Underwater Scooters

Underwater Scooters

In recent years, a number of underwater propulsion vehicles have appeared on the scuba gadget market.  Initially thought of as James Bond-esque items, unnecessary and out of the reach for most diving fanatics, these innovative creations are now becoming a lot more accessible and popular.  Many divers studying for their PADI Advanced Open Water Diver will have had the opportunity to experiment with a dive propulsion vehicle (DPV) as one of their diving specialties in the course. This device, pictured here, allows scuba divers to travel at much higher speeds underwater, and thus cover a lot more of a dive site during one dive.  Since the machine is doing all the work for the diver, the diver requires far less air, further lengthening the amount of time he can spend down in the big blue.

diver propulsion vehicle

The technology is not only for experienced, PADI certified divers, however.  The birth of the underwater scooter, also known as the Scuba-Doo, has meant that complete diving novices, and even slightly disabled people can now experience the beauty of the underwater world, without any training whatsoever.  These crazy devices do not go as deep as DPVs, and the air tank remains on the ocean surface, from where it feeds air through a tube to the helmet area.  Users do not need to wear masks or even get their face wet, since the helmet area is completely watertight and receives a constantly replenished source of air.  Scuba-dooing is becoming popular at vacation resorts around the world, including Cozumel, Cairns and soon it will be coming to dive centers in the Maldives.

Scuba-Doo