While advances in scuba diving equipment design and computerization have lead to ever safer and more reliable equipment, the diving equipment in use to day is remarkably unchanged from that first developed by Frenchmen Jacque Cousteau and Emile Gagnan during World War II.
Scuba diving equipment consists of a number of different elements to overcome the limitations of the human body underwater. In cold water we cannot retain body heat without a specially designed suit; without an air supply we cannot breathe; without a mask we cannot see; without fins our movement through the water is limited. Equipment is also required to control buoyancy and measure depth, to monitor air supply and to time the dive, all variables that can be critical to survival at depth.
“Marmoler” is a wreck lying in 42 metres of water off the bay of Montgo. The wreck dates back to 17th May 1971 when the Italian registered Avvenire ran into problems during a storm and sank with its cargo of marble on board - hence the popular name “marmoler” - but luckily the crew of 8 managed to escape.
The wreck sits upright at the bottom in 42-45 metres and is therefore only suitable for experienced divers. It remains largely intact, including the bridge, which rises to 30 metres and vast slabs of marble are that are still on board, visible in the hold due to the lack of deck.
Avvenire was built in Holland in 1930 and is 47.25 meters long and of 8.34 meters wide.
Local dive centres organise dives to the marmoler, but if you want to go independently the GPS co-ordinates I have for it are: 42°N 06′48″ 03°E11′85″ - I don’t know how accurate those figures are though.
The dive profile above is from 13th August 2005. There is a lot of red on the ascent thanks to my computer thinking I didn’t have enough air - it reckoned I had 6 minutes of air for a 12 minute deco stop but in fact there was spare air at 5 metres that I didn’t use.
Also note that on the ascent we stopped for a minute each at 20 metres, 15 metres and 12 metres. According to DAN, making short deep stops reduces the likelihood of suffering decompression sickness by a factor of 10 and while it extends the final stop at 5 metres it is something I like to practice.
Time on the wreck was relatively short at 15 minutes but we had enough time for an explore. Also, we ascended on a buoy rather than the dive boat’s anchor line, which makes it less straightforward as you need to be far more aware of your depth at all times.
Name: Avvenire
Constructed: built in 1930 by the Dutch shipyard ‘De Noord’ in Alblasserdam
Length: 47.25 meters
Width: 8.34 meters
Depth: 42 - 45 metres
Sometime when you’re on a dive you’ll find that it hasn’t sealed properly against your face, allowing water to enter. While this usually doesn’t cause any immediate risk to the diver, it is irritating and can be the simple difference between a dive and a great dive.
It is simple to clear your mask underwater and is one of the first skills your instructor will teach you when you take scuba lessons; part of the PADI Open Water certification is to remove your mask completely while underwater, replace it and clear your mask.
All you need to do is hold the top of your mask with both hands; tip your head back slightly and breathe out firmly through your nose - your mask should clear even if completely full of water.
If you do have troubles with water entering your mask while on a dive it is sometimes worthwhile settling on the bottom - if convenient to do so - and remove it completely. The usual reason I have experienced is the skirt of the mask overlapping my hood, so this is something to check, but it can also be caused if you have long hair which is stopping your mask from sealing properly.
