The PADI Wreck Specialty is a fantastic course which, once completed, opens the door to truly magnificent wreck diving around the world. Big congratulations to Brent Heckendorf and Jackie Murray for finishing the PADI Wreck Specialty, despite a few frustrating days beached on land watching the calendar with a worried eye. However, an ear infection and a dwindling time schedule were not enough to deter Two Fish’s newest DMT’s from completing the Wreck Speciality on Lembeh’s famous Mawali Wreck.
Of all the specialties completed during Brent and Jackie’s Dive Master course, this was the one they wanted most and as fate would have it, they finally had the chance to do it during their visit to Lembeh (coincidentally their last days in Indonesia!). During the course we had great fun teaching them the essential skills required for mapping the wreck, rigging drop tanks and emergency air stations at depth, as well as reel & line work required for wreck penetrations. We spoke at length about the proper safety precautions and techniques for diving in and around a wreck, as well as the significant history that they may hold.
The Mawali Wreck was a Japanese Freighter that sunk during WWII due to a fire. It is roughly 70 meters long and lays on its port side. The top of the wreck rests 16 meters below the surface, and the bottom drops to 30 meters. For avid wreck divers, penetration is possible on the deck side, where you are able to explore the large vessel’s cargo holes and its deck areas. Fortunately, the Mawali is largely still intact, propeller included, and after 70 odd years beneath the surface it now sustains very healthy hard- and soft coral and sea fan growth.
A wide variety of small and large life can be found on this impressive wreck, including Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs and various large and small crustaceans but it doesn’t stop there – we also recently spotted white tip reef sharks, schooling snapper, red emperor, barracuda and cobias, and there are of course the ever present schooling batfish who are extremely curious and follow you on your way around the wreck. Truly amazing diversity on one of Lembeh’s often forgotten treasures!
Regards
Ben & Nicole