months and diving at least the Spiegel Grove and Duane. We have dove the Kittiwake and C53 In Grand Cayman and Cozumel including penetration with a guide without any issues. I don't think you can penetrate the Spiegel Grove without a certification so should we pursue that for future dives? I know that SSI has a standard Wreck Diving specialty as well as an Extended Range Wreck specialty. We have done just over 50 dives and have our Deep, Nitrox, and AOW so just exploring the outside of wrecks in Key Largo shouldn't be a problem.

 

[boulderjohn]

You have to be careful using the word "penetration." I discovered in a discussion with PADI that when they used that word, they were referring to entering the wreck at a point and returning to that point for the exit. Entering at one point and exiting at another is a swim-through, and (at least at that time), it was not even mentioned in the course. I don't know how it works with other agencies, but the last time I was on the Spiegel Grove, that was essentially the difference in how you could enter the wreck..

The Spiegel Grove has on each side a long row of cabins. Each one of them has a whole cut through the hull as well as an entrance door and an exit door. That means that if you enter a room, you have two exits in clear sight, one to the next room and the other to the open ocean. Those are swim-throughs. You can go through the entire side of the ship that way.

Then there are the serious penetrations, and for those you need to have proper training, a proper reel, and a proper amount of gas. Most operators won't let you do those penetrations without the training and equipment.

 

[SmashMonkey]

Thinking of going to Key Largo in a couple of months and diving at least the Spiegel Grove and Duane. We have dove the Kittiwake and C53 In Grand Cayman and Cozumel including penetration with a guide without any issues. I don't think you can penetrate the Spiegel Grove without a certification so should we pursue that for future dives? I know that SSI has a standard Wreck Diving specialty as well as an Extended Range Wreck specialty. We have done just over 50 dives and have our Deep, Nitrox, and AOW so just exploring the outside of wrecks in Key Largo shouldn't be a problem.

I love both those wrecks. Definitely bring dive lights; reels and wreck cert are not a prerequisite. The Spiegel Grove is really big and lots to see. There's big fish and small fish and the superstructure is fun to swim through. The Duane is smaller and not always diveable but when it is, the payoff is lots of schooling fish (barracuda, trevally, permit etc.) and and some of the most colorful and vibrant coral and sponges in Key Largo. Both are artificial reefs and the tops start at around 70 ft / 20 m down to the sand around 140 ft / 42 m. They have been cleaned up and cut out so there are many large swim through penetrations suitable for rec divers. I recommend nitrox for max NDL. With AOW you can dive your own profiles and swim through in the superstructures. If it's your first time I recommend hiring a guide make the best use of your time and tour all the best parts and to safely explore the longer deeper passages. Lots of videos of both wrecks on YT. I would recommend diving with Horizon Divers and hiring their guides. They are the only tech shop in the Keys and they teach all levels of wreck diving. Their DMs and instructors are all very experienced on both wrecks and they run deep charters and stay on the wreck so you get 2 deep dives on it instead of a shallow reef dive after the SI. If there is enough demand, they run deep wreck charters both AM and PM.