Diving Standards

For someone to get the most out of the Wreck Hunters diving archaeology course, they will need to have met a minimum level of scuba diving experience and pre-requisites.

With advice from Neil Brock, a respected film and television dive consultant and HSE dive training centre owner often working for the likes of the BBC, the team has opted for the following requirements:

  • PADI Advanced Open Water or the equivalent, with at least 30 dives under your belt
  • Minimum age is 18
  • Recognised diving medical and the completion of a medical questionnaire
  • DAN insurance is mandatory.
  • Candidates should have a first aid qualification
  • Participants will be required to take a pre course assessment dive
  • You will need your own kit, bar tanks and weights.

The centre staff provide safety cover and all diving safety has been assessed on the basis of professionally recognised standards of working underwater.

Utila also has easy access to emergency facilities, with an on-site hyperbaric chamber on the island.

For Season 2022, as it is not a full eductional couse then diving critera has been adjusted:

We are looking for relatively experienced divers – which to put a figure on it means in excess of 75 dives, ideally in a range of conditions. We are especially interested in divers with some skills or experience in drawing (artistic or technical), surveying, photography, and construction. To clarify we mean some experience not expert. There is a place for a range of people with different levels of experience and skills on projects like these. As we are running a longer survey season than originally intended our aim will be to combine training with work on the site.

Each diver will need to supply their own kit. Tanks and weighs will be obtained locally. The objective of Wreckhunters is to spread the word, so to speak, about diving archaeology. Hence, we will attempt to keep the costs of diving to a minimum. Participants will be required to contribute to the costs of hiring tanks and weights and towards “reef tax”. We will provide more clarity on this in due course.