Obviously, we don’t want to be the ruin of the beautiful oceans that we’re so fond of exploring. Unfortunately, some popular dive spots have become ruined over time because of poor management and irresponsible divers.

Skills, training and knowledge

Responsible scuba divers possess adequate skills. This requires practice and training for good buoyancy control. This is important especially when diving sensitive environments like coral growths and shipwrecks. You should avoid disturbing marine life, touching them – unless you are certain it is safe and OK for both you and the marine life – and getting in entanglements. Many organisms are vulnerable to even the slightest brushes.

Planning and preparing for dives is vital – don’t put yourself or others in danger – not to mention marine life.

Dive within your means (training, ability and confidence level). You should be familiar with your equipment and know how to use it.

Your equipment should be streamlined. Dangling gauges and accessories are hazardous to you and to marine life.

Take specialist training – you need additional knowledge and training to dive overhead environments (such as caves and wrecks) or to venture to greater depths.

Responsibility and good practice underwater and on land

Do not take souvenirs and artifacts. You may – often unknowingly – be disturbing marine life by taking items out of the water. Collecting is also prohibited by law in many areas. Follow the popular saying: “Take only pictures and leave only bubbles.”

Learn about marine life in the areas you’ll be diving. Listen to professional guides, safety briefings and dive briefings.

Respect local customs and laws. If the reefs are out-of-bounds, there is probably a reason.

Do not litter or throw objects into the ocean. Litter is a hazard to marine life and to people. You can also help by picking up refuse and recyclables on the shore. Get involved in cleanup campaigns on shore.

Take advice from local professionals and follow their instructions.

Dive with responsible operators. Do some research. There are various national and international certifications and awards for dive shops, schools and resorts for good environmental practices.

Get involved with conservation projects – either in your local community or during your travels.

If you found this useful, please see Sea Forever, a website dedicated to oceans and green living at http://www.sustainablewaters.com.

Lou Kawakami is a consultant with a keen interest in the oceans and environmentally-friendly living. She has an extensive background in marketing, education and social policy. In addition, she is a scuba diving instructor who has travelled a bit.

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One of the best Caribbean wreck dives is the wreck of the C/S Charlie Brown on the island of Statia (St. Eustatius). Statia is only a quick 10 minute plane ride from Saba. I truly love vacationing on Saba. It is well away from the crowded reefs like Bloody Bay Wall on the Cayman islands or Palancar reef on Cozumel.

In its hay-day the C/S Charlie Brown spent almost 50 years lying fiber optic cable around the world. She was built in 1950 and is 327 feet long with a beam of about 41.4 feet.

The wreck of the Charlie Brown lies in 98 feet in water lying peacefully on its side. This wreck offers advanced divers, wreck divers, and underwater photographers the opportunity of a life time to watch everything from sea turtles to nudibranchs on the outside of the wreck.

For those of us who are more advanced, exploring the lone hallway that runs down the middle of the wreck is truly breathtaking. This hallway is wide open and runs about 120 feet through the wreck. Once inside you must visit the cable tanks and galley or move all the way forward to explore the reel room.

Unlike most wrecks the Charlie Brown was purposefully sank to form an artificial reef. But, she was not completely salvaged before the sinking. This now provides a look and feel of a real ship wreck.
Now, a little about how to get to Saba to start this dream vacation; Saba is what is called the Dutch Caribbean. The best way is to book your airfare to the island of St. Maarten. (SXM). Once you are on St. Maarten you will have two choices on getting to Saba:

* Take the Winair flight to Saba
* Take the 2 hour ferry to Saba.

Everything is really close. Saba is only 5 square miles while Statia is 8 square miles. You can get to most dive sites within 15 minutes. Saba is a volcanic island with spectacular lava tubes underwater. The best way to truly explore these Dutch islands is to start at Statia for a couple of days, then move on to Saba and end up at St. Maarten. St. Maartin has a great rain forest and this makes a great day to decompress after all of the diving.

For more information on scuba vacations, visit our website – http://www.scuba-info.com/Scuba-diving-vacation.html

Greg Deskin has been a PADI Course Director for over 12 years. With thousands of certified students, he has been asked many questions about scuba and scuba equipment. You can visit his scuba website at http://www.scuba-info.com

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Benwood – The Benwood is perhaps the oldest scuba diving wreck site to be found in the Florida Keys. This WWII ship was sunk in 1942 when it collided with another whip while dodging German U-boats near the coast of Florida. While the wreck is not intact (it was blown apart because it presented a boating hazard) it is home to a wide array of marine life. Scuba diving near the Benwood will bring you face to face with critters such as Pork fish, grunts, lobsters, moray eels, glassy sweepers, Sergeant Majors, Goatfish, and Christmas Tree Worms. Since the ship had run aground before it was blown up, the dive is a relatively shallow one and great for novice divers as well as advanced divers.

