Who this course is for:

Individuals who wish to know more about the wreck diving including:

• Researching wrecks
• Mapping wrecks
• Proper use of lines while wreck diving
• Exploring underwater history

Course prerequisites:

• SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, or equivalent
• Minimum age 18, 15 for limited penetration course with parental consent
• Minimum age 10 with parental consent for a non-penetration course
• Junior Open Water Divers may not participate in any penetration activities or dives deeper than 18 metres/60 feet
• Divers must have a deep diver specialty certification or be able to provide proof of experience in order to dive deeper than 18 metres/60 feet in this course

What you can expect to learn:

The SDI Wreck Diver course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:

Why wreck dive?

Surface supports

• Communications, when and if necessary
• Back-up procedures

Buddy system

Buddy contact

• Contact with varied visibility
• Buddy lines
• Line signals
• Buddy positioning in close proximity

Navigation/charting

• Usage of the slate
• Larger than normal
• Pre-dive marking
•  
• Pre-planning the dive using charts, other information
• Directional determination

Disorientation

• With/without buddy
• Lost buddy
• Light failure
• Emergency procedures

Special equipment

• Lights: primary and backup, size, burn time, and usage
• Knifes and cutting devices

Limited visibility diving

• Silt-out
• Psychological considerations
• Light usage
• Importance of light and backup
• Dark vision, don’t shine light in buddy’s eyes

Life lines and reels

• Type of line
• Tie-offs
• Directional markers
• Line handling and reeling must be practiced on land prior to performing this skill underwater

Special emergency procedures

• Safe Wreck
• Hazardous or otherwise unsafe wrecks

Mapping the wreck

• Vertical, horizontal, and feature identification

What’s in it for you?

Upon successful completion of this course graduates may:

• Dive wrecks that are similar to the type of wrecks they were exposed to during training
• Plan and execute a wreck dive

Also, the SDI Wreck Diver certification counts towards a single specialty rating to achieve the SDI Advanced Diver Development program.

SDI Wreck Diver minimum requirements:

Open Water Dive 1

• Pre-dive review of dive computers
• Plan dive
• Test lights
• Familiarization with areas
• Basic charting outside wreck
• Usage of lines outside wreck, optional
• Surface and log dive

Open Water Dive 2

• Plan dive
• Figure surface interval
• Descend
• Team complete mapping
• Usage of lines outside wreck, optional
• Surface and log dive

Open Water Dive 3

• Plan dive
• Descend
• Usage of lines inside wreck, optional
• Surface and log dive

Open Water Dive 4 (Optional)

• Plan dive
• Planned dive explained
• Dive/explore as determined
• Surface and log dive