New DPV - Dive Xtras

[DA Aquamaster]

Presumably you may not know about that aspect for all generics, for those that you do know (which):
Is that also true for the generic versions or for Dewalt only?

I don't believe that is the case with the generic batteries.

 

[ericfine50]

If you are trying to put this scooter into a category, would people agree it would be an option for users diving ocean wrecks, but not exploring new wrecks or caves?

 

[stuartv]

If you are trying to put this scooter into a category, would people agree it would be an option for users diving ocean wrecks, but not exploring new wrecks or caves?

Why not new wrecks?

 

[ericfine50]

That is my question - is the market for this scooter for non-exploration/new exploration dives?

 

[Manatee Diver]

That is my question - is the market for this scooter for non-exploration/new exploration dives?

I'd buy one as a starter scooter to get some experience before I put money down for a $6-10k one. And then keep it as a back up until I can afford a second better scooter.

 

[stuartv]

That is my question - is the market for this scooter for non-exploration/new exploration dives?

I meant, what is your reasoning for differentiating between "ocean wrecks" and "new wrecks"?

So far, I am thinking that it would work well for me for most any wreck diving I am doing (at this point in my diving). I am not diving on wrecks where the current is too strong for me to swim against. Generally, not even enough current to be difficult to swim against.

I'm not a cave diver, but I can see where it might not be suitable for cave diving.

 

[ericfine50]

Exploration - unknown wreck depth, conditions of the wreck.

 

[cathal]

If it was rated for a little bit deeper, say 450 ft or so, it would be a perfect wreck dpv, as you don't need huge scooters for deep wrecks. In open water, once you go past 330ft your bottom time shrinks to circa 20 - 30 mins max. Having said that it was tested to 600ft, so would it be feasible to take it to 350-400ft max, strictly speaking no, but realistically, probably.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I meant, what is your reasoning for differentiating between "ocean wrecks" and "new wrecks"?

So far, I am thinking that it would work well for me for most any wreck diving I am doing (at this point in my diving). I am not diving on wrecks where the current is too strong for me to swim against. Generally, not even enough current to be difficult to swim against.

I'm not a cave diver, but I can see where it might not be suitable for cave diving.

I agree it's well suited for wreck diving - with one caveat.

The BlackTip, like the P1 weighs 24 pounds and it's crew friendly on a dive boat. Crew on a wreck charter are likely to be enticed to hand you a 24 pound scooter and lift it back out of the water for you. They are a lot less likely to do that with a 40 - 50 pound scooter, and it just ain't happening with a 93 pound UV 26.

Run time also isn't a big deal on a wreck dive. You use it to get too and from the wreck, and maybe take a lap or two around it and 20-30 minutes of run time is usually plenty.

The caveat is that you can encounter some very strong currents in the ocean. A 2 kt current is 193 fpm. A Black Tip should pull a technical diver at about 190 fpm, but it obviously isn't going to make much if any headway. In contrast the P1 will pull a technical diver at around 240 fpm and it will get the diver back to the ascent line at a more or less normal swimming pace. In that situation the P1 is a much better option.

But as you said, you're not doing those types of wreck dives, and neither are most recreational divers. Wrecks with those types of current end up being live boat hot drops ending with drifting ascents while the boat tracks your SMB. I've done dives like that in 4 kt currents where a scooter would need to be able to pull a technical diver at 400 fpm to just maintain position.

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The BlackTip is being marketed as a recreational scooter, but I think it has some very good applications for cave divers.

There are DPV cave divers who just run around the system doing visual jumps and generally treating it like a Roman chariot race. The BlackTip isn't for them, but they are in the minority.

There are also DPV cave divers who do very long penetrations measured in miles and/or they are doing long penetrations at significant depths where a few extra minutes results in a lot of extra deco. The BlackTip isn't for them either as they'll want both more speed and more run time. But again they are in the minority.

Most Cave DPV divers are using their DPV to get them no more than a few thousand feet back in a cave to a location where they want to then swim through smaller passage, explore new or new to them cave, etc. The BlackTip meets that need quite well and does it for under $2K with batteries and charger, without the weight or maintenance issues with used scooters like the UV-18 that offer similar performance in the same price range, or high battery replacement costs for used scooters with similar performance like the N19 that are also in the same price range.

There are also cave DPV divers that are either doing longer penetrations where the gas planning requirements to swim out in the event of DPV failure start to become prohibitive, and/or they just want to do a shorter dive to thirds with no stages, etc. In both cases, using a BlackTip as a backup to their primary scooter makes a great deal of sense as it will allow for an exit at the same speed that they entered if their primary scooter fails. In that case, $2K buys a lot of added safety and convenience.

 

[stuartv]

There are DPV cave divers who just run around the system doing visual jumps and generally treating it like a Roman chariot race.