This large wreck is used mostly as a warmup dive for longer expeditions into the deep south. Not much at all is known about her.

She is a large wreck, approximately 70m in length with a 10m beam. This would put her in the range of 700 tons. She lies at a depth of 65m, with the starboard deck rising to 55m. While she lacks history, prestige, and notoriety, she has plenty of penetration on offer with the allure of an unsolved mystery.

Diving the Steel Big Wreck

Steel Big is a classic expeditionary Gulf of Thailand wreck dive. You will need to self organize everything and dive off a bare boat.

Buoy Line for Descent & Ascent

There is no mooring line present on Steel Big. You will need to build your own shot line, find the wreck, shoot it, tie in, etc.

Nets & Hazards

This wreck is remote. A small issue or injury is compounded by the 12hrs necessary to get back to port and receive medical attention. Prepare for as many contingencies as possible, bring more oxygen than you ever think you will need, play it safe, and dive conservatively.

Steel Big is generally intact and stable, with no real issues related to nets or currents.

Areas of Interest

The bridge, forecastle, bow, and even engine room are available and accessible. There is no evidence of any serious attempts at salvage.

Experience & Training

This is a true expedition wreck dive. Due to depth and the remote nature of the location, this wreck is usually only done as a CCR trimix dive. A case could be made for this wreck to be done on air with open circuit, but it would be a hard sell.

A wreck penetration certificate allowing for full penetration would be a good idea to get more out of the trip.

Logistics 

This wreck is most often dived from bare boats, where divers bring all of their own supplies. For trimix blending and oxygen boosting, Seascout Diving in Bangkok is generally affordable and reliable with excellent service.

Staging Tanks

Generally speaking, for expedition dives in the Gulf of Thailand, divers will carry their deco tanks with them throughout the dive. The shot line is often quite a swim away, and if you need to abort you'll want to have the gas with you. It's usually a good idea to hang additional deco gas on the shotline or deco bars if you have them.

Penetration

Steel Big has quite a bit of penetration available. We will attempt further investigation during our next trip in January 2023.

Running Deco

For big, remote dives in Gulf of Thailand, divers will usually run their deco on the shot line.

The History of the Steel Big

There is literally no information available to us about the history of this wreck. We aren't even sure what kind of ship she is or what decade she sank. She was discovered by local fishermen and divers started showing up around 2015.

Related Wrecks

Special Thanks

  • Local fishermen for graciously sharing their information with the diving community.
  • Oliver Zaiser and the BKK Tech Divers for providing the GPS location of this wreck.