Class is in at Nova Scotia’s shipwreck diving school

A local accomplished diver has created the first shipwreck diving school in Nova Scotia.

Terry Dwyer has been involved with diving and searching for shipwrecks for close to thirty years.

This summer, Dwyer’s school will teach students a number of different aspects of shipwreck hunting.

“Anything from learning how to research shipwrecks, to searching for them with using the latest in electronics and technology,” he said.

Dwyer said his school is not just for professional divers and is open to anyone who’s interested.

Students can take webinars and seminars or they can learn to operate underwater equipment.

“It’s become very affordable over the past few years to operate equipment, like underwater remote operated vehicles and things like side-scan sonar systems that are used to find shipwreck sites.”

Although this is the first year for the program, he said interest is already brewing from outside of the province.

“The actual majority of interest is coming from other places in Canada, like Ontario, and down in the United States and Europe,” said Dwyer.

As for local dive sites, he said conservative estimates are 10,000 shipwrecks off the coast of Nova Scotia, but for those hoping to find some long lost treasure might be out of luck.

Dwyer said because of the province’s Treasure Trove Act, divers aren’t legally allowed to recover items off the coast without a permit or licence.

Shipwreck School is located in Spanish Ship Bay along the Eastern Shore.