Cayman Salvage Master – This wreck that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys is a Cuban refugee vessel that was confiscated by the US government. The ship was tied up to a dock where she sank before she was re-floated. Then, during her burial voyage of 1985, she sank in about 90 feet of water coming to rest on her side. Recently, Hurricane Katrina righted the ship and now divers can swim along the hull and deck hoping to spy huge Jewfish and moray eels that reside in the open hatches of the wreck.

Duane – If you’re experienced at scuba diving, you might want to pay a visit to the wreck Duane while you’re in the Florida Keys area. This US Coast Guard Cutter was intentionally sunk in 120 feet of water in the year 1987. Due to the strong Gulf Stream current and depth associated with the wreck, only advanced divers are allowed to dive this site. The Duane is home to grunts, sponges, chubbs, jacks, barracuda, and numerous tropical fish.

In addition to these three wrecks that can be seen while scuba diving in the Florida Keys, there are several other wrecks in the area that have been intentionally sunk to become artificial reef habitats. Each offers a different experience and a unique look into how the ocean transforms a foreign object into a beautiful habitat where marine life can grow and thrive.

To obtain your 2 FREE Gifts: Special Report “Insider’s Guide to Scuba Diving Gear” and Special Report “Top 10 Ways to Make Money while Scuba Diving”, go to http://www.thatdivesite.com and sign up for the FREE Gifts.

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While Aruba may be better known for its beaches and casinos, it is also a good destination for the scuba diver. In fact, Aruba was voted the second best wreck diving in the Caribbean by Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine in 2006. So if you like wrecks, you may want to consider a trip to Aruba. Plus, you can always check out those casinos and beaches in-between dives!

Location

Aruba is situated 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela and is about a 2 1/2 hour flight from Miami. Given its popularity with tourists, this is an easy island to get to with many direct flights from the US.

Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, all located off the coast of Venezuela, form the ABC islands. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and is now a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Geography

Aruba is easy to explore at just 20 miles long and 6 miles wide. Like it’s sister island, Curacao, its landscape is dotted with divi divi trees and cacti.

The highest elevation on the island is Yamanota Hill at just 617 feet. It’s located near the center of the island and you can visit it by car. The northeast coast is rugged with cliffs and pounding surf.

The real draw here is the southwest coast and its beautiful beaches. Of the 3 ABC islands, Aruba has the best beaches. The most famous is arguably Palm Beach and Eagle Beach, which together stretch for seven miles. It’s home to the majority of hotels on the island. When you see its beautiful powdery white sand, you’ll know why. It’s also where you’ll leave from for most of your Aruba diving.

Reefs and Rides

Most of the dive sites in Aruba are best accessed by boat. The vast majority of Aruba scuba diving sites are along the southwest coast of the island. The reef is located on the south end with many of the wrecks on the north end. Boat rides from shore to the sites are normally less than 15 minutes.

If you are staying toward the middle of the island and want to dive the north end, you may want to (have to) take a short van ride to the boat. This is what we did when we were staying at the Tarmarijn and dove the Antilla and Pedernales wrecks.

Diving

The best Aruba diving is wreck diving. While there are walls and reefs, they are generally not as good as those on its sister islands. On many of the dives you can check out both a wreck and a reef for the best of both worlds.

Aruba is currently working to preserve its reefs and to maintain the quality of Aruba diving. Preservation and educational programs have been started, including a reef clean-up program. Dozens of mooring buoys have been installed to protect the reefs and a marine park has also been established.

If you go to Aruba, I hope you have fun exploring the wrecks galore. I know many people that have fallen in love with Aruba and, who knows, you just may be the next.

