What is a DPV
A DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) is an underwater scooter that pulls the diver through the water. With one you cover a much larger area on a single dive, tire less and use your air more economically. The DPV course teaches you to handle a scooter safely: plan the dive, control your depth and stay with your buddy.
When you finish you receive a PADI or SDI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver certificate. It does not change your depth limits: with a scooter you dive within the certification you already hold.
What you learn on the DPV course
- Choosing the right scooter, preparing it, maintaining, storing and transporting it.
- Planning a dive around battery capacity and air consumption, and knowing when to turn back.
- Controlling your depth so that you do not descend or ascend too fast.
- Travelling with your buddy and towing them if needed.
- What to do when the scooter fails, the battery runs low or a line gets caught in the propeller.
How the course runs
You can do the theory online (PADI or SDI eLearning) or with the instructor. Then come two open-water dives. On the first you learn to enter the water with the scooter, use it at the surface, descend, watch the scooter and your air, and ascend safely. The second is an underwater tour where you put everything into practice. SDI standards allow no more than two students per instructor in the water.
DPV dives need a suitable site and the scooter itself, so we run the course on request: we agree the dates and the place with you (for example on a trip abroad). If you have your own DPV, you train with it.
What comes next
The first dive of the PADI DPV course may count as one of the Adventure Dives of the Advanced Open Water Diver course, and the certificate counts as one of the specialties toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.
Frequently asked questions
What is an underwater scooter?
It is a DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle): a device with a motor, a propeller and a handle, powered by a rechargeable battery. It pulls the diver through the water, so you need to fin much less.
Do I need my own scooter?
No. If you have your own DPV, you do the course with it. If you do not, we discuss the scooter when we agree the dates and the place.
From what age can I take the course?
The PADI course starts at 12. The SDI course is for divers from 18, or from 15 with parental consent.
Does the DPV course let me dive deeper?
No. With a scooter you dive within your current certification and its depth limits.
Where do the dives take place?
The dives need a suitable site and a scooter, so we agree the place and dates with you individually, for example during a trip.