TORBET ON THE TUBE
Snorkelling at Speed
Andy Torbet loves using a scooter or diver propulsion vehicle ( DPV ) while snorkelling , and has some tips to get your motors running
One of snorkelling ’ s chief advantages is its relative low cost for beginners . However , there is one form of snorkelling I have used , and found to be a lot of fun , where the equipment used may be a little more than the usual mask , snorkel and fins . DPV-Snorkelling ,
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‘ snorkelling-by-scooter ’. If you are relatively new to diving you may not have come across a DPV , or Diver Propulsion Vehicle . They vary slightly in design but all are , effectively , a battery and motor housed in a tube with a propeller at the back and a handle on top to the rear .
You hang on and it tows you along .
The DPV has many applications in snorkelling . I have used a scooter for safety while out snorkelling with a group . If someone gets tired or a cramp on a long swim around the coast , they can hold on to me ( I ’ ve tied a small grab-loop around the back of my weight-belt ) and can rest as they ’ re towed along .
It ’ s also a handy tool to battle a current . I ’ ve never deployed it in this fashion at sea , relying on understanding the tidal patterns in my chosen area and planning the snorkel to avoid anything too strong . But in rivers I ’ ve utilised the power and speed of a scooter to make my way upstream before turning round and letting the river take me back down . Or , like a technical diver , I ’ ve simply used them to cover more ground in my given time window , making my way out to a wreck or around the coast
They range in size from huge , technical designs capable of 15-20km of range to small , fun ones , aimed at snorkellers and little bigger than a briefcase .