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Shipwreck Diving TOOLS
By Capt. Dan Berg
 While tools are certainly not mandatory for wreck diving, many
divers bring tools with them to aid in the removal of artifacts.
It's not uncommon for a wreck diver to have a sledge hammer, chisel,
and crow bar as part of his standard dive equipment. I only want to
bring up these tools to discuss the way they should be mounted.
First of all, the weight of each tool must be reduced from the
amount of weight on your weight belt, or you will sink like a rock.
Remember that losing a tool will change your buoyancy possibly
during ascent. The placement of each tool, or in fact, any piece of
equipment is critical. Everything must be stream lined and in a
location where it is easily found. For example, what good is a back
up light if you can't easily and quickly locate it and turn it on?
The same thing applies to tools: why bring a crow bar if you can't
use it or if your tools constantly drag and snag into each piece of
wreckage as you swim by? Some divers attach a foot of line to the
handle end of a sledge hammer, clip the loose end to their harness
and jump in. This may sound acceptable at first, but once on the
wreck, the loose hammer acts as a grapple hook and snags onto any
piece of wreckage. Back on the boat, when divers usually feel a
little safer, I've watched these hammers swing like a pendulum
picking up momentum with each roll of the boat, all the time just
missing the unsuspecting diver's kneecap. Remember wreck diving is
fun and exciting, but just because someone else dives with a
hardware store full of equipment doesn't mean you have to. When
working with tools on or inside a wreck, it is easy to misplace
them. It seems like the wreck just eats up sledgehammers and chisels
every time you put them down. In reality, the tools usually slide
down into a crevice or are hidden by silt. To help to insure against
the loss of such items, it is recommended that tools are painted a
bright color, like fluorescent orange or yellow. Colored duct tape
works just as well and seems to hold up even longer than the paint,
especially as the tool starts to rust. Other tools may be kept on
the boat until an artifact is found that requires that particular
tool for removal. Some of these tools are monkey wrenches, car
scissor jacks, hack saws, wedges, drift pins, adjustable wrenches,
bolt cutters, and even pneumatic tools.
 Since many of these tools
are quite heavy, most divers choose to bring them into the water
only when needed for a particular project. They then transport them
in a large tool bag, clipping it to the anchor line and letting it
slide down independent of any divers. This system is often used on
private boats and only with permission on charter boats, and, of
course, it is necessary to make sure that no one is below before the
bag is slid down the line. These bags are not attached in anyway to
the diver, so he should not make any weight belt adjustments for
them. At the end of the dive, the tool bag may be sent to the
surface with a lift bag, or if the artifact needs more work, some
tools may be left hidden on the wreck for the next day's dive. As a
side note, air chisels do not seem to work well underwater. The
problem is that it's hard to keep a forward force on the tool. Most
often the diver moves back rather than the tool digging in. Hacksaws
do work well, with the water acting as a coolant and lubricant for
cutting. One trick is to install two blades in the saw, one cutting
in each direction. This causes the saw to cut a wider slot and
avoids binding. Spare blades can be mounted with duct tape to the
top rim of the saw. Always remember to check your air and breathing
rate constantly when doing any underwater work.
Hammer image courtesy
http://www.techdivetools.com/index.html
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The Shipwreck Diving E-Book
Instant Downloadable E-Book
Shipwreck Diving,
by Capt. Dan Berg is a complete how to book about the sport of
wreck diving. This book is packed with information and heavily
illustrated with over 80 sensational color photographs. |
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