Do Dive Propulsion Vehicles Ruin The Experience?
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I feel DPV's should be restricted in some areas but permitted in others. For example, I don't feel they should be permitted in Catalina's Dive Park. There may be 400+ divers there on a summer weekend and I feel it is too crowded for DPV's to be of much value to the diver using them, and a possible hazard to other divers. I have had them whiz by me without the diver even seeing I was filming something, and have had them "burst" out of the kelp forest with little warning (I'm a real diver, I'm deaf... why do you think Cousteau called it "The Silent World?").
At other sites where diver density is low (such as diving off dive or personal boats), I don't see that it makes any real difference... at least to other divers. The fish and inverts may have a different opinion!
At other sites where diver density is low (such as diving off dive or personal boats), I don't see that it makes any real difference... at least to other divers. The fish and inverts may have a different opinion!
Dr Bill brings up a great point, one should not use the new found speed to ruin the dive expereince for others or to harass marine life.
The scooter is a tool like a dive light, nothing more. It can be used effectively to cover huge areas while searching for new dive sites, surveying an area, getting past yards and yards of sand, fighting currents (realizing if it quits--now what?). There are many aspects to using a scooter safey and increasing the enjoyment of the dive. In fact the experience of FLYING through the 3D ocean is accentuated.
Currents--use the scooter going up current, that way if it quits you can drift back.
My Tekna can pull two scuba divers at speeds well beyond sustainable swimming speeds for great diatances. I love it--except when it breaks--lol.
N
The scooter is a tool like a dive light, nothing more. It can be used effectively to cover huge areas while searching for new dive sites, surveying an area, getting past yards and yards of sand, fighting currents (realizing if it quits--now what?). There are many aspects to using a scooter safey and increasing the enjoyment of the dive. In fact the experience of FLYING through the 3D ocean is accentuated.
Currents--use the scooter going up current, that way if it quits you can drift back.
My Tekna can pull two scuba divers at speeds well beyond sustainable swimming speeds for great diatances. I love it--except when it breaks--lol.
N
Dr. Bill and Nemrod have very valid arguments. Rather than close off an area I would propose that DPV users get certification. Procedures like flooded scooter protocols, towing, streamlining, environmentalism, and (for technical application) gas sharing should be compulsory.
DPV=Underwater Car=Driver's license, or at the very least some form of mentoring.
X
p.s. having dived the Casino park I can relate. It's like a carnival down there on weekends. The best part is after everyone goes home you get to recover lost dive gear!
DPV=Underwater Car=Driver's license, or at the very least some form of mentoring.
X
p.s. having dived the Casino park I can relate. It's like a carnival down there on weekends. The best part is after everyone goes home you get to recover lost dive gear!
lamont
Contributor
Mr.X:
do we have to have a plastic card for absolutely everything???
almitywife
Vegemite Mod
i suppose a example of why we do Lamont is those seadoo waterski things (kinda like a snowmachine for water-i cant remember the name of them sorry)
nice enough things - easy to take out and play with and doenst need much brains to use them but in the hands of complete dropkicks they become annoying, noisy and dangerous so our govt had to impose banned areas for them and licenses to get the drongos to at least respect others that also want to use the water ways as well. i can only imagine odds are that some bozo diver (and they do exist) will have a similar annoyance effect on divers plus the equipment examples that Mr X gave above
Dr Bill - 400 divers in the one site! yikes!!!!
cheers
nice enough things - easy to take out and play with and doenst need much brains to use them but in the hands of complete dropkicks they become annoying, noisy and dangerous so our govt had to impose banned areas for them and licenses to get the drongos to at least respect others that also want to use the water ways as well. i can only imagine odds are that some bozo diver (and they do exist) will have a similar annoyance effect on divers plus the equipment examples that Mr X gave above
Dr Bill - 400 divers in the one site! yikes!!!!
cheers
KMD
Contributor
Mr.X:
Add up all the times someone scootering by has bugged you and all the times someone swiming by and silting up the area and tell me which is greater.
Another card.... meh!
Doesnt ruin the experience at all. You know, when you see something interesting off in the distance away from your compass heading, it's alot more tempting to zoom over and check it out and then get back on track.
I love my Torpedo.
I love my Torpedo.
I was not proposing a card or any laws, just self restraint and manners. N
lamont:
I'd say food for thought. Having some sort of training, or mentoring isn't a bad idea. As Almity says, in Aus. they've had to legislate usage. Trust me, I have seen knuckleheads on scooters and in sensitive areas scooters do need management.
When you dive the caves of Fla. you always see scooter gouges in the bottom. Solution - train the diver not to scrape the bottom with the handle of the scooter (Gavin & Mako ridden sideways) + demonstrate correct buoyancy skills before getting in a tunnel.
Silt-out - Train the diver not to use the scooter as a digging tool when there are others trying to enjoy the wreck. Beatings to occur back on the boat!
Runaway - train the person how to minimize thrust on a Mako- type unit, or deflect thrust. Show them how to lock the trigger first and foremost
etc.
X
p.s. I am looking at the poll. I wonder how many of the people answering "don't care" have actually used a scooter? If you used a (apologies in advance) low-powered scooter I can guess that the low thrust would have them saying "I can swim faster that this thing". A company I worked for bought some Cayman Stingrays scooters and the students in sunny California preferred not to dive with them. However, a Gavin in their hand became a whole new experience. One to fight over!
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