Recently I bought a couple Torpedo 2000's - I planned on diving a lot with them, however, with guests in town this past weekend, we took them snorkeling. They were just too front heavy ( seems the battery weighs a significant amount ). Any recommendations of other models ideal for snorkeling, or diving shallow water??
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DPV's
- Thread starter griffijw
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
I have a DACOR Seasprint that I have used for a few years now. It works out pretty well.
I tried out a friend's Aeris scooter last summer, it's an Oceanic knock-off, and I liked it better because of the handle placement. My wife loved it because it felt like she could "stay under forever" with it. It also has a LED gauge to let you know how the battery is holding up- something that I wish my DACOR had!
I hope to try out my father-in-laws Gavin this summer. It has a nice balanced feel to it while on scuba and I am sure that it will work out quite nicely for freediving.
I think that Kirk K. set some kind of freediving depth record on a Farallon scooter. It might be just a bit too big for recreational snorkeling.
I have also tried out those little toy scooters- I think that their called stingrays and sell for less than $400. They are total junk and I wouldn't recomend them to anyone. I can swim faster , and with less effort, than they could tow me.
Jon
I tried out a friend's Aeris scooter last summer, it's an Oceanic knock-off, and I liked it better because of the handle placement. My wife loved it because it felt like she could "stay under forever" with it. It also has a LED gauge to let you know how the battery is holding up- something that I wish my DACOR had!
I hope to try out my father-in-laws Gavin this summer. It has a nice balanced feel to it while on scuba and I am sure that it will work out quite nicely for freediving.
I think that Kirk K. set some kind of freediving depth record on a Farallon scooter. It might be just a bit too big for recreational snorkeling.
I have also tried out those little toy scooters- I think that their called stingrays and sell for less than $400. They are total junk and I wouldn't recomend them to anyone. I can swim faster , and with less effort, than they could tow me.
Jon
In refrence to the problem you have had with the Torpedo's... I own 3 of them... 3500's... and have had no problems. They are front heavy but torpedo makes a bouy for the unit that makes it neutral. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line and I will help if you have any more questions or problems.
I know this is an old thread, but I just got an Apollo AV-1 a month ago, for freediving. It's a real blast. Just had it down to 150', and it's rated for 165. I think that Apollo used to be made by Dacor, maybe the same Sea Sprint model. This post was more to seek information than to provide it. I would like to know where I can get a bracket to attach to the grooves in the handles. The ones made for lights and accessories. I went on apollosportsusa.com (the manufacturer), and they show no such accessory, but this is what the handles were designed for. Is there any 3rd party Mfgr. that makes such a bracket?
Thanks,
Jim
Thanks,
Jim
The Seasprint (dacor) was made by Apollo.
I've only had mine to 100', since it's hard to find easily accessible water deeper than that around here, but Iknow that Kirk has taken them to at least 200'.
What are you trying to attach to your scooter? I have a clip attached to the rear shroud on mine, so I can clip in my scooter ring, and I also ahve a compass velcroed onto the front handle. Apollo had made an insturment tray that could screw into the side threads, but you'd have to do a web search to track that down.
Hope that helps a little bit,
Jon
I've only had mine to 100', since it's hard to find easily accessible water deeper than that around here, but Iknow that Kirk has taken them to at least 200'.
What are you trying to attach to your scooter? I have a clip attached to the rear shroud on mine, so I can clip in my scooter ring, and I also ahve a compass velcroed onto the front handle. Apollo had made an insturment tray that could screw into the side threads, but you'd have to do a web search to track that down.
Hope that helps a little bit,
Jon
To attach the scooter ring was simple. I tied a brass clip into the shroud. THis clips onto the scooter-ring on my weightbelt- made by DiveRite. This allows me to fly along with a lot less stress on my arms, just like in tec/cave diving, AND allows me to drive the scooter with one hand while I clear my ears with the other.
Total cost for Diverite crotch strap and brass clip was less than $15.
Jon
Total cost for Diverite crotch strap and brass clip was less than $15.
Jon
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The compass can be attached many different ways. A friend of mine actually drilled some very small holes inhis shroud and zip-tied his compass to the shroud.
I decided to go a much less high-tech route. I found a Dacor compass mount, that attaches onto an old Dacor console, and just attached it to the front hand hold with a velcro strap. THis is ver handy when you drop down on a wreck and you wantto start to do some quick search patterns to find all of the lost gear that people continue to drop.
This is what it looks like:
Jon
I decided to go a much less high-tech route. I found a Dacor compass mount, that attaches onto an old Dacor console, and just attached it to the front hand hold with a velcro strap. THis is ver handy when you drop down on a wreck and you wantto start to do some quick search patterns to find all of the lost gear that people continue to drop.
This is what it looks like:
Jon
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Since we are freediving, and it is sooo easy to go deep, I was talked into carrying a bail-out on my scooter dives.
I first met Kirk Krack at DEMA a few years ago, when he still worked for DiveTech, and we started talking about scooter diving. He mentioned that they were taking the Dacor scooters down past the recommend 165' and that they decided some sort of bail-out was in order in case it flooded. THis seemed like a good idea so I bought a spare-air, this is the only thing I would use one for, and I also bought a belt holster for it, I think from Bluewater Hunter. I wear this belt set-up, and no weight, when I freedive with my scooter. Most of my scooter dives are in the 85'-100' range flying across the bottom near shipwrecks looking for lost goodies.
One of the best dives that I ever had on mine was zipping along this wreck and spying a buddy team who had a diver with his tank out of his back pack and floating along behind him as he swam, all of you instructors out there must be very familiar with this by now. I flew up behind him, slipped the tank back in, cinched it down tight, and was off before the buddy even knew what happened.
Jon
I first met Kirk Krack at DEMA a few years ago, when he still worked for DiveTech, and we started talking about scooter diving. He mentioned that they were taking the Dacor scooters down past the recommend 165' and that they decided some sort of bail-out was in order in case it flooded. THis seemed like a good idea so I bought a spare-air, this is the only thing I would use one for, and I also bought a belt holster for it, I think from Bluewater Hunter. I wear this belt set-up, and no weight, when I freedive with my scooter. Most of my scooter dives are in the 85'-100' range flying across the bottom near shipwrecks looking for lost goodies.
One of the best dives that I ever had on mine was zipping along this wreck and spying a buddy team who had a diver with his tank out of his back pack and floating along behind him as he swam, all of you instructors out there must be very familiar with this by now. I flew up behind him, slipped the tank back in, cinched it down tight, and was off before the buddy even knew what happened.
Jon
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DPV attachments
Jon, thanks for the great posts. I have a Suunto SK7 compass on its way from the Deeper Blue shop. It has the greatest tilt range of any compass on the market, +/- 30 degrees. My current compass is strapped on the rear fins, like where your harness hook is attached. I also bought a sailboater's safety harness, that puts the D-rings high on your chest for similar use as yours. I actually haven't used it yet, as I equalize hands-free, but got it because my friends I ocean dive with use them for scuba gear, and got me started with one while they loaned me their scooter.
I am very interested in the spare-air bottle. Can you answer a few questions about them.
1. How do you fill them?
2. What cubic capacity are they?
3. How do you tell they're full?
4. What pressure is full?
5. What do they cost and where do you get them?
I've been thinking of attaching one on the descent line also, for a safety measure for all of my buddies as well. I hope they're not too costly to get more than one.
Any links you happen to stumble across for the handle brackets, please get them to me. BTW, I just picked up a third battery this afternoon. I found out you can't charge up 2 batteries in time to get out with the next morning after getting back home at 6pm or so. Since a charger goes for around $130, and an extra 26aH battery goes for only $59, I went the cheaper route.
Thanks again or the good input,
Jim
Jon, thanks for the great posts. I have a Suunto SK7 compass on its way from the Deeper Blue shop. It has the greatest tilt range of any compass on the market, +/- 30 degrees. My current compass is strapped on the rear fins, like where your harness hook is attached. I also bought a sailboater's safety harness, that puts the D-rings high on your chest for similar use as yours. I actually haven't used it yet, as I equalize hands-free, but got it because my friends I ocean dive with use them for scuba gear, and got me started with one while they loaned me their scooter.
I am very interested in the spare-air bottle. Can you answer a few questions about them.
1. How do you fill them?
2. What cubic capacity are they?
3. How do you tell they're full?
4. What pressure is full?
5. What do they cost and where do you get them?
I've been thinking of attaching one on the descent line also, for a safety measure for all of my buddies as well. I hope they're not too costly to get more than one.
Any links you happen to stumble across for the handle brackets, please get them to me. BTW, I just picked up a third battery this afternoon. I found out you can't charge up 2 batteries in time to get out with the next morning after getting back home at 6pm or so. Since a charger goes for around $130, and an extra 26aH battery goes for only $59, I went the cheaper route.
Thanks again or the good input,
Jim
I bought a second battery and a second charger when I first bought the scooter for scuba diving, around 7 years ago. I just replaced the batteries two weeks ago. I was amazed at home much difference a new battery can make! I guess that they really do wear out over time.:duh
You got a better deal on the batteries than I did. The best price I oculd find around here, with tax, was $73.
Spare air's come in different sizes. I think that mine is a 2.7 cuft. bottle. They come set up in doubles if you want. The carrying holster was from Bluewater hunter. I might have an extra one, never used, if your interested. You fill them with an adaptor that attaches to your main scuba tank. You turn on the main dive tank and it fills until the pressure between the two tanks is equalized. The higher the pressure in the main tank means higher pressure in your little bottle. I think that you can find them on E-bay for less than $200. You can pick one up at almost any dive shop for less than $300.
Here's a shot of my buddy, Gert, with his scooter. He has his tow line tied off at the front. HE does this so he can tow one scooter, from his butt-ring, and be pulled by another scooter, from his front scooter ring. This comes in very handy while cave diving. You can see how he has his comapss mounted on the shroud. He drilled through and zip-tied it on. He had such a kick when I took him freediving that he was thinking of adding a freediving line to his shop- we'll make this a sport around here yet!
Jon
You got a better deal on the batteries than I did. The best price I oculd find around here, with tax, was $73.
Spare air's come in different sizes. I think that mine is a 2.7 cuft. bottle. They come set up in doubles if you want.
The carrying holster was from Bluewater hunter. I might have an extra one, never used, if your interested. You fill them with an adaptor that attaches to your main scuba tank. You turn on the main dive tank and it fills until the pressure between the two tanks is equalized. The higher the pressure in the main tank means higher