DPV: training.

[LI-er]

The question is: what is your goal? Able to rent a DPV or learn to dive a DPV?

Same difference. Diving a DPV is not rocket science.

 

[AJ]

Same difference. Diving a DPV is not rocket science.

No it's not, but handling a DPV in more complex situations requires more skills.

 

[happy-diver]

http://dive.hemnet.com.au/apollo/UserManual.pdf

Training can be very advantageous

 

[LI-er]

No it's not, but handling a DPV in more complex situations requires more skills.

Maybe for some. After a brief orientation I was zipping up and over walls, doing inverted flips, and going in and out of narrow swim-thrus with an overhead. Can't see it getting any more complicated than that.

 

[bassplayer]

I got an SSI DPV card -
we did air shares, tow, push, and some drill where the instructor hung a bunch of weight to the nose of my DPV suddenly
I wouldn't bother unless you need the card to get rentals

 

[Alex Ouroboros]

Learn the basics off someone using one, just be diligent and do plenty of confined water practise, hell I took mine to the pool a few times on club nights which was very beneficial as you can stop, standup and adjust bits and pieces, on the subject of which, have a good look at how to tie the knot properly on the tow cord, mine originally had it done incorrectly and was causing a real headache as it slipped without myself being aware a few times.

Have fun, start shallow.

 

[Still Kicking]

Maybe for some. After a brief orientation I was zipping up and over walls, doing inverted flips, and going in and out of narrow swim-thrus with an overhead. Can't see it getting any more complicated than that.

A good tech DPV class is way more than tricks.

A lot of it has to do with logistics and contingency planning, performing S drills while towing, towing dead scooters etc.

A scooter can get you out of trouble but it can also get you into a lot of trouble if you don't plan accordingly.

 

[boulderjohn]

Like many things, when everything is going fine one doesn't need to know much about how to dive a DPV. In five minutes everyone can do it.

A scooter can get you out of trouble but it can also get you into a lot of trouble if you don't plan accordingly.

I used to start my OW pool sessions with a few steps leading to them swimming around neutrally buoyant in the shallow end of the pool. Then I would tell them that they now knew all they needed to know to dive. The rest of the class was mostly to prepare them for things going wrong.

In the open water, you can have all the fun you want with no problems. It really is pretty easy. But, as Still Kicking says, in more complicated environments, a scooter can get you into very serious trouble, and you need to be prepared.