Approximately a week ago I was diving the Sugar Wreck, and my hand slipped while I was pulling myself up into the boat. I put a little to much weight on my chest, and there was a popping sound accompanied by a sharp pain. When I got back in the boat I tried to lift another diver’s scuba unit out of the water, and the pain was suddenly so strong I had to struggle to get the unit into the boat…
Since then I’ve been feeling quite useless, seeing as I can’t do any heavy lifting. I was also a bit curious as to whether there are any negative effects of high nitrogen levels on healing bone, but there are none, so I keep diving. For the first few days, under water was the only time breathing didn’t hurt… It got a little better, and I tried to carry some cans of fuel for the boat, and now it’s worse again… 😛
All in all, though, I’m having a great time. It’s extremely busy here now, so it’s not every day I can dive, since all our equipment is in use, or the boat is full or something similar, but it’s good to have a break from the water every now and then.
Yesterday I had a bit of spare time, so I did some research on the Sugar Wreck. What I found was quite sparse, but apparently she is the 3,500-ton M/V Union Star 17, which had run aground on Pantai Sri Tujuh, and was dislodged Dec 13 2000. She was then sent on her way to Batam in Indonesia for repairs, but she sank between 4pm and 5pm on Dec 16, six nautical miles off Kuala Besut, due to a leak. The captain and 16 crew members were rescued in their life boats by marine police. About 1,000 tons of sugar were transferred to the M/V Union Star 20.Â
I have not been able to find out who owned her, but it would be cool to find someone who has blueprints. 😉
Tags: boat, cracked rib, Divemaster, Diving, Kecil, Kuala Besut, Malaysia, nitrogen, Perhentian, sank, scuba, Sugar Wreck, Sunlight divers, Union Star
Hello Gjerulf,
I dived at Sugar Wreck, in 2002. Back home I tried to find some info, to send over to the folks at Coral Sky Divers, on Perhentian Kecil. I found some information (just slightly more than you found), which I could send to you by e-mail if you want. I know the vessel was built at the Fukuoka Zosen shipyard in Japan in 1969. It stranded because it ran out of fuel …. and sank while being towed for repairs, only just after it was pulled from the beach near Tumpat. I guess they didn’t check it for leaks really.
Take care, HnZ
meh, no point getting an x-ray. I will waste a whole day travelling to the mainland and back, and the doctor will tell me to take it easy and no heavy lifting.
And a cracked rib poses no threat of pneumothorax, don’t worry. 🙂
Gjerulf,
You should NOT dive with a broken rib. Please google the word “pneumothorax”.
At the very least, you should get an xray.
Have a great weekend!
E.