Dianne Rein is an avid scuba diver and runs a scuba diving website at http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com You can read her article on Aruba scuba diving on her website as well as reviews of Aruba dive sites

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Have you done much cold-water wreck diving? If you’re used to Caribbean diving, this is a whole different experience. You’re going to want to get trained and certified for drysuit, and you’ll want to either buy one (check eBay), or find a shop that has one for rent in your size. You can try, but it’s really hard to rent a drysuit. If not integrated in your drysuit, you’ll also need a hood, gloves, and boots. If the conditions are just right, you might get away with a 7mm wetsuit on shallower dives, but when the water temps at depth get down into the 60s, 50s, and even 40s, you’ll be uncomfortable without a drysuit. You’ll need open-heel fins (slipper fins don’t work well with boots), main and backup lights, a tank light, and a wreck reel. Signaling devices are also a good idea, such as a safety sausage or a whistle. Many wreck divers carry a knife or shears, too, in case of entanglement. If you want to do more serious wreck penetrations, you should train for Wreck certification, too – you’ll live longer.

I’m not some serious, expert, North Atlantic wreck diver – I’ve only done two 2-tank excursions here in the NY Metro Area, and three dives one day in Lake Michigan (which is surprisingly similar), but I’ve logged over a third of my 91 dives at a cold local quarry called Dutch Springs, plus two at another quarry called Brownstone. I’ve also done the PADI advanced and Rescue courses, and completed the specialties to earn PADI’s Master SCUBA Diver certification, but I have no professional or technical training. I know I’m only a couple of North Atlantic wreck dives ahead of the rank beginners, but from my experience, I have two suggestions…

First, I’ve seen some rank beginner OW divers get into circumstances beyond their comfort level, and it makes for an unenjoyable (if not dangerous) situation for them. Education and experience will always be an advantage. Don’t stop at OW – take AOW certification – it’s not a terribly brilliant course of study, but it will give you experience in five different skill areas. U/Nav taught me to check my compass periodically, keep track of my surroundings and landmarks, and measure distance by time, air pressure, or fin kicks; until then, I always used to just blindly follow a dive master like a tour guide – it made me more self-reliant. Wreck taught me to lay and take up a line, ways to avoid stirring up silt, and to be aware of situational hazards. Drysuit and PPB taught me how to better control my buoyancy and trim. Night taught me to use lights and signals, and to be comfortable in low-visibility environments – it made me more confident. Deep, Multi-Level, Altitude, and Nitrox helped me understand more about the physiological effects of diving – awareness of my own body and mind help me prioritize and make better conscious choices, even while stressed, rather than let situations own me.

Most (albeit not all) instructors and many advanced students are also some very good divers, worthy of emulation. Spending more time training with them will improve your diving in ways beyond just the content of the training courses.

Second, take things one step at a time and don’t get in over your head. I had already completed Rescue certification, a bunch of the above-mentioned specialties, and 60-total dives, including many in the cold-waters of Dutch Springs and Brownstone before I ever went out on a North Atlantic wreck dive. Visibility was just past arm’s length and the water temps at depth were 59-degrees (in late July!). I’d gotten used to such temps at Dutch Springs, but add in low viz, chop, current, a touch of sea-sickness, and the lack of personal space on a “cattle” boat, and you’ll see how the stress and task-loading start piling on. Reflecting back on it afterward, I realized that there were a lot of mistakes my buddy and I made on that dive, despite all the training I’d had at that point. Everything turned out well, but tying our wreck reel to the anchor line was a classic newbie error, for example. My buddy was less-experienced, and was relying on me, to some degree, since I had some fraction of the requisite skills for the circumstances. If I had to advise anyone else getting into such diving, I’d say, take it one step at a time:

1. Get AOW and Drysuit certified
2. Get a drysuit and get used to it; practice the Drysuit controls, buoyancy, and trim in a pool
3. Practice more at a protected local quarry or lake
4. Practice more skills and/or earn specialties for Night, U/Navigation, Deep, and of course, Wreck
5. Practice night dives
6. Practice laying, following, and taking up line with a buddy; using a wreck reel is a skill all it’s own, and you can even practice it on the silly little wrecks at your local quarry or lake
7. Do some local night dives at your quarry or lake and try the line exercise again with a buddy – get capable of using a reel and lights at the same time
8. Once you’re good at it, look for some deeper wrecks; everything is more challenging when you’re cold and deep – once you’re comfortable with that, do it again on a night dive
9. Last, but not least, before you go on your first serious open-ocean cold-water wreck dive, I can’t overstate the value of Rescue training; don’t think of it as training to enable you to save lives – think of it as training to make yourself a better, more-aware diver. Before my Rescue class, I used to be just another tourist on a dive boat – now I get my gear squared-up early and I’m more aware of the divers around me. I can observe and help the less-experienced divers, and watch and learn from those more-experienced. An important lesson from the Rescue course is to foresee and avoid situations where rescue would become a necessity.

