Ideal Dive Vehicle

[bradymsu]

I'm purchasing a new vehicle and as a scuba instructor and frequent diver, I naturally want to replace my old Eagle Talon with a vehicle that is a lot more diver friendly.

I'm curious as to who has purchased a vehicle with diving in mind and not including any special modification which make and model you consider best suited for divers.

I've heard rumors the DIR types in Florida use full size white vans. My tech instructor swears by his Jeep Liberty. I see a lot of divers with pick-ups with hard caps. I'm leaning toward a Chevy Blazer since it has a tailgate to gear up on, lots of space in the back once the rear seats fold down and relatively good mileage for a larger vehicle since I tend to drive a good distance to dive sites.

The only thing I don't like about the Blazer is that I am still forced to put my wet gear inside my vehicle (unlike a pickup). Any suggestions on dealing with the resulting humidity and wet dive gear smell?

 

[Goin' Deep]

Chevy Avalanche or Ford Explorer SportTrac. The four doors of an SUV for some gear, the backend pickup for the wet gear you don't want to bring into the vehicle.

 

[smrtblnddiver]

I just bought a Nissan Xterra in August completely with diving in mind. It's a bit higher off the ground than I would like (I'm short) but it hauls everything great. Also (and a big consideration up here) the back down opens up and is big enough for me to stand under as I gear up.

The Jeep Liberty does NOT have that feature and is precisely why I took it off my list. The door opens sideways.

I also bought a rubber mat from autoanything.com for the back so that the carpet wouldn't be wet all the time.

 

[saying]

Before I started diving I bought a Pontiac Vibe because it was rated by the ACEEE as the most efficient and environmentally friendly car in its class. Also so I could just throw my mountain bike in the back without disassembling it and without worry of mud everywhere (the back all folds into a level, plastic bed).

Turns out it's exactly the right height to gear up or just to sit down and rest. Also, the back offers more than enough room for three or four rigs (one day I was in charge of bottles... wound up with 12 back there and I had to jury rig something so they wouldn't roll around).

 

[NJDiveGirl]

I bought a VW Beetle despite the fact I needed to lug gear around - it fits one set in a pinch but I wouldnt advise it...

Now my boyfriend has the Chevy Tahoe - my gear and 2 tanks + his gear and 2 sets of doubles - PLENTY of room! I think you couldnt go wrong with the Blazer either

We have a rubber mat that holds the water that drips off wet gear - I think you can get it at Home Depot... I'm not sure where he got it. I've seen people put gear into those 20 or 40 gallon giant tupperware bins - that certainly solves the problem of wet gear everywhere!

 

[Cudabait]

I'm on my second Ford Super Crew. Seats five, six if you get a bench seat up front. Have a hard cover on bed. Use tailgate for any number of uses. I pull a 31' Airstream and a 10' covered utility trailer with the vehicle. The rear seat in the truck also folds down for another platform. I got the two rear wheel drive instead of 4 X 4. It is the best all around vehicle I've ever owned. Burns a little gass. About 17 on the highway and 10mpg fully loaded and pulling the Airstream.

 

[hnladue]

I have a '91 MR2. And I have used it for diving!!! 2 tanks fit perfectly in the trunk laying down. They won't roll. The bag that had my flippers and stuff and my wet suit went on top. The BCD had to go on the passenger seat next to me. And the weights were on the floor!!! With the regs next to it. There ya go!!

 

[ScottyK]

My two faves out of the bunch of different vehicles I've used for diving.

The Dakota has a cap and bedliner. It's nice to be able to just hose the "Scuba Grunge" right out the back every couple of weeks. The tailgate also makes a nice seat.

The Cherokee worked great too, and just wouldn't die. I sold it with 240,000 miles on it, and it still ran like new! With some good bins and some common sense, you can keep the carpeted interior of any SUV you buy clean and dry. The pickup definitely wins in the ease of cleanup dept. though.

We just bought a new Liberty also. It seems like a real rugged little truck so far. It's wider and more roomy in the back than some similarly sized SUV's we looked at. I'm expecting it to be perfect for diving.

Good luck whatever you buy.

Scott

 

[diverlady]

When I was in Mass. last August, I took a large plastic storage container with a lid for transporting my gear. I used it to soak my stuff in after diving (at the campsite) and it worked great for containing any "wet gear" smell for the 10+hr drive home not to mention keeping the wet and dry stuff separate.

Diverlady

BTW - Toyota RAV4

 

[adder70]

I think just about any van, minivan, SUV, or wagon would serve your purposes as an instructor just fine. Heck, unless you have more than 2 people and 2 full sets of gear with backups, I would think a Mini would work! (If it was only rear wheel drive, I would have been waiting to put my deposit down!)

I had good luck with the "Weather Tech" (I think) cargo floor mat for my 4-Runner. It was supposed to hold something like 2 gallons (has a lip sticking up around the edge) and I don't recall ever having water spill around it.

I would personally look for a Minivan or wagon unless I needed to pull a trailer or went off road and did dumb things ("Hey, let's see if we can get air over that big root!"), and then I would get a truck based SUV, not a Ford Escape, Honda CRV, etc. I suppose if you HAVE to get through areas that tend to rip off lower body work (or deep mud), and are willing to go really slow, these vehicles have a use, but that's about it.

I think the most important aspect of a dive vehicle is what it lacks, specifically, dive bumper stickers, etc. I have thought about getting dive stickers or a custom plate (ie "WETCAVR") but I fiugre that especially stickers referring to tech diving state to a criminal, "I have really expensive stuff in me!"

I have an '89 Prelude, so I figure that when I have both tanks and all my Intro to Cave gear, the gear is worth more than the car! (Just biding my time until I get a RWD car!)