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Technical Diving
Technical Diving adds another ‘string to the bow’ of
the discerning diver, and opens the door to a huge array of possibilities
to experience in the underwater world.
Whether its about spending more time at shallower depths, or
going deep to join an exclusive club of people to witness what
is considered ‘the unknown’, technical diving is
a great way to broaden your diving horizons.
As a means of progressing with the dive travel market, we have
put together a range of packages for a Tech Diving Trip to some
of our most popular destinations. We are forever looking to provide
more unique Tech Diving opportunities at some truly remarkable,
and very much less travelled destinations also, so watch this
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SANTO, VANUATU
Aquamarine are our trusted Technical Diving operators in Santo, home of
the world famous wreck of SS President Coolidge. Aquamarine offer a
range of Technical diving services including twin tank hire with stainless
steel bands for manifolds or independents, Nitrox stage tank hire, Oxygen
fills, Helium fills and Sorb for rebreathers.
Aquamarine also offer a range of technical Diving courses, including TDI
Advanced Nitrox/ TDI Decompression Procedures through to Instructor level
Technical Diving courses.
The Coolidge is a paradise for Technical wreck divers, with clear tropical
water temperatures between 26C - 30C and a depth range of 20 meters to 70
meters. Whether you are a fully trained and accomplished Technical
Diver, or would like to take some of the many courses Aquamarine offer,
Santo and the Coolidge is a great Technical diving destination.
 download
the brochure (216kb)
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SOLOMON ISLANDS
Tulagi Dive is the Honiara’s most renowned and respected Technical
Diving operator. With access to a number of amazing wrecks and reefs, it
is a fantastic destination for both the standard recreational diver, and
the Tech Diver.
Tulagi Dive has a well equipped dive shop for the Tech Diver, with pony
bottles, manifold sets, twin bands, CCR scrubber media, Nitrox and Trimix
(with 3 months notice) all available for you during your trip.
Some of the wrecks that await you on a Technical Diving trip are as follows:
USS Aaron Ward
You want guns, we’ve got guns. 4 x 5” Mounts, 2 x 40mm Bofors,
7 x 20mm cannons and 5 torpedoes. Sitting upright in 70m of water, the top
of the bridge sits at 49m and is 348m long. The ‘Ward’ is one
of the worlds premier wreck sites, visibility on average is 20-30m.
Azumasan Maru
Japanese transport, sits upright in 39-50m at bow and 80m plus at the
stern, lots of colour and soft corals and good photo opportunities (check
the bow looking back to the wreck from the sand). Motorbikes and sidecars
in second hold.
Sussaka Maru
Japanese transport lying on its port side, the side is in 58m of water
and the bottom in 85m. An excellent dive, rarely dived due its depth, for
the very experienced diver.
Tama Maru
Japanese Mine sweeper, lies in 68-75m water, visibility is normally
awesome at this site, 40-50m average. There are many artefacts on this
wreck, lanterns in the rear hold and hemi-spherical mines mid-ships, if
you tire of this then the fish life will enthral. This is a site for the
very advanced diver, but the size of the site does allow it to be covered
in the dive
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the brochure (220kb)
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BIKINI ATOLL, MARSHALL ISLANDS
Bikini Atoll sits atop many a divers Wish List, and with good reason! Bikini
Atoll Divers are one of the most professionally run and safety oriented dive
operators in the world. Not only this, but they have an abundance of WW2
wrecks – perfect for the passionate Tech Diver.
Bikini is home to fully trained and certified divemasters who will assist
you with your Tech Diving trip. The Dive Shop has a state of the art filling
station, which provides Nitrox capabilities. Unfortunately, Bikini does not
provide Helium for Trimix mixes. Bikini does not have any facilities for
rebreathers, but are more than happy for you to take your own, as well as
the necessary equipment and repair tools.
Bikini Atoll has a number of stunning World War II wrecks to dive, some
of which are listed below:
USS Saratoga
A totally amazing wreck. The Saratoga, along with several other ships,
sank following the Baker A-bomb test shortly after WWII. It is possible
to carry out penetrations through the aircraft hanger deck area where planes
are still situated, bombed up and ready to go. The bridge area is another
great penetration and amongst other things it is possible to see the signaller's
bugle which still hangs on a hook in the signaller's flat behind the bridge
proper. Several aircraft lie on the seabed around the carrier and are accessible
though deep at 50+ metres.
USS Anderson
The USS Anderson lies on her side and is largely intact, is shot lined
about midships and you are guided initially towards the stern to see the
heavily populated depth charge racks and the propellers. Armed with 5" guns,
and several torpedo tubes, these are still easily visible today. The USS
Anderson lies in 46 – 52 metres.
HIJMS Nagato
HIJMS Nagato was Admiral Yamato's flagship, and was sunk in 1946 to
humiliate the Japanese. The wreck lies almost completely upside down in
40 – 52 metres, her huge guns and shattered top hamper still holding
her clear of the seabed. A dark, eerie swim beneath the ship's decks past
the guns reveals the weather covers still in place in the enormous barrel
ends.
