Bulky double tanks, buoyancy strong Jackets, oxygen bottles for decompression - and hanging on hangers drying Wetsuits: The deck of the motor ship "Loyal mediator" is fully covered by the equipment of the wreck diving shows. "Dives in Scapa Flow are not for beginners," says Horst Dederichs. "The warships are some fairly deep, the water is just nine degrees warm, and on the edge of the bay can cause dangerous currents come."
The 39-year-old historian and instructor is one of Europe's leading experts wreck. As the first German succeeded Dederichs in the Irish Sea to the descent in 93 meters depth of the wreck of the "Lusitania." For the authors of several books is Scapa Flow "Europe's most interesting wreck dive site." Nowhere else are so many vessels on such a small area.
The aim of today's dive, the "SMS Markgraf, a 175.40-meter long ship of the battle royal class, the 45 meters in depth headfirst to the ground lies. Slowly can Dederichs previously installed on the line deeper into the dark green water to fall. On his back, he wears a double package tanks, filled with Trimix, a special gas mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and helium.
Both tanks are connected by a bridge, at the two regulators are breathing - a security measure while diving in cold waters: Despite the latest technology can be a breathing regulator freeze and breathing out of the bottle blow off. In such a case, Dederichs block the bridge and on the other lung machines change.
In less than 25 meters depth, peel the first outlines of the steel giants from the diffuse green, shortly after the keel has Dederichs achieved. More than 1100 men once belonged to the crew. Today most live on their crab, bigger than a tennis ball, in the light of the underwater lights scurry like this.
"Like ants on a sleeping whale"
"Warships are due to the heavy superstructure usually upside down or on the side", the TDI (Technical Diving International) instructor told. "If you as a diver on the mighty Hull lands, you'll feel like an ant with a sleeping whale explored." Dederichs glides along the fuselage and is looking for suitable openings for a future invasion.
In light of the strong lamps dissolve radio antenna from the darkness, the crow's nest is to see and one of the many guns board, whose term schreck tube cancer disappears. Otherwise, the maritime life is rather sparse from here? who in Scapa Flow diving goes, does not want to see fish and coral, which is just scrap metal at a fallen era interested.
Suddenly, things are before the wreck divers a hole into the ship's interior on. A big cod flees before invading divers. The fingers of fluorescent lamp Dederichs snatches of darkness further details: rust-brown walls, twisted wires and small handwheels, which no longer mechanic will rotate. And in between - a boot.
The view extends only a few meters away, a false Flossenschlag can be fatal? when over the whole ship is feinstaubige sediment will be raised again, the visibility drops abruptly to zero. It can take hours, until the sediment is then set. Time a diver in this depth does not have.
ON TO ONLINE Mantas blogs before Thailand: Flying Carpet on a collision course (01.12.2008) diving as James Bond: A Quantum lucky (13.11.2008) before diving Bali: Aliens of the Secret Bay (27.10.2008) diving in the Red Sea: from dream Scrap and coral (02.10.2008) Walking in the Cairngorm National Park: Launischer giant (20.10.2008) Photo Series: journey into the past blogs TV: Scapa FlowZur security has Dederichs from the entrance a line shifted to him in an emergency the way back to the light points. Too many wreck divers were already at their hobby their lives? who in the winding inside a giant steel loses the orientation is usually lost.
On 21 June 1919, formally still under German command below, included the "SMS Markgrafentheater" to Wilhelminian oceanic fleet, with 73 other ships and guarded by the British in Scapa Flow was set. On this day distinguished himself in the peace negotiations in Versailles, the effect that the British were not ready, the fleet re-release. In order for the heavily armed colossi the English do not fall into the hands, ordered Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter to the self-absorption.
59 battle ships sank out at his command before the Orkney Islands, a large proportion of them was later salvaged and scrapped. The "Marquis" did not go unpunished: Huge steel plates were from the fuselage and cut their machines secure. The wreck today is reminiscent in many sections of a Swiss cheese? ideal conditions for professional wreck divers as Dederichs.
In the darkness lurks the panic
"The deep penetration into big wrecks with normal scuba diving there is little to do," said Dederichs. "Such materials are often dives battles, when the divers tremendous experience and a corresponding training expertise. Deep, cold, darkness and the closed environment for inexperienced divers produce a quick mental anxiety, which often rise to panic." Feels he ever fear for his dives? "Bottom funktionierst you like a machine. Respect yes, but fear you should not have."
With the experience of several thousand dives Dederichs penetrates deeper into the belly of the ship. It is almost impossible in this monster precisely guided, he says later. Slowly slide the technical divers in the direction of the rear before passing steel shelving, the rust and sea anemones are occupied.
ON THE INTERNETTDI / SDI - training for technical diving scuba diving at the wreck of blogs online is not responsible for the content of external internet Seiten.Während he studied carefully the details, running in his head from a movie: What could have played here? What purpose did the switch on the wall? Who likes to umgestürzten chair once sat, what role he had on board? Wreck diving are also downs in the past, the attempt, the veil of time to air and a time to stand in an era that is long gone.
One issue is the historian no rest: How has it reduced the German occupation 89 years ago under the watchful eyes of the British managed to bring the sinking so generalstabsmäßig prepare? A satisfactory answer to that, he has not found. Not yet.
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