Porkkala Evening Trip

The best destinations in the Capital Region
Aalto Diving School in cooperation with Diving Club Calypso organizes the much-anticipated evening departures for the fall season to the most impressive nearby destinations. As a special treat trips to the Porkkala Wreck Park is now served  for this season- dives are made according to the skills and classifications of the participants, taking the weather into account.

On the boat, you will be looked after by a competent captain who is dedicated to diving, and an experienced diving guide/instructor who knows the local diving sites and conditions on behalf of Aalto Diving School.

Porkkala Peninsula - The capital of wreck diving.
The sites of the Porkkalanniemi wreck park (the links lead to the international pages of the wreck park for the presentation card of each wreck). Other wreck sites in the Porkkala area may also be possible during the season.

Wreck park: ALKO >
A coastal cargo ship with a limestone cargo on its way from Pargas to Helsinki was wrecked in May 1880. The over 15 meter long ship is quite well preserved despite its shallow depth: the ship lies on a rocky slope and its shallowest parts rise to 4-5 meters while the bow is approx. 9-10 meters deep.

Wreck Park: BARREL WRECK >
This galiot sank at the end of the 17th century and she lies at a depth of approx. 18-20 meters, partially buried in the soft bottom. Several barrels can still be found in the wreck from which the wreck got its nickname. The sternpost and stem are still in place and give an idea of the shape of the ship.

Wreck park: CANNON SIDE >
Stora Träskö Cannonside is a compact but very interesting diving site at a depth of about 10-14 meters. The compact area includes a great number of interesting details. The wreck is likely a piece of an 18th century warship.

Wreck Park: CLINKER WRECK >
A medieval shipwreck with a keeled seam near Träskö. The namesake of the wreck is its apparent hull building style of  being “clinker built”. In addtion to about a dozen frames or frame fragments, a keel and keelson have been identified from the site.

PLEASE NOTE: that if you are not already familiar with cold water diving / limited visibility diving, you must have some experience in forehand before attending this trip. Sukelluskoulu Aalto organizes introductory dives with the guidance of an instructor.

THINGS TO NOTE ON THE PORKKALA AREA -TRIP:
Iif you have not been diving for a long time (more than 6 months since the last dive), we organize refresher dives or -sessions on the beach before (on another day) the boat trip or under the guidance of our trainer/dive guide in the pool - 80 euros/time or as shore dives 100 euros/time.

WHAT CAN I SEE!
Porkkala is an area known for its wrecks due to its lively maritime history and central location. Visibility can vary greatly from excellent clarity, especially on rocky and gravel-based sites, but you should be prepared for challenging visibility conditions due to softer bottoms and water movement. We require all divers to bring a decent light and a SMB.


The travel costs will be covered by Porkkala and any snacks the participant will take care of himself. The price of the trip does not include equipment or air refills. Please note that our compressor is located in Helsinki, so make sure your tanks are full when you arrive in Porkkala.

For an evening trip, you should eat well during the day and reserve good snacks to wait at the port, so that you can immediately refuel after diving. Stay hydrated.

NOTE NOTE!! If you sign up less than 24 hours before departure, please contact Aalto Diving School by phone or wait for an information letter from us. This is the only way we can confirm your place for departure!


EQUIPMENT:
Divers must have the following equipment:

• ABC's; mask, snorkel, open-heel fins (if you use a wetsuit, neoprene slippers) and neoprene gloves.

• surface marker (SMB)+spool, and lamp.

Our shop's selection is comprehensive, and we will be happy to help you choose the equipment that is right for you if you are missing something from the list above.

Equipment available for rent:
• BCD
• regulator sets
• dive computer and -compass
• dry suit, undergarnment, hood
• (wet suit minimum when warm water 5+5 mm)
• weight belt + weights
• tanks
• transport box
• diving light


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
All diving trip participants receive an information letter as an attachment to the order confirmation, which contains more detailed information and instructions for the trip. The payment receipt from the event serves as an entry ticket to the trip.


IMPORTANT / PREREQUISITES FOR OUR EXCURSIONS:
We require that the divers participating in the excursion are certified divers and that they have actively taken care of maintaining their own diving skills. The logbook must contain an entry for dives that have taken place within 6 months OR for a refresher course taken within 6 months.

We require recreational divers to have previous cold water/ limited visibility diving experience.


Please note that on all diving trips organized by Sukelluskoulu Aalto, you must have a valid diver's insurance!!

If you still lack the appropriate insurance, here you can get the selected comprehensive one:

https://www.daneurope.org/home


REVIEW COURSES:
We offer one whole evening of refresher courses led by an instructor in the pool in a dry suit:
Diving lesson, one-day intensive package

• The price of a refresher starts at €99

Theory is also offered, including longer refresher courses, if you feel that the theory of diving needs a refresher. A longer review includes one theory session, where we focus on equipment and diving physics and physiology, and one evening in the pool.


DRY SUIT:
We recommend a dry suit allaround the year. A dry suit course is also a great way to practice diving in Finland and to get information about local diving conditions, so we very strongly recommend dry suit certification for our divers.
PADI Dry Suit Specialty course


OUR DIVING SUPPORT VESSEL IN PORKKALA:
RIB Valiant Pro 850 + Mercury 300 hp, with which you can quickly sail from Porkkala seaport to nearby destinations.

In addition to the staff, 8 divers can fit on board. In the boat, you sit on the boat's pontoons and enter the water falling down backwards. Getting out of the water is possible using a sturdy diving ladders that are easy to use even when geared up.

The boat has no interior space. The purpose is to travel to the destination in a dry suit with the SCUBA unit piled on the boat to wait for one's turn to get dressed and enter the water. Please consider carefully what you need to take with you to the sea: you can take the most important necessities with you, but pack them carefully and waterproof.

Please check the departure time of each excursion carefully - it is important for the operation that the boat can operate on time.


As a reminder, the booking and cancellation conditions:

Registrations are binding. To confirm your place on the boat, the trip fee must be paid.

Cancellation policy: 14 days.
Later than 14 days but no later than 7 days before the start of the trip by paying 50% of the trip price
If the trip is canceled later than 7 days before the start of the trip, we charge the full departure price.

EW-Dive acts as the responsible travel organizer for ready-made travel packages marketed by the diving school Aalto
Travel organizer: 213/18 /Mj