Malta's tech wrecks - part two

...continued from part 1

Dropping over the stern we saw the props and some netting on the seabed. These are truly big props. We slowly made our way back over the top and through the superstructure where we encountered some mono-filament line - even out here, line can be an issue.
We moved forward along the starboard side and towards the shot, where we met Leo and George coming the other way. As we ascended the shot and completed the deep stops we could see the curtain of bubbles being created by Leo and George and, as we reached 45m, we could still see them clearly 30m below us.
They passed us at around 15m and we joined them briefly at 6m before they again left us. There were big smiles all around on the boat!

Back at the dive centre plans for the following day were hatched and coaxed into workable dive plans. The wreck would be the Polynesia, and the three of us would be joined by Paul Toomer on his shiny Sentinel CCR, and Hayden, another local diver. Again, a three-stage dive and another long ten-minute transit to the site – this is what wreck diving should be like in the UK; great vis, warm water, short transits and lovely intact wrecks!
The 153-metre Polynesia was built in La Ciotat, France and launched in 1890. After a career of shipping between the UK and the Far East and Australasia, she was converted into a troopship in 1914 for World War One. In 1918 she was hit by a torpedo and sank in 35 minutes with ten lives. She now lies seven miles out of Valetta harbour in 65m.

Down the shot and this time we could make out the current was running slightly but nothing massive. I dropped into the lee of the wreck, having seen it from 30m above, and made my way towards the bow and the deck gun.
Unfortunately, and unbeknown to me, the manual/auto focus switch had been knocked and the camera was stuck in MF; I was not a happy bunny when I found that out when we got back to the dive centre. Looking up from the seabed in front of the bow, I saw Leo and Howard silhouetted against the bright surface 68m above me - what a sight!

After taking some shots we swam over the deck and through what would have been the cabin areas and over the elevator shafts into the holds.
The wreck is very intact and the options for penetration are great so down we went and found a lovely swim-through before coming back over the deck area. Both Howard and I looked over at each other as we exited this area with huge grins on our faces: this was an awesome dive and not in the over-used American meaning of the word, it really was awesome!

Too soon the limited bottom was over and we started our ascent up the shot-line. Between 45m and 15m there was quite a current running, but not so strong as to have to clip off. Again huge beaming smiles all around and we signalled to each other our joys at having dived only a small section of this classic wreck.
Back on the boat Howard and I agreed that this was the best wreck dive we had done ever and that we needed to come back out again and see more of it, this time using scooters to allow us to swim around this 155-metre beauty. Roll on the middle of August when Howard and I are back out again to dive the bow of the Southwold, the Polynesia again and the Schnellboot…

Get tech certified
To be able to dive on the wrecks mentioned in this article, advanced technical diver training is a must. So let’s have a look at the PADI Tec Rec programmes that will need to be completed to get to 75m.
The first programmes will be Tec 40, Tec 45 and Tec 50 (the numbers refer to the depths certified divers are limited to). By the end of these courses, divers will be expected to have a high level of competency and will be capable of conducting extended, accelerated decompression dives using air, nitrox and oxygen.
The next step is to move into the trimix arena, and that is where Tec Trimix Diver comes in. This has no depth restrictions – it is stated as 75m and beyond – and certified divers are qualified to use air, nitrox, oxygen and trimix for multiple-stop decompression dives. (There is an intermediate certification between Tec 50 and Tec Trimix Diver – Tec Trimix 65 – which limits the diver to 65m, and is useful if divers want to use trimix but not venture too deep).
As with all PADI programmes, the materials are out of this world, the programmes are well structured, well thought out and prepare you fully for your journey into the deep.
www.padi.com/tecrecblog