Does anyone here use scooters?

[detroit diver]

900 dollars

 

[Soggy]

FYI, A good, reliable scooter (Gavin, SS, X-Scooter) will cost $3-4k. Those cheap SeaDoo things aren't designed for diving and have very shallow depth ratings.

 

[Rick L]

A Av-1 is not a cheap scooter !!!!!
seadoos are cheap crap!!!
Rick L

 

[ScubaNorth]

I guess some folks just don't understand the concept of area-specific threads

Well, I'm off to the California thread to complain about Maine lobstermen's treatment of divers.

Lobster diving is not allowed in Maine. Ok I'm just being a jerk. I'm off the the Conch Divers' thread to complain about a frozen regulator.

 

[mello-yellow]

Just a note, this is posted in the New England Lobsta Divers forum...I think Ilya was trying to find out if anyone uses them in New England.

Yes, I was trying to find out if anyone uses scooters in New England -- but appreciate comments from elsewhere. And yes, I know they are very useful in caves -- not that it would ever be more than academic to me!

Very few people do. They aren't very practical here....Take a Gavin, which can go 200 ft/min (2 knots). Considering that visibility is normally 10-20 ft and the scooter rides a few feet ahead of you...that gives you about 1-2 seconds between the time you see something and the time you hit it. That's all fine and good on shore dives, where there is little to hit, but put yourself on a net covered wreck and it could lead to disaster.

The only purpose I am considering a scooter for is getting farther from shore, then diving with my fins. So, my main requirement is a lot of thrust -- ideally, it should pull two people, -- while depth rating is completely unimportant. Tyger Ray (48 lbf thrust) seems to fit. What I am still not sure, is whether the whole scheme is worth the money.

If I go through with this, I would trim the scooter's buoyancy very slightly negative, and hang it under the flag after I reach the dive site. That way it is "anchored" on the same rope the flag is on, I would not lose track of it, yet no passing boat can see it.

 

[ClassAction]

To go farther in -- to a cave.
To make a long surface swim to and from a descent point easier.
Just for fun.

theskull

I know NOTHING about cave diving, but there was a story on here (http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=60235&highlight=scooter+cave+accident) about two divers using scooters in a cave... It had some unfortunate results... Guess you have to make sure that you have enough gas to fin back out if your scooty dies.

 

[Soggy]

I know NOTHING about cave diving, but there was a story on here (http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=60235&highlight=scooter+cave+accident) about two divers using scooters in a cave... It had some unfortunate results... Guess you have to make sure that you have enough gas to fin back out if your scooty dies.

...or bring multiple scooters, which is what exploration divers do.

 

[BCS]

And if so, what for? In particular, do you use scooters on shore dives -- to reach less accessible places, or just go farther out?

Just to add a bit to what has already been mentioned, basically scooters are another tool for a diver to use to access more/different diving environments. Like any other new tool, the diver must become proficient in it's use to safely and effectively operate the scooter. Otherwise, as evidenced by the accidents that anyone can read about in the various scuba forums, the scooter can be a dangerous addition to one's diving and can open a can worms that a diver may not be able to extricate themselves from. All this being said, they are EXTREMELY fun and addicting. They will also allow you to see more in one dive than you could in twenty dives. Just takes some training and practice.
The difference between the higher end scooters and the little sport scooters (i.e the Sea Doo's et.al.)--besides $$-- is the dependability, thrust, depth rating, quality, and capabilities. The higher end scooters will easily tow two fully equipped tech divers at 200fpm at depths of 500fsw+. As the price decreases, so does this capability....if one is using these devices in overhead, then it's easily seen how they become life support equipment, as important a consideration as gas when planning those types of dives. So dependability/quality really becomes a huge factor in deciding which scooter to choose.
But like I said/....a whole LOT of FUN!!

dive safe!---brando

 

[MASS-Diver]

I have to say, I think scooters are really cool. I'd love to own an X-scooter. While I can certainly see the limitations for the use of scooters in NE, as Soggy does a good job of pointing out (low vis, nets everywhere, lobseter gear everywere). I think you could have a good deal of fun with one in our waters. While I've never done a 200' dive on net covered wreck in 4' of vis - there days when even on a dive like the Poling, with 20' of vis, that zooming around on scooter would be so much fun. Plus there's lots of spots along the coast in 20' or 30' that I would love to cruise.

Obviously, top of the line scooters came about as a tool for worldclass cave divers to complete goal oriented dives. These divers may not be able to understand the mindset of a rec diver wanting a scooter to just "have fun" - but for me, even in the diving I do now, I know I could be having a ball with a scooter. Yeserday, I dove at Gunrock beach- the vis was about 15' - the shore line is such a cool spot, but there was a current running - I would have loved to have a scooter - with my DS, I could of racked up a multi-hour dive - and coverd a ton of ground.

3-4k is a lot of money (espically to do "shallow, wimpy" dives) but my DS and light come close to that total anyways.

Is there a "reason" to have scooter in Ma if you are a serious, mission oriented, tech diver, probably not. But, if you are doing mellow, rec dives and just having some fun (and you have some money to throw around) - I'm sure you could have a ball.

For point-of-fact, the only person I ever knew of that dove a scooter up here was that poor guy that died off the Graves a few years ago (as far as I know, the scooter was not involved in his death).

 

[JeffG]

3-4k is a lot of money (espically to do "shallow, wimpy" dives)

I used to think the same way, but I have seen guys drop $17K on snowmobiles up here. So I don't feel bad about using my X on shallow wimpy dives...it makes those shallow wimpy dives a lot more fun