As a metal head who’s always been obsessed with wrecks, I’ve dived (and penetrated) dozens of artificial reefs — but always with a guide. I wanted to become self-sufficient, so I took the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course on Grand Cayman’s Kittiwake, under the tutelage of Divetech instructor Nick Lawton.

Over the course of three days and six dives, I watched training videos, studied a manual and participated in student-instructor discussions that outlined the theories, techniques and protocols of wreck diving. The Kittiwake, a 251-foot former U.S. Navy submarine rescue ship scuttled in 2011 off Seven Mile Beach, is a prime training ground, with five decks that offer winding gangways and other challenging structures to practice tying and gathering navigation lines. And with a maximum depth of around 60 feet on the sand, there was ample bottom time.

Once inside, I discovered that bulkheads and hatches had been removed and massive holes were cut in the floors, creating easy access, heaps of space and interesting features, along with lots of visible escape routes.

Now, with the confidence, strategy and skills to venture inside shipwrecks on my own (with a comparably trained buddy, of course), it’s probably not a surprise that I love (and fantasize) about wreck diving more than ever.