My weekend consisted of swimming around a rusting ship sitting in 32m of water off the Tutukaka coast. I was diving the HMNZS Waikato as part of an advanced wreck diving course run by Pete Mesley (instructor and all-round good guy ). The rebreathers were fitted with side-mounted tanks and long hosed regulators for open circuit bailout. In addition to this redundant air system, we carried extra lights, reels and cutting tools.
The first dive was spent adjusting to the new configuration of gear. I usually carry my redundant bailout slung from my harness, so having it on the rebreather case was interesting due to the extra width on my back. This became all the more apparent when squeezing through narrow spaces only to be abruptly halted as the unit hung-up on things. Gentle backing up freed me and allowed second attempts on passing the obstruction. The laying and tying off of line was also a skill we practiced throughout the dive in addition to anti-silting finning techniques. Christian Blaschke, my course dive buddy, had to put up with the occasional fin in the face as I laid line around the helicopter hanger of the ship. Oops!
The surface interval passed quickly and we got straight into skills on the second dive. Pete got Christian and myself to lay line and then swim back in silt-out conditions (lights switched off and eyes closed to simulate the silt-out). This was real test of communication, but being on rebreathers, Christian and myself could actually talk to each other throughout the task whilst supplementing the communication with line tug combinations and body squeezes. Surge through the hanger made it particularly exciting when passing corridor hatchways, usually with the result of being sucked out of the hanger bay and spat back into your buddy seconds later!
The next day started with a bumpy boat ride out to the wreck site. Christian decided to "can" the diving for the day (he was looking very ill) and chose not to do the dive. Pete became my dive buddy and we made our way down to the wreck. After spending a period of time laying line and doing silt-outs procedures, we set off to explore more of the wreck. Pete asked me to lead, and while I was tying off the line in an access to the engine room the surge really got up so Pete called the penetration. Just as I untied the second to last tie-off, a huge surge rushed through the access and spat me out of the guts of the ship (most kewl!!!). Pete joined me as I reeled in the last of the line, then we ventured off and did a turn about at open circuit bailout on the long hoses.
The small boat that took us out to the dive site was jumping about in an increasing swell, so we quickly cut a course back to Tutukaka harbour. I found a few guys sitting up front and they all appeared to be suffering the early effects of sea sickness. In no time at all I was telling them my favourite story about someone being sick after eating spaghetti and how a long string of it came out of their nose. Sure enough, the guys on the boat turned a strange shade of green and looked very uneasy… my work was done.
The last dive of the course was planned and a penetration from the stern of the ship to the engine room was conducted. Line was laid, tie-offs selected and fastened, unique features memorised, and Pete finally turned the dive with a simulated silt-out. Lights switched off and eyes closed, Pete communicated with me constantly alerting me to his whereabouts and well-being as I reeled back through the ships interior. Yay! Upon completing the task, we went for a tour of the ships bow and guns that now lie torn and separated from the ships main superstructure.
This was amongst one of the best diving courses I’ve done to-date.
