Scuba Diving Wrecks and Famous World War II Shipwrecks
Wreck Diving is just one of the many types of fun recreational scuba diving activities and is usually aimed at exploring sunken shipwrecks or crashed aircrafts. Wreck dive sites can also be created by intentionally sinking a vessel or retired ship which may create an artificial coral reef site. Some of the fascination of wreck diving is;
* Artificial Reefs create habitats for marine life
* Large structures may contain interesting cargo
* Wrecks often have an exciting or tragic history
* Shipwrecks present skill challenges for scuba divers
* Wrecks have cultural heritage or archeological resources
* Provides an insight of our maritime heritage & history
Advanced Scuba Wreck Diving can be sectioned into three main categories and each ascending level may involve more risk and therefore greater levels of training, experience and equipment;
* Non penetration dive (swimming over the wreck)
* Limited penetration dive (within the light zone)
* Full penetration dive (beyond the light zone )
The least hazardous forms of wreck diving are commonly known as non-penetration dives and as wrecks can be popular fishing sites, divers should still be aware of the risks of entanglement from fishing nets and fishing lines. Generally a swim over the wreck would not create too much trouble for divers and its often chosen as one of the elected PADI Advanced Open Water Dives.
Penetration of a wreck within the light zone presents the possibility of increased hazards due to an overhead environment and the closeness of the wreck's structure. However, usually these hazards are more manageable because of the visible exit point and a certain amount of external light. Because the risk of entanglement and siltout inside the wreck as well as the extra consideration of having to surface in the event of an emergency, this partial penetration diving is often explored during the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course.
Full wreck penetration diving involves understandably the greatest level of risks to scuba divers which can also include the risk of becoming lost within the structure. Additional risks of complete darkness and the inability to make an unassisted escape in the unlikely event of an air supply problem make full penetration an optional dive of the PADI Wreck Penetration Diver.
Please send questions and comments to our PADI Master Instructor & Wreck Diver Specialty Instructor at
info[at]wreckdivingpattaya.com