Scooter Diving.

Diver Propulsion Vehicles ( DPV’s or scooters, that is ) were developed mainly for long range cave dives, basically out necessity, due to the distances explorers needed to cover.

Diving the Nullabor Plain, South Australia - by Hugh Moore

The usefulness though, extends far beyond the realm of the cave. Scooters have actually added to the open water diving experiences to be found around Puerto Galera way beyond the expectations of most divers. Testimony to that are the fleet of nine resident Gavins, two X Scooters and two Silent Submersions parked in Tech Asia's reception area.

Using them, we see that once a diver is over that initial tendency of wanting to cover five different dive sites in one at full throttle, and learns to relax about things, the real benefits become apparent. The ability to cover some extra ground efficiently has given great opportunities to extend the known boundaries of many of our deep reefs. It lends confidence on dives where you know that as a swimming diver, if you fin away from the best area, and there turns out to be nothing of interest, by the time you’ve swum back it’s already dive over. Whereas a few minutes out and back on the scooter lets you see what’s around the corner, but still recover the dive if the reef runs out. The application on some of the bigger shipwrecks scattered around the Philippines and South East Asia is of course, obvious.

When not especially trying for the new places, diving with a scooter creates the simple opportunity to return to the shallow reef from almost all of our deeper dive sites. Two dives in one effectively, which wins hands down over drifting deco. For recreational dives this holds true too, dive the Canyons and even under the heaviest conditions, there’s an easy way back to shallow water for an extra half an hour of dive on the reef.

Gavin Scooters, and others, can be rented at the daily rates shown below to those qualified or experienced in their use. Training options can range from a 4-5 hour orientation including a single dive, or a full three dive experience day around Puerto Galera’s finest recreational sites for $150 excluding the rental. Formal training can be via PADI DPV Diver Specialty course at $365, or IANTD DPV Diver at $495. The PADI course stays within recreational realms, whereas the IANTD can be taught/dived at the technical level that the diver is qualified to, and covers all aspects of use including gas sharing protocols, towing failed scooters, handling emergencies, communications issues and so forth.

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Summarized, the options are as follows :-

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2.Scooter Experience Day – One Day – Three Dives. Cost $150.00 Plus DPV rental ($50.00) when required.

Decompressing on the reef

The course will orient the diver to the recreational use of DPV’s and give the chance to explore some of Puerto Galera’s finest dive sites using a Gavin or SS DPV or X-Scooter.

The day will include basic set up, one confined water dive and two guided dives conducted within the limits of the students current recreational certification.

Cost includes tanks, weights and fills, BCD and regulator as required, diving fees and any local boat charters. Does not include rental of students DPV.

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During this certification course you will cover the techniques you need for safe scooter diving and operation, proper planning, dive techniques, managing problems and how to avoid harming the environment.

4. IANTD DPV DIVER COURSE – Three days – Four Dives Min. Cost $495.00 plus DPV rental ($90.00) and helium as required.

Trains the student in all aspects of Diver Propulsion Vehicle use including; Preparation, Dive Planning, Operation and Diving considerations, Emergency Management and Maintenance. Training will focus on the use of Gavin DPVs but also overview X- Scooters, Silent Submersion and others.

Divers must be 18 years of age, at least qualified as Advanced Open Water Divers and have 25 logged dives. Divers must sign and comply with the Rental Terms as outlined here .

Descending to the wreck of Shimotsuki, North Borneo - photo by UEP

The course includes a minimum of 160 minutes of bottom time over a confined session and four dives, conducted within the limits of the students current certification. Confined sessions cover techniques for finning skills with DPV’s, gas sharing, towing divers, communication and team skills, staging DPV’s etc, and four nitrox or trimix boat dives follow.

Cost includes Manual and certification fee, tanks, weights and air/nitrox fills, BCD and regulator as required, any local boat charters, and certification fees. Does not include rental of students DPV or helium if used.  

 Scooter Diving Rental Fees