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The Ups and Downs of Diver Propulsion Vehicles

Diver propulsion vehicles or DPVs are the ultimate in diving accessories.

These devices come in a range of shapes and sizes. Some of them look like miniature torpedoes and others look like underwater motorcycles. The latter are very cool. Trust me.

Diver propulsion vehicles also fit a range of budgets. You can get a DPV for as little as $150 and as much as several thousand dollars.

It all depends on how powerful you want your ride to be and how far of a range you want it to have.

Why Would You Need One?

To be honest, the vast majority of divers will never need a DPV.

Aside from providing a thrill ride, these devices aren’t really good for sightseeing on your favorite reef. After all, how much can you see when you’re whipping by at a speed of 2 to 5 knots?

In truth, diver propulsion vehicles are more for scouting and exploration than they are for sightseeing. When you use a DPV, you can drastically increase your range from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers.

This ability can help cave divers penetrate a system deeper than they ever could under their own power and it can help divemasters explore large expanses on a newly found reef to find areas that might be of interest.

What Are The Dangers?

The major dangers of using DPVs are decompression sickness and air embolisms.

When you’re cruising around at 5 knots, the slightest mistake in the direction you point your diver propulsion vehicle could cause you to rapidly ascend. If you happen to be holding your breath when you rapidly ascend, the air in your lungs could expand to the point of rupture.

Not a pretty picture.

Of course, decompression sickness is another possibility associated with a rapid ascent. The more repetitive dives you do (and multiple dives are the norm with scouting missions) the more you risk the bends.

Physical trauma isn’t the only danger associated with DPVs.

What happens if you’re scouting a reef and end up 2 miles away from your dive boat when your vehicle malfunctions? You better hope your dive boat knows what direction you were heading because you have a snowball’s chance in hell of swimming back under your own power.

Needless to say, it takes special training to use a DPV safely.

Should you Get One?

For most divers the answer is no.

But for serious divers who are searching for virgin hunting grounds or technical divers who want to explore parts of a cave system that few, if any, have ever seen; a diver propulsion vehicle is a must-have piece of equipment.

For casual sport divers, however, a DPV is unnecessary piece of equipment.

Sure there’s the “thrill ride” appeal of DPVs but if all you want is a rush, try a rollercoaster instead. They’ll get your adrenaline pumping and you won’t risk blowing a hole in your lungs.

Have you got a Diver Propulsion Vehicle?

Which Diver Propulsion Vehicle do you have? How long have you had it?

What do you like about your DPV?

What do you dislike/like about it?

Was it worth the money? What type of diving do you do with it?

What else can you tell us about it?

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