Diver with a torch swimming through the open frames of a wreck

Wreck Diver

Name: Wreck Diver
Brand: PADI
SKU: WDC001
Price: 5350.00 ZAR
Availability: InStock

SKU WDC001

R 5,350.00 ZAR R 7,150.00 ZAR

Product variants

Some of the best dive sites in the world sank there on purpose.

A wreck isn't just a dive site, it's a story frozen mid-sentence. Every hull section, every open hatch, every scattered piece of cargo tells you something about how it ended up there, and reading that story properly takes more than curiosity. It takes training.

The PADI Wreck Diver specialty teaches you to explore shipwrecks safely, from surveying and mapping a site to understanding the real hazards involved: sharp metal, unstable structures, entanglement, and the temptation to push further into a wreck than your training or gear allows. All scuba equipment is included for the duration of the course, so there's nothing to source or hire beforehand, you arrive ready to dive.

This isn't a course about admiring a wreck from a safe distance. It's about developing the judgement and technique to explore one properly, survey it, understand it, and know exactly where the line sits between an incredible dive and a genuinely dangerous one.

Where Wreck Diver Takes You

Once certified, you'll have the skills to safely navigate the exterior of a wreck, along with any interior sections that fall within open-water light and depth limits, using proper finning technique and penetration lines where the site calls for them.

It's also one of the five specialty certifications that count toward PADI Master Scuba Diver, and pairs naturally with Deep Diver and Enriched Air Diver, since many of the best wrecks sit deeper than open water limits and reward the extra bottom time nitrox provides.

Ready to see what's inside? Book your Wreck Diver course below, or get in touch with our team to talk through which wreck sites suit your current experience.

What This Course Entails

The course begins with PADI eLearning, worked through in your own time, covering wreck diving hazards, equipment considerations, and the background research and respect that responsible wreck diving requires.

From there, you'll complete four open water dives with your instructor. Across these dives, you'll practise surveying and mapping a wreck, special finning techniques suited to low-visibility and confined spaces, and the safe use of penetration lines and reels where conditions allow limited entry into a wreck.

Each dive builds on the last, moving from external survey and orientation work through to the more involved skills, so by your final dive you're diving with a level of control and awareness a standard Open Water certification simply doesn't cover.

Prerequisites

Hold a PADI Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water Diver certification, or qualifying equivalent from another training organisation.
Minimum age is 15 years old.
Complete a PADI Medical Statement to confirm fitness to dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Advanced Open Water before doing the Wreck Diver course?

You need at least PADI Adventure Diver, which includes the wreck-relevant Adventure Dives from Advanced Open Water, or a full Advanced Open Water Diver certification. Either satisfies the prerequisite.

Will I actually go inside a wreck during this course?

Where conditions and the specific site allow it, yes, you'll practise limited penetration using proper lines and reels. How far you go depends entirely on the wreck, visibility, and your instructor's assessment on the day.

How many dives does the Wreck Diver course include?

Four open water dives with your instructor, each building specific skills: surveying, mapping, finning technique, and safe use of penetration lines where appropriate.

Is Wreck Diver more dangerous than other specialty courses?

Wreck sites carry genuine risks, sharp metal, unstable structures, overhead environments, and entanglement hazards, that this course is specifically designed to teach you to manage. Proper training is exactly what turns those risks into a manageable, well-understood part of the dive.

Does Wreck Diver count toward Master Scuba Diver?

Yes. It's one of five specialty certifications required for the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating, the highest non-professional classification in recreational diving.

Are air fills included in the course price?

No, and that is deliberate. Air is charged as you use it, per fill, and invoiced to you after your session. Every diver breathes differently, and building a worst-case air allowance into every course fee would mean the lightest breathers subsidising the heaviest, so instead you pay for the air you actually use and the course price stays lower for everyone. We confirm the current fill rate with you when we book your dates, and you are welcome to ask us for it at any point before that. Dive site entrance fees are also paid separately, at the site on the day.