The PADI® Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver
courses provide a strong foundation for teaching divers to think through diving
scenarios to make sound decisions. As you mentor divers at all levels, you can
build on this by providing dive scenarios relevant to the course you’re
teaching, and offer questions that help them think like a diver as they
evaluate the scenario and share their decisions with you. This helps you assess
understanding and how they apply what they’re learning. It’s a great way to
coach thoughtful and deliberate decisions. In this example, the scenario
promotes using sound judgment in deciding whether to enter a wreck in the PADI Wreck Diver
Specialty course.
Entering a Wreck
When a diver wants to enter a wreck, the primary-decision-making goal must always be to have a safe exit. That means being able to find a way to an exit, and being able to handle any emergency situation that could arise while in that overhead environment. Wreck-entry methods include two classifications: swim-throughs and penetrations.
- Swim-throughs – In a swim-through,
the diver enters through one opening and exits through another. In a basic
swim-through, the diver will always be able to see two exit points to open
water using natural light. The path between them will be free of significant
obstacles, entanglements or silt. The combination of the distance to an exit
point and up to the surface should not exceed 40 metres/130 feet for Advanced Open Water Divers
and higher, and in other circumstances the distance should be the depth for
which the diver is qualified. - Penetrations – In a
penetration, the diver enters more than a few metres/feet into the wreck
intending to return to the entry point, either because there is no other exit
or the diver is not sure there is another one. The diver may go beyond the
point that the entry is still clearly visible and must run a line to ensure a
safe return to the exit. The path should be well lit and free of obstacles, entanglements
or silt. As with swim-throughs, the distance to the exit and then to the
surface should not exceed 40 metres/130 feet.
Using Sound Judgment
Either situation calls for good, reasonable
judgment. Answers to the following questions can help a diver shape an
appropriate decision:
- Are the exits big enough to
allow my buddy and me to swim through side by side? - How much light is there? Is
there enough that I will always be able to see the light of the exit? - Is there anything big
enough to be a dangerous obstacle? - Is there enough silt to
have potentially obscure my vision to the extent I couldn’t find my way out? - For my planned maximum
distance, is the nearest exit close enough to allow me to leave the wreck and
with ample time to handle an emergency?
Also factored into the decision should be the
diver’s experience, training, skill and equipment. Two different divers looking
into the same wreck can make two totally different, yet appropriate decisions.
For example, divers with little wreck experience entering a silty environment
could obscure visibility creating a potential hazard. A diver trained in
non-silting kicking techniques may not have a significant issue with silt. A
diver with excellent buoyancy and trim skills can pass around obstacles that
could challenge a less‑skilled diver.
Good judgment can also allow divers with more
experience and training to go beyond some of the penetration guidelines. A
diver with technical training, such as cave training that includes effective
use of suited lights, will be able to work in areas without clear daylight.
When teaching the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course, mentor
your divers on how to think like a diver and make good decisions regarding
wreck penetration based on the specific wreck circumstances and their
individual training and experience. Apply similar decision-making mentorship in
all courses as appropriate to the diver level, environment and course topic.
Reference the PADI Wreck Diver Instructor Guide (Product 70232)
for information about this specialty diver course.
A version of this article originally appeared
in the 3rd Quarter 2018 edition of The Undersea Journal®.
