Yes, Billy is my hero.
My whole issue is bottom time at the bridge. I carry enough air that, if I don't have to swim, I could get four or more hours in per dive. If I have to kick any significant amount, my bottom time can drop down to less than three hours.
My "standard" procedure at the bridge is to enter three hours prior to high tide, anticipating that the changing current gets me easily back to the west entry beach, after spending the first couple of hours "out front", where there's very little current, even three hours prior to high tide.
My one attempt at diving the east side with that early a start was a real eye opener. Maybe if I hadn't gotten under the little bridge, itself, so early, it might not have been so bad. Could be that even with a scooter the current over on that side would be too much. I tend to avoid the east side, anyway, though, as it's so "deep".
As to going "slow", the majority of the time I'm not "going" at all. Once I find something cool, I just lie there and wear out those camera and strobe electrons. Typically, sometime during that period, *other* cool stuff starts showing its face in the same area. Sometimes, it was there all along and I just didn't notice it.
So, I wouldn't need a long "run-time" with the scooter, but I would need one powerful enough to drag my lard ass around against some current. It would mostly just spend its time sitting next to my weighted dive flag "reel" and (sometimes) camera box with the old camera and wide angle lens (with no strobes). Maybe I could mount those two gadgets on said scooter.
Have no interest in getting "pricey". If what I wanted one for could get done for 400 bucks, then it might be something for me to consider. But, when I can only get there every couple of months (with a six hour drive each way) - and seem to be running out of new and unique things to take pitchers of. . .
I am in the process of mounting a compass & depth guage to my scooter. Some folks do mount a camera as well. I let my scooter haul the flag. I took a reel that I had and made it just for the bridge. Put some thicker string on it and only about 25' or so and bright pink. That way no bridge hang ups with string playing out. Seems to work well. If you pm me when you are going to the bridge I will bring my scooter and you can see if it will haul your lard ass around.
That might give you an idea if you would be satisfied with a slower scooter. I ride it against the current. No problems so far at the bridge.
