Wreck diving stay safe · Wreck diving travel safety advice
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Wreck diving travel safety advice
Wreck diving travel safety advice
In addition to general safety advice relating to diving (as to which, see Scuba diving - stay safe) wreck divers face a number of hazards in addition to those present in conventional scuba diving. Overhead environments may prevent direct access to the surface. Sharp edges may be present on the wreck. Some wartime shipwrecks may contain explosive cargos, and some wrecks may contain toxic materials or pollutants. Wrecks are also a magnet for fisherman, due to the fish that often gather on them, and fishing line and nets may become snagged on the wreck and present an entanglement risk for divers.
Most wrecks are slowly disintegrating. The structure becomes weaker as the material corrodes or rots, and at some stage it will collapse. This is not a good time to be inside. Those wrecks which are exposed to rough sea conditions will generally deteriorate faster, but oddly enough, are also usually less of a risk for collapsing on divers, as this usually happens during a storm when no divers are around. The wrecks that are below the wave action are the ones which are more likely to collapse without warning, possibly when an unlucky diver bumps againat a critically weakened structure, and precipitates a collapse. This is very unusual, but remains a possibility, and is one of the reasons why divers should be adequately trained before attempting penetrations ? it helps if you can recognise some of the signs of impending structural failure.
In conditions of poor visibility it is possible to accidentally penetrate some wrecks. If you are lucky, you will also accidentally find your way out again. If you are suitably skilled, you may also find your way out. When diving at a site where this is a possibility, it is prudent to tow a surface marker buoy on a line, or tie off a line at a point known to be outside the wreck before venturing too close in the darkness. Your line is the only guarantee of a way out.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Wreck diving
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Wreck diving - updated May 2024
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Wreck diving Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.