What is the primary purpose of wreck penetration?

The primary purpose of wreck penetration is to explore inside a wreck. This involves divers going beyond the external structure and entering the interior of a sunken vessel to gain insights into its layout, history, and any potential hazards. Exploring the inside of a wreck allows divers to experience and document the marine environment that has developed within it, and helps to understand the wreck as an underwater archaeological site.

While retrieving artifacts may be a part of some dives, it is not the primary focus of penetration; rather, the goal typically centers on exploration. Studying marine biology can occur during wreck dives, but it is secondary to the objective of exploring the wreck itself. Assessing the structural integrity of the wreck is also important, especially for safety reasons, but it serves as a means to ensure safe exploration rather than being the main purpose of penetration. Therefore, the essence of wreck penetration is the adventure and investigation involved in accessing the interior spaces of these historic vessels.