Does the DPV/Scooter specialty make sense?

[_Ralph]

Hi everyone,

so I'm trying to figure out whether taking the DPV specialty course actually makes any sense.
Is a specialty required to rent scooters in most cases?
Does the class teach me anything relevant to dive safety?

I'm trying not to waste any money on unnecessary specialty courses like the photo specialty, but am obviously willing to get certified if anything useful is taught, especially if it grants me access because otherwise people won't let me rent the required gear.

Thanks for your help!
-robotr0n

Do you need a drysuit course to dive in a drysuit? Not really, but it’s a good idea!

I can only say for the DPV courses i’ve Taken and seen the DPV divers from other courses and I would recommend taking a DPV course from a technical organization, or at the very least, from an instructor who tech dives with a DPV.

While the basic operation of a DPV may be similar between the courses, how to deal and solve failures is the biggest thing i’ve noticed so far (not knowing how to tow a diver back safely, and efficiently)

Every time I’ve borrowed or rented a DPV while travelling, it has come up. Loaning our a $5K-10K DPV isn’t the same as borrowing a set of fins for the day...


_R

 

[OTF]

Whether it's worth it is an individual decision. If you have money to burn and want to collect the card, if you're nervous and really clueless about using it, or you don't have any DPV-diving friends who can show you the ropes then the course might be worth it. Maybe you could negotiate a free course or a non-course mini lesson from an instructor if you buy an expensive DPV from a local dive shop.

Otherwise, yes it's totally easy to teach yourself to dive a DPV just by messing around in shallow water and reading up on DPV safety online. Within a couple hours you'll get the hang of flying and adjusting it. It helps if you have an experienced friend for questions or tips.

There are some safety things to be aware of - a DPV can drag you upwards surprisingly quickly if you aren't careful which is how various types of barotrauma happen. Make sure it can't stick "on" by catching the cord on the trigger. It is a fairly large task load and entanglement hazard. Consider what happens if it fails at the farthest part of the dive - can you make it back under your own power?

 

[geoff w]

I took the PADI DPV course a while ago on Seadoos. Prior to that, I used a DPV once on a dive in Maui. Since then I used Suex and SubGravity DPVs on underwater cleanups, and about a year ago bought my first scooter, a Dive-X Blacktip. The DPV class is a lot of fun, probably the most fun of any PADI specialty cert I've taken. If you can take the course for a reasonable cost and the instructor provides the DPVs, it's not a bad idea and in theory it qualifies you to use DPVs on your own. That qualification is how I was able to start using the Suex and SubGravity DPVs without questions whether I was competent to do so.

You will definitely learn some skills in the PADI class that you wouldn't necessarily pick up otherwise, such as dive planning, basic maintenance, towing techniques, and what to do if you have a runaway scooter. Just like with a drysuit C-card you learn how to recover instead of ending up with your feet sticking straight up at the surface. I've also taken non-DPV divers out, showed them the basics, and they were fine. One buddy was concerned about going out with a newly purchased Blacktip, but we went through the basics, I brought it on and off the beach, and the dive went off without a hitch. My buddy still signed up for a 3 day GUE DPV course, but that goes through a lot more skills that you would normally need for recreational diving. None of my other Blacktip buddies who hadn't used a DPV before have given any thought to getting a DPV C-card.

The PADI DPV crew pack is pretty decent as far as the basics. If you go through that and have a more experienced buddy with a DPV you can probably just go out and have a lot of fun underwater. If you're buying a serious DPV (i.e., one with a tow cord), they aren't cheap and your dealer should at least give you some basic instruction. If you're buying a DPV that doesn't need a tow cord, figure you're buying a glorified pool toy, take something like the PADI DPV course to become knowledgeable, then reconsider your purchase plans. You can cover a lot of ground with a DPV, and if you don't plan your dive based on range for your scooter, you could easily be cursing yourself for not taking a basic class

 

[fisheater]

My DPV course was well worth the money.

DPVs are great fun. But they're also a great way to yourself into a lot of trouble quickly. A good DPV course will teach you how to mitigate that danger and how to recover when the fecal matter collides with the air circulation device.

Though I'm a recreational diver, I have a "technical" DPV (Genesis 600) and dive with a BP/W and the long hose. My instructor is tech instructor, also diving a BP/W and long hose. He taught me procedures for air sharing and towing a buddy with a dead scooter, both.

I'm a safer and better DPV diver because of the course.

Of course, YMMV. Chose your instructor wisely and tell them what you want out of the course up front.

 

[shoredivr]

Though I'm a recreational diver, I have a "technical" DPV (Genesis 600)

Onset of Scooter Envy Syndrome.

 

[fisheater]

It was a marvelous gift from my wife! (Though it “counted” for birthday, Christmas and anniversary.)

 

[KevinNM]

And something I forgot - you need a BC with a crotch strap/D ring to use a scooter. Does your current BC have that?

I know someone who wanted to try a scooter at a gear tryout day, but had a jacket BC. There were no loaners so that diver didn’t try a scooter that STA.

I zoomed around with a rental scooter and an instructor in Maui a few years ago. You just held on IIRC. It was a lot if fun.

It also looked nothing like the cave scooters I’ve seen around High Springs, Fl. Much smaller and probably a lot cheaper.

But it was a lot faster than swimming and I can certainly imagine you could get yourself into places that would be hard to get out of without the scooter.

 

[strait1]

Hi,
Somewhat unrelated to the topic but as I can't find the info I'm after I'll ask the question here. I'm very interested in getting the TUSDA 7-EVO3. The only thing holding me back from purchasing one is that I can't get info on the UW noise level of this unit.
I bought a different brand & stopped using it after the first three minutes because it is so noisy. Two Grand spent for nothing literally.
Would appreciate info from a user.
Thank you

 

[NothingClever]

Even if you don’t have aspiration to be a technical diver, I’d look for a technical instructor and steer clear of a recreational course.

@rhwestfall said it well....a good instructor will make it worthwhile, a bad one will make it a waste of money. A technical instructor will get you in the right mindset because he/she has much more likely used his DPV in a wider array of conditions where the risk of misuse is higher.

The course I took (TDI’s technical DPV course with @LandonL ) laid the foundation for me to evolve from a diver with a gadget to an equipped explorer.

The one thing I emphasize with everybody I dive with is “never out-scooter what your legs can handle.” So, don’t buy a scooter to be lazy. Be physically fit and use your scooter to dramatically extend your range. Learn when to use it, when not to use it, how to monitor and manage battery consumption, adjust speeds for conditions, shore dive, boat dive, tow a buddy, tow and share, speed matching, etc.

Good luck. Let us know how you get along.