Brian Blum is the founder, president, and chief consultant at Maverick Solutions IT, Inc. Maverick Solutions provides affordable IT consulting and technology support services, primarily to schools, NFPs, and SO/HOs in the New York Metro Area. Maverick Solutions is the alternative to keeping your own in-house IT staff, and we’d be happy to help you get more value from your existing technology investment. Visit our Website to learn about the services we offer, or read our blog, Maverick Ramblings, for assorted tips, tricks, and information of technology interest. When he’s not geeking it up, Brian enjoys SCUBA, skiing, cigars, travel, reading, and motorcycling. He’s a PADI-certified Master SCUBA diver with specialty certifications for Wreck, Deep, Night, Nitrox, Drysuit, DPV, U/W Navigation, U/W Naturalist, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Altitude, and MultiLevel. He’s been logging recreational dives while trying to decide whether to pursue technical or professional certification next.

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A shipwreck is a haven of wonderful discoveries for the scuba diver. It is a historical relic filled with secrets carefully concealed by the ocean. Over the years, it has also been the home of various sea creatures and plants. Wreck diving is a rare opportunity for scuba divers to hone their diving skills, discover a significant heritage in history and be a part of an important archaeological find. This great opportunity however entails responsibility on the part of the diver. So here are a few guidelines to take note of before pursuing the dive:

Precautionary Measures while Diving

• Remember that a shipwreck has been underwater for quite some time and the superior find have been submerged for decades, or even centuries. Many sections of a sunken ship may be fragile and would disintegrate without notice, so bear in mind to keep those fin movements steady and slow. The possibility of encountering marine animal and plant species inhabiting the wreckage is highly likely, so exercise extra care so as not to disrupt their habitat.
• There is also the risk of entanglement with fishing nets or ropes, so bring along an emergency tool such as a Tech Dive Knife in hand.
• Keep extra lights handy just in case primary sources of light run out.
• A guideline may also be utilized to ensure the exit route of the wreck diver.
• Never overestimate the capacity of your cylinder tank. It is best to be safe than sorry. The rule of the thumb is to allocate 2/3 of the air reserve for use upon exit. As much as possible, carry a second tank or bring along a pony bottle.

A Different Type of Training RequiredThere are wreck program organizations that require scuba divers to take a PADI specialty course in wreck diving before they can join excursions. The course will orient the scuba diver on the advanced skills and scuba equipment necessary to maneuver in and out of wrecks. More importantly, the scuba diver will be able to learn the proper management of air reserves in the course of diving. Deep diving is a specialization required in the conduct of wreck diving trips; thus the wreck diver must be knowledgeable on the use of dive tables as well. Dive tables reveal what depths (at certain times) are safe to cruise without decompression. An Aeris XR-2 Wrist Dive Computer [http://www.scubasuppliers.com/site/1408308/product/10.2610] is a convenient gadget that will come in handy to alert the diver of safety parameters.

Safety is the biggest concern for all scuba divers but even more so for wreck divers. There is a risk of becoming trapped or lost in a wreck. Special training is available to scuba divers where they learn how to use special equipment. Reels of line are used to lay down a safe path through the maze of a ship wreck. Extra tanks of air are slung from the diver. Powerful underwater lights are required to light up the darkness. Wreck divers learn how to plan their dives so that they use one third of their air to reach the wreck, one third of their air to enjoy the wreck and return to the surface and hold the last third in reserve in case of emergency. Wreck divers have to especially cautious of hazards such as sharp and jagged metal.

Many recreational divers enjoy diving on artificial reefs. These are ships that have prepared and sunk on purpose in especially designated spots. Divers can practise their skills in the relative safety of a ship wreck that is well-mapped and sitting a safe depth. These ship wrecks are called artificial reefs because they soon become the habitat for corals, anemones and creatures of all kinds. Some artificial reefs will host up to four times their own mass in living creatures.

Most divers adhere to a policy of “non-disturbance” This means they do not interfere with the wreck or carry anything away. It is only fair to leave the ship wreck untouched so that other divers can enjoy it. But the environment soon starts to change the wreck. Breakers pound the metal or bust up the wood. Down deeper, currents carry away loose pieces and scatter them across the ocean floor. Even the creatures that make the wreck their home slowly start to break it down.

There is a compelling beauty to a sunken ship and great sense of adventure and challenge to learn the skills and become a wreck diver.

Rocky Boschman is a marine biologist and founder of Scuble.com. (http://scuble.com/) He has been actively promoting conservation for many years. Scuble.com is an online community and a great resource for information about the oceans. Join now, its free.

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These guides are well acquainted with the underwater terrain and know all the dangers, such as predator fish and underwater currents, that might be lurking in the diving area and how to combat them. Most of all, these supervisors are highly trained in life-saving exercises and mainly shark attacks. Some locations are famous for wreck scuba diving training as well and attract scuba divers from far and wide.

Importance of Wreck Scuba Diving Training

Wreck scuba diving is a dangerous activity, and ample training must be imparted to the scuba divers before allowing them to undertake an exploration of an underwater wreck. A wreck is a ship that may have sunk off the coast or out at sea. The older the wreck grows, the more dangerous it is to swim among the sunken vessel. The parts deteriorate and may collapse at any time and trap the diver.

There may be weeds growing in the passageways of the wreck, which can trap a swimmer, and no one will be able to locate him or her in time. Wreck scuba diving training imparts all the knowledge one must have to survive in troubled times underwater. This includes the SOS signals one must use in order to attract attention and how to use the safety equipment, such as underwater flares and safety equipment.

Know Your Depth

Many wrecks are mapped. This means that the divers are taught where to swim and dive and where to not venture. Some wrecks have safety signs and identifiers. If a diver gets stuck or trapped, he can signal his location to another diver and have rescuers on the way before long. Many wrecks are located at vast depths of the sea and oceans.

Divers must have the relevant knowledge of how deep they are allowed to dive and how long they can stay there. Deep sea diving has its hazards. Prolonged diving can produce symptoms of the “bends,” a very painful situation where the diver suffers from excessive nitrogen dissolving in the blood because of the pressure of the sea. It is a life-threatening situation, and divers must know the early symptoms of the bends and return to the surface well in time.

The sights of wrecks and the experience of wreck diving can captivate a diver who may lose track of the time spent underwater. Wreck scuba diving training makes divers aware of the dangers of the deep and imparts the necessary training they need to counter the dangers as well.

Click here to check out places for scuba diving trips. It works out cheaper when you take a scuba diving package. Also find places that offer scuba diving lessons here.

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The Oriskany reef lies off the coast of Florida and is not recommended for novice divers as by US Marine Law it has to be a minimum of 55 feet navigational clearance from the surface to allow shipping to pass comfortably over it.

Having said that it is that far down you do not have to go down very far to get a good view of it. The massive air craft carrier is very awe inspiring site under water and although it had only been there for a short time in relative terms a lot of fish and reef organisms have made it there home.

Although I’m an experienced Wreck Diver I did not plan to go into this wreck merely to observe from the safest outside distance was enough for me. This was a really strange feeling to just above the top of the island of the flight deck.

These artificial reefs are going to transform the diving industry and also do a lot for the oceans ECO system, we need to see more developments in this field as more and more of the reefs that are current around the world do get damaged by inconsiderate divers.

By replenishing and conservation of existing reefs we may enjoy the spectacular array of life that manages to exist within the depths. I must admit I would quite like to do a wreck dive and penetrate the vessel just to see the varieties of fish that have made it there home. Not a deep penetration as this is highly not recommended but more of just inside to see a hanger deck.

This would require technical diving skills and a lot of good experts to get advice from before tackling this proposition I hope to be able to come back to this wreck within the next two years as a to have a more intense experience with this wreck.

The Oriskany when it was reefed landed in the upright position as this is an air craft carrier and the top of the ship is broader than the base it was not known if it was going to do this. It’s good that it did because it’s more familiar shape that seeing a wreck on its side.

I have dive many wrecks some of the best ones can be found at Scapa Flow in Shetland Islands. After the war a lot of German ships were scuttled there and remain as wrecks they are very popular with divers but it’s a hell of a long way to go to get there. You sometimes think about flying but that cuts down the amount of diving you can do, as most of the Scapa Flow ships are deep dives too.

I hope to find some more artificial reefs to explore and take more photos and keep a good record to see how these artificial grow in diving popularity.

Andy Bolton 41 Liverpool UK England

Automation Engineer | Divemaster | Website Designer | Musician | Hot Air Balloonist | Author Mostly Harmless, Enjoy Travelling and trying new gadgets.

Accident Claims | Compensation | No Win No Fee

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