Wrecks & Reefs in South Beach

Before going on a diving trip to South Beach, and enjoying the great dive sites in the area, make sure that your skills are up to date. If it is 18 months or more since you dove, you must either have your first one here guided by a current Dive Master or higher, or take a Scuba Review class.

If you are a beginner, you should take a one day ‘discover local diving' course.

All dives should be logged in order to prove your experience so you can dive on more sites in the area.

Safety Tips: Wreck Diving

Anchoring

Set your anchor down-current from the wreck so you can go down the anchor line and have the wreck in front of you; never anchor over the wreck or your anchor could seriously damage it.

To help work out which way a current is flowing, you could invest in an inexpensive ‘wreck float', by tying a four pound diving weight to a plastic jug with enough line for the weight to reach the bottom.

Safety when diving in South Beach

Surface conditions:

Wrecks are not usually situated in sheltered waters, as they are some distance from land, and this can make it difficult getting back on board your boat. You also need to be aware of the current, which if strong can make the dive dangerous, particularly if you are a novice diver.

Subsurface conditions:

Diving can also be dangerous if visibility is poor, particularly as you can be easily separated from your dive buddy; in this case you should use a ‘buddy line'.

Wrecks which have been under water for some time will have attracted a wide variety of marine life as well as plant growth, corals and sea urchins. Take care not to damage these by brushing against them.

Wrecks in out of the way spots are also often frequented by sharks and barracuda. Barracuda almost never attack people, but are curious creatures and could mistake jewelry for small fish, so it is best not to wear it.

Similarly, sharks will most likely leave you alone if you leave them alone, however they are more unpredictable than barracuda, especially the larger sharks. Therefore it is best to go somewhere else to dive if sharks are about.

Entering a wreck

Divers should usually view wrecks by swimming around the outside, owing to the danger involved in entering them. Only experiences divers should attempt this.

One possible danger inside a wreck is the possibility of getting lost, or trapped by fallen cargo, or being trapped by an old companionway door or hatch cover falling shut after being disturbed. Such accidents have happened in the past, and have sometimes been fatal.

The idea of being lost inside a wreck might sound far-fetched, but the inside is pitch black and there is silt covering everything, which gets stirred up as you move around. To avoid getting lost, tie a rope somewhere outside the ship, paying it out as you go and then following it back. You should also, of course, carry a light. Nothing, however, guarantees complete safety inside a wreck.

Wrecks are often in deep ocean, so be careful also of depth and the danger of decompression.  

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