Overhead Environment Protocols

Specialist Wreck Penetration Clinic

The Overhead Environment Protocols Clinic is advanced-level wreck penetration training, which aims to develop the skills, knowledge and procedures required for existing wreck divers to operate safely and comfortably within the wreck overhead environment.

This exclusive non-certification training focuses on penetration skills and guidelines protocols; along with a team approach for the safe and controlled exploration of overhead environments within the limits of their qualifications.

This is a flexible clinic – suitable for qualified wreck divers at all levels; recreational and technical.

If you aspire to become a serious wreck diver – this is the training for you!

About the overhead environment clinic

The overhead environment clinic is designed to boost your proficiency in wreck penetration diving. It develops and refines your existing wreck diving certification so that you build a high degree of competency and experience in the necessary skillset.

What divers is the overhead environment clinic designed for?

The overhead environment clinic is flexible to be delivered to the level of the student. It is designed for divers who are already wreck qualified at recreational, advanced or technical levels. The course delivers more overhead environment experience, whilst refining and expanding the wreck diving skillset with modern best practices.

What skills does the overhead environment clinic cover?

• Equipment configuration for overhead environment diving
• Gas redundancy options – pony, doubles, sidemount
• Comprehensive wreck penetration dive planning
• Team/buddy descent check and safety drill  (S-Drill).
• Gas planning and management
• Team diving and situational awareness
• Stress management and psychological resilience
• Effective communication, hand signal, light and touch contact
• Guideline deployment, following and retrieval, maintaining team contact
• Mask remove/replace in contact with a guideline (horizontal and vertical)
• Non-silting propulsion techniques
• Valve shutdowns exercise (if in doubles) whilst maintaining contact with the guideline.
• Partial and full cylinder removal techniques (if in sidemount) for entering restrictions.
• Gas-sharing and exiting an out-of-gas diver through confined spaces
• Guideline following as a team whilst air sharing  (touch contact)
• Guideline following as a team in simulated zero visibility (touch contact)
• Guideline following whilst gas-sharing in simulated zero viz (touch contact)
• Lost guideline search protocol in simulated zero visibility
• Primary light failure and backup light deployment.

What are the prerequisites for the clinic?

• Advanced Open Water and above
• Wreck or cavern diver certified
• 25+ logged dives
• 18 years or over

Student divers are expected to display a good standard of core diving skills, including; precision buoyancy, trim, weighting, non-silting fin kicks, situational awareness, gas management and dive planning.  This course will improve all of those aspects of your diving, but I advise doing a Performance Diver course in preparation if your buoyancy control, trim, manoeuvring, propulsion and situational awareness skills need significant improvement.

How much does the overhead environment clinic cost?

The stated cost includes all tuition and instruction from Andy Davis

• Max 3 per course
• Scheduled courses will be run even if just one student
• Discounts available for group booking
• Private lessons are available at a 50% surcharge
• Clinics can be scheduled to meet your requirements
• 25% non-refundable deposit to confirm attendance on the course

Tuition cost excludes dive facility fees covering tank rentals, nitrox/trimix fills and boat costs, as required. Instructor diving costs are split between students.

Take the step to wreck diving expertise…