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the brochure (208kb)
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SOUTH CHINA SEA
South China Sea is the current hotspot for Tech Divers, with Liveaboards
the main type of trip on offer. Many of the dive sites are in the various
shipping channels in South China Sea. DJL Diving are the operator of choice,
running 5 day trips to the South China Sea from Singapore. Some amazing technical
dives are on offer, and with the Sunday to Friday itinerary DJL runs, minimum
disruption to your working schedule is achieved.
Onboard helium, oxygen, chase boat and crane and diver lift are just some
highlights of the functional vessel, while the dive staff and boat crew are
friendly, professional and safety conscious. Rebreathers are also welcome
onboard.
There are a number of wrecks in the South China Sea, ranging from World
War II wrecks, to freighters and supertanks. A description of some of the
dives is below:
HMS Repulse
The HMS Repulse is an enormous 242 metre long British battlecruiser,
which was sunk in 1941Attacked by Japanese bombers, she sank as a result
of torpedo damage and now lies in 50 metres of water.
HMS Prince of Wales
Lying inverted on the seabed at 70 metres, the HMS Prince of Wales
is an enormous British King George V Battleship, Paired with the HMS Repulse,
she was the flagship in a effort known as Force Z, intended to deter the
Japanese. The Prince of Wales was sunk in the same torpedo attack as the
Repulse.
KXVIII Dutch Submarine
The KXVIII Dutch Navy submarine was 74 metres in length, with 1045
tonnes displacement when submerged. She had a maximum diving depth of 80
metres and was capable of 17 knots on the surface. After striking a mine
in 1941, she sank and now lies upright in 40 – 50 metres of water,
her coning tower still standing proud.
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the brochure (304kb)
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MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS, NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand’s picturesque Malborough Sounds is home to an array of
fantastic dive sites. Go Dive Marlborough are our operator, and they run
liveaboard excursions out of the quaint South Island town, Picton.
Go Dive have a range of services available to both the novice beginner,
and the experienced Tech Diver. As well as a vast array of courses, Go Dive
offer both Nitrox and Trimix gas mixes for you Tech Diving Expedition. They
have two charters available, catering for up to 14 divers.
Mikhael Lermontov
The signature dive of the Marlborough Sounds is the Mikhael Lermontov,
a Russian Passenger Cruise Ship, which sank when it hit a rock between
Cape Jackson and Jacskon head in 1986. The Lermontov now lies on her Starboard
side and is fully intact. Diving on the Lermontov is a fantastic experience,
with the propellers, damage, funnel, bridge and pool area all easily assessable.
The wreck has now become an artificial reef and is encrusted with invertebrate
life and home to schools of local fish. Visibility on the outside of the
wreck can get down to 5 metres, inside the wreck it averages around 12
metres.
The Hippolas
The Hippolas sunk in 1910 after hitting Walkers Rock at the head of
Queen Charlotte Sound. After being abandoned it sunk while being towed
into Picton opposite Blumine Island in 67 metres of water. The Hippolas
was a fully rigged thee masted wooden sailing ship. The wreck has only
recently been discovered and is seldom dived. Visibility on the bottom
is murky and can be as low as one metre. Dive Marlborough knows the wrecks
location and supplies Trimix dives to the wreck.
download
the brochure (240kb)
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CORON, PHILIPPINES
Coron has fast became known for its excellent Wreck Diving opportunities.
The wrecks of Coron Bay offer great diving experiences for beginners,
advanced Divers and Technical Divers alike. Since 1989, Discovery Divers
have pioneered diving in Coron/Busuanga as the first professional Dive
Center in Town. From their humble beginnings, Discovery Divers have exerted
all of their efforts to constantly improve the services for all of their
guests.
Coron is the perfect play ground for diving on Nitrox. Blending from
22% to 80%, Discovery Divers also offer a range of Tech Diving courses on
offer. Some of the wrecks on offer are outlined below.
Irako
This Japanese refrigeration ship, with a length of about 200 meters,
lies in Coron Bay at a maximum depth of 40m. Quite intact, this big wreck
is home to big groupers, shoals of tuna and yellow fins, Lion fish & scorpion
fish.
Taiei Maru
Formerly the Olympia Maru, this Japanese freighter lies on its starboard
side in about 25m of water in Coron Bay. A beautiful wreck dive site where
you can observe big Groupers and Sweet lips, while turtles and even sea
snakes are often spotted also. Hard corals cover the port side which is
only 14-18 meters below the surface. The big cargo rooms and the engine
room allow an easy penetration of this wreck.
The Akitsushima
The Akitsushima is a Japanese Seaplane Tender resting near Manglet
Island between Culion & Busuanga Island. She lies on her starboard
side after being hit amidships, sinking immediately. An impressive piece
of the wreck is the crane which was responsible for lifting the seaplanes
in the water. This big metal construction is lying on a sandy bottom and
attracts shoals of giant bat fish and barracudas, as well as giant groupers,
tunas and yellow fins. Maximum depth is between 36 – 38m.
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the brochure (240kb)
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