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Wreck Diving

Wreck diving is a type of scuba diving that involves exploring wrecked ships. It is generally subdivided into three categories. A pass over of the wreck is the simplest category. A diver doesn’t go into the wreck itself in this kind of diving, but they must still be aware of hazards associated with a sunken ship. There are animals that like to make ships their home; and fishing nets or lines are often caught by the wreck, making it easy for a diver to become tangled.

The second tier of wreck diving involves exploring the light zone within a wreck. There is some penetration into the hull of the ship itself, but generally a diver stays within the area they can still see the sunlight. This ensures that if a diver’s equipment fails, they can still safely exit the wreck and ascend to the surface. Both light zone and pass over diving are considered recreational diving.

The final type of wreck diving is full exploration. In this type, lights are brought along to explore the dark recesses of a ship. This is a form of technical diving. Technical diving normally has hazards associated with it that you won’t find in recreational diving. The most common hazard is the inability to ascend directly to the surface in the event of an emergency. In wreck diving, should an equipment failure occur, a diver would first have to exit the wreck before being able to leave the water.

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