How Did DPVs Become the Hottest Trend in Diving?
As an experienced diver, do you still remember the excitement and passion you felt when you first discovered the underwater world? As your dive count grows and experience accumulates, has that enthusiasm for diving gradually started to fade? Some divers pick up a camera and channel their passion through the lens. Others, however, upgrade their gear — and yes, we're talking about the Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV, also known as an underwater scooter).
In recent years, DPV prices have become far more accessible. Combined with the travel restrictions during the pandemic — which left many divers with savings they couldn't spend on dive trips abroad — a wave of divers went ahead and purchased their own DPVs, eager to explore a greater range of underwater terrain on a single tank.
A DPV allows us to expand the scope of our underwater exploration. Photo Credit 大頭教練
What Makes DPVs So Appealing?
The thrust generated by a DPV reduces the physical effort you need to put into kicking your fins, which in turn conserves both your energy and your air consumption. On top of that, a DPV lets you cover far greater distances on the same tank, meaning you get to encounter more diverse terrain and marine life.
The Editor recalls a dive where an unexpectedly strong current required pushing against it the entire way. With no choice but to hug the reef wall and kick hard with full leg power, by the time the dive site was finally reached, the air supply was nearly spent — just a few minutes of drifting around the site before the dive guide checked the pressure gauge and called for the return.
Back on the surface, the Editor felt as exhausted as someone who'd just run an underwater marathon, and the whole experience left a pretty sour impression. There's also the issue of those dream dive sites that can only be reached by boat dive — which tends to be expensive, harder to access, and dependent on dive shops organizing group trips. Wait too long and the dive season passes you by. A DPV changes all of that, making every dive more efficient and giving you far greater independence in the water.
Combining a boat dive with a DPV gradually unveils waters that were once out of reach
Do You Need a Course to Use a DPV?
Within the SDI/TDI (SDI (certification agency)/TDI (certification agency)) system, DPV is classified as a specialty course (please check other certification agencies' websites or consult your instructor for their equivalent). This means that to earn a DPV certification, you must already hold at least an Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI cert) qualification. However, given the risks and complexity involved in operating a DPV, the Editor strongly recommends first obtaining your Advanced Open Water Diver (PADI cert) certification and building the ability to independently handle all emergency situations before pursuing the DPV specialty.
Instructor Cao Andong of Now Diving Center emphasizes that a comprehensive and systematic DPV certification course is the fundamental requirement for making it safely back to shore
The DPV specialty course covers an understanding of DPV mechanics, foundational theory, in-water operation techniques, and post-dive equipment maintenance. Beyond the instructor's firsthand experience sharing — which helps you truly appreciate the advantages of DPV use and the risks to avoid — the course is valuable not just for learning how to operate a DPV correctly, but also for connecting with a community of fellow DPV enthusiasts and gaining access to important insider knowledge.
Here's a general overview of what to expect from the DPV certification process. One important note: you do not need to own a DPV to take the course — just as you don't need to own a car to get your driver's license. The course itself is a great way to learn about DPVs and try one out before committing to a purchase.
The Academic Component of DPV Training Matters!
The Editor enrolled in the DPV course run by the SDI (certification agency)/TDI (certification agency) system through 鬧潛水Now Diving Center/SUP立槳/獨木舟. Here's a look at what that learning experience was like. The DPV specialty course is divided into classroom (academic) and in-water (practical) components. The classroom session runs approximately one and a half hours and covers an introduction to DPVs, buoyancy control, precautions, safety guidelines, battery management, dive planning, emergency procedures, and maintenance.
In the classroom, you'll learn the correct concept of neutral buoyancy with a DPV and how to adjust your weights
Maintenance is a fundamental DPV skill you absolutely cannot miss in the classroom
The position of every buckle and the way every lanyard is rigged affects both comfort and safety
The practical component involves the instructor taking the DPV into the water for hands-on instruction: how to set the correct tow-line length, energy-efficient body positioning, achieving neutral buoyancy with the DPV, how to communicate with your dive buddy while underway, and an in-water debrief.
Through the course, you get to experience the characteristics of different DPV models (as the Northeast Coast dive season had already ended at the time of writing, scenario photos were taken at Taichung Qian Lifang instead)
Adjusting the tow-line length is critically important (as the Northeast Coast dive season had already ended at the time of writing, scenario photos were taken at Taichung Qian Lifang, where guests cannot use their own BCD, so a backplate-style crotch strap was unavailable)
If you're thinking of purchasing a DPV, the Editor strongly urges you to get properly certified first. As with any water-based recreational activity, "try-dives" and casual experimentation are easy ways to get started — but the moment you actually take a DPV underwater, the question on your mind shouldn't just be "where should I explore?" It needs to be "if something goes wrong, how do I get back to the surface safely?"
The Editor still remembers a question the instructor posed during class: "If your DPV malfunctions underwater and keeps propelling while the power switch cannot be turned off, how do you get back to the surface — and still recover the DPV?" That question genuinely made everyone stop and think. Operating a DPV isn't just about enjoying the thrill of speed or the adventure of exploring unknown waters — a solid foundation of safety awareness needs to be hardwired into every diver's mind.
Internalizing the principles of safe DPV use is the key to minimizing risk (as the Northeast Coast dive season had already ended at the time of writing, scenario photos were taken at Taichung Qian Lifang, where guests cannot use their own BCD, so a backplate-style crotch strap was unavailable)
Through the classroom explanations and hands-on practice, you'll gain a much deeper understanding of the differences between various DPV brands and models, as well as their internal construction — all of which is essential for proper maintenance. A friend of the Editor purchased a Blacktip DPV and tried to figure out on their own how to operate it underwater, without any formal training. Due to a lack of foundational knowledge, they didn't know how to adjust the DPV's buoyancy underwater, nor how to service the unit after a dive. The result: when they finally wanted to use it again, they discovered that the battery had been fully drained for a long time, requiring a repair bill of tens of thousands of NT dollars. And because the DPV components hadn't been maintained regularly, the unit nearly flooded — which could have caused even more serious damage.
Instructors' Firsthand Experience Is One of the Greatest Learning Takeaways of a DPV Course
Earning your certification also means getting to hear instructors share their real-world DPV experiences — absorbing lessons from situations they've actually encountered underwater and learning how to respond correctly to unexpected events, such as: a DPV suddenly surging out of control underwater, a dead battery mid-dive, how to communicate while on a DPV, or what to do if you accidentally descend too fast. These scenarios are all covered in the course materials, but encountering them in reality is a whole different story.
An instructor's hard-won experience makes our DPV operation safer
As DPV prices have become increasingly affordable, many dive clubs and groups of dive buddies are pooling resources to buy DPVs together and explore uncharted waters as a team. However, without the proper knowledge and training, the consequences range from the DPV malfunctioning after a dive due to inadequate maintenance, to more serious in-water risks — such as a rapid descent causing nitrogen partial pressure to spike and increasing the risk of nitrogen narcosis, a rapid ascent leading to decompression sickness (DCS), or a malfunctioning DPV that cannot be efficiently towed back to shore.
These risk management concepts should be ingrained into every diver's muscle memory before ever taking a DPV into the water, so that when an unexpected situation arises, it can be resolved quickly and calmly. A comprehensive and systematic DPV certification course is therefore the fundamental requirement for making it safely back to shore.
Don't forget — DIY DPV modifications are a fun hobby in their own right!
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