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The thrill of being the first to see a ship that has lain undisturbed for decades or even centuries is the reason that wreck diving is growing increasingly more popular.
Diving opens up a wonderful new world, hidden to most people. Anyone over the age of 12 can learn to dive, they just need a good level of fitness. However the inherent dangers must not be overlooked and it is essential to have the proper training and equipment. For instance, divers always dive in 'buddy' pairs, in case of emergency.
Sports divers use the scuba system, which means diving with a cylinder of compressed air. This obviously restricts the length of time they can dive. All dives must adhere to 'dive tables', which set the correct length of dive depending on the dive depth. Every diver has a depth gauge and timer.
When ascending, a major concern is decompression sickness, or 'the bends', which can lead to anything from itchy skin to paralysis or even death. Nitrogen that has been breathed in and absorbed into the tissue during the dive is released and if the diver ascends too fast the nitrogen can form bubbles in muscles, blood, heart or the brain.
Checking the sea conditions is also of paramount importance. Where there is a strong tide in the area, diving as the tide is running can be very dangerous. Dives have to coincide with the turning of the tide, the slack water, when the currents are at their lowest. Visibility under water, or viz, can also be affected by the tides.
Every diver keeps a personal logbook where they write information for future reference – the co-ordinates of the site, tidal conditions and the like. They may also include details of unusual events. Jason Gibb's logbook entries on the programme pages offer his informal inside view on the Wreck Detective dives.
Find out more about diving
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