Purpose

The IANTD Wreck course is designed to introduce the fundamentals of wreck diving. Students will learn the basic skills needed to wreck dive and to safely penetrate wrecks while utilizing a guideline. Gas management, line laying and following and the potential hazards of overhead environment diving will all be covered. This course will provide students with an excellent foundation to expand their wreck diving experience and to prepare for the Technical Wreck course.

Prerequisites

• Must meet the IANTD General Course Prerequisites

• Must be qualified as an Advanced Open Water diver with a minimum of 10
  logged dives

• Must be a minimum of 15 years of age with parent approval

• Be a non-smoker

Training Materials

IANTD Wreck Power Point handouts

Duration

The IANTD Wreck course includes 10 hours of academic instruction generally taught in 3 sessions as well as 6 dives completed over 3 days.

Course Content

The IANTD Wreck course cumulatively includes a minimum of 25 hours of instruction encompassing equipment configuration, decompression, dive planning, operational considerations and guideline use, failures and protocols.

Academic Topics

• IANTD organization

• Course Standards and Procedures

• Course completion requirements

• Motivations for wreck diving

• Research and locating wrecks

• Wreck diving and the law

• Equipment for wreck diving

• Operational considerations

• Diver communication

• Propulsion techniques

• Navigation and guideline use

• Problem management

• Dive planning

• Gas management

• Team diving protocols

• Hazards and risks of wreck diving

Surface Drills and Skills

• Pre-dive S-drills

• Communications

• Air sharing techniques

• Reel and guideline use

• Propulsion techniques

• Off line exercises

• Lost diver exercises

In-water Skill Requirements

• Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this includes pre-dive preparations, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment

• Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner needs

• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver

• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver followed by a slow, ascent to the surface

• Comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments

• Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training

• Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to deploy a reel / spool and a surface marker

• Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim

• Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication

• Demonstrate proficiency with touch contact communication

• Demonstrate proficiency and understanding in regards to
  equipment configuration

• Swim a distance of 75' without a mask

• Swim in a simulated OOA situation without breathing for a distance of 45' and commence gas sharing

• Demonstrate controlled use of a reel while deploying and retrieving
  the guideline

• Deploy a lift bag in under 1 minute

• In the overhead environment, demonstrate a calm demeanor while following a guideline with eyes closed and maintaining proper trim and buoyancy control

• Follow a guideline while gas sharing with eyes closed and open

• Demonstrate the deployment of a backup light in less than 30 seconds

Course Limits

• IANTD General Program Limits

• Maximum student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 4 to 1

• Maximum depth 130'

• All appropriate safety stops or required decompression must be performed

• All dives must use Nitrox up to 40% oxygen with a maximum working PO2 of no greater than 1.4

Equipment Requirements

• Diving cylinder(s) to carry sufficient gas supply for completion of dive following the rule of thirds. We generally teach this course using doubles

• Alternate second stage or redundant gas supply. A 7' hose with backup around neck attached with bungee necklace

• Pressure gauge (this should be a 2" gauge on approximately a 24" hose)

• Buoyancy control device ( should be a single "wing" style BCD)

• Mask and fins

• Means of monitoring depth and time. Depth gauge and bottom timer or a dive computer

• Dive table must be used backup computer or for control of the dive

• Appropriate exposure suit for 48 degree water temperature (you must have a

• Slate and pencil or Wet Notes

• Cutting tool. Small knife or medical shears

• Compass

• Surface alert device (whistle, Dive Alert etc...)

• Primary light (preferably a canister style light)

• 2 backup lights

• Lift bag (preferably a 50lb. bag)

• Small reel or spool (75'-100' of line)

• Primary reel (400' of line)

• Decompression gas regulator with pressure gauge