Dear Dirty Dozen Team Member,
We hope this email as always finds you well.
Always fancied joining one of our expeditions but not sure what qualifications or experience you need?
This week we are giving you an insight into the recommended requirements for each of our destinations to help you pick trip the best trip for you.
TRUK LAGOON
Truk Lagoon is often regarded as a deep, technical diving location with big challenging wrecks and advanced penetrations. However, 70% of the more than 40 wrecks lie within 40m depth.
This makes is an excellent destination for recreational diving, and many of our expeditions welcome both technical and recreational divers.
Minimum Certifications
For recreational divers, Advanced Open Water with 100 dives and a Nitrox certification is required.
The certification prerequisites for our technical expedition divers are CCR Air Dil Deco for rebreather divers and TDI Decompression Procedures or an equivalent rating for open circuit.
Additional Certifications
Normoxic Trimix qualifications are recommended for technical divers as this will make your diving safer and allow you to explore more of the deeper wrecks. Any divers wishing to do penetration dives without a guide should hold Advanced Wreck or Full Cave certifications.
Recreational divers with a Deep and/or Wreck certification will benefit from the experience these courses provide.
BIKINI ATOLL
Bikini Atoll is a deep and technical diving location with big challenging wrecks and advanced penetrations. In contrast to Truk Lagoon, where there are shallower dives, the wrecks in Bikini are at the deeper end of the spectrum.
The depth of the wrecks in Bikini Atoll is beyond recreational dive limits and so this destination is not suitable for recreational divers.
Minimum Certifications
It is a minimum prerequisite that you are an Open Circuit Extended Range or a CCR Normoxic Trimix diver so that you can fully enjoy these spectacular wrecks.
Additional Certifications
Open circuit divers will benefit from Normoxic Trimix qualifications, however, trimix is in short supply so divers should not plan on rich mixes being available.
Any divers wishing to do penetration dives must hold Advanced Wreck or Full Cave certifications. The wreck penetrations here are far more challenging than in Truk Lagoon.
GALAPAGOS
Galapagos is a great destination for friends, couples, or groups of divers with a range of certification levels. As decompression diving is not permitted, all dives will be within recreational limits.
We run both open circuit and separate rare CCR-only trips.
Minimum Certifications
For open circuit divers, Advanced Open Water with 50 dives and a Nitrox certification is required.
CCR divers should hold Air Dil Deco with a minimum of 50 dives on the unit they plan to dive.
That’s it from us for now. We look forward to some great adventures with you in the years to come and as always, don’t forget, if you are feeling lonely, then we are here to chat Dirty.
Best,
Aron ArngrĂmsson and the DDE Team