Monday, December 16, 2013

Shipwreck Maps Are Essential For Recreational Wreck Diving

By Eugenia Dickerson


Scuba diving has been expanding as a recreational sport for several decades and wreck diving is a very popular activity for scuba divers. The thrill of seeing a ship that has been submerged for decades or centuries is the fuel of diving dreams. A chance to explore what has been out of reach for so long starts with obtaining some good shipwreck maps.

Divers will see how their capabilities are challenged by ship locations. Beginners may access some, while more skill may be required for other ships. Constructive facts are revealed to divers as they peruse maps. One needs to keep in mind different depths require different levels of skill. More advanced training, and experience is required by deeper locations. Some vessels are better suited to experienced divers with advanced skills. This is particularly true when dives require reliance on trimax or nitrox for breathing assistance. An illustration is the deep placement of the SS Andrea Doria. Its depth made it a very difficult challenge for divers who did not possess advanced skills.

Wreck diving is a unique experience. Divers get to mix seeing scenic marine life with a historical and archeological experience. Floating through a submerged wreck when it has become a new habitat for local wildlife is amazing. Each diver also may secretly yearn to find some hidden artifact or treasure that remains undiscovered. For instance, the ancient ship accidentally found outside near Turkey.

This ancient shipwreck was nominated 1 of the 10 greatest 20th century archaeological discoveries. The shipment contained in its cargo belonged to at least seven different cultures. Goods from Egypt, Cypriot, Assyrian, Mycenean, Nubian, Kassite and Syro Palestinian regions were found on board. Firewood aboard was examined using Dendrochronological dating. It revealed it sank around 1306 BCE. This ship was the earliest discovered example of a ship constructed by the mortise and tenon joint technique of woodwork. In this technique, planks are connected by a wooden piece from one plank inserted into a hole cut into another plank.

Wrecked vessels and their shipments can reveal substantial details. Shipwreck divers discover something for themselves with each experience. There can be challenge in the action of a dive itself. There are loads of opportunities as shipwrecks abound. A map can be used to limit these possibilities. It also documents important details about a particular locale.

Maps help divers determine what they are looking for. If they are interested mainly in how nature takes over, artificial reefs will suit their taste. Military history may interest others, while cruise ships or trading vessels offer other options. Divers travel hundreds of miles to dive the Wreck Trek of the Florida Keys to swim by the only North American coral reef and be able to explore shipwrecks as well. The Bibb, Spiegel Grove, Duane, Thunderbolt, Adolphus Bush, Vandenberg and Eagle are a few of the wrecks to be found in this area.

Each wreck has something special to offer. The Vandenberg and Spiegel Grove, for instance, are the largest. For local divers regularly visiting these wrecks, watching them be taken over by sea life to become an artificial reef keeps the interest alive.

Generally divers are respect what they see. They treasure their recollections of what was seen during an excursion. Of course, shipwreck maps are to be kept for repeated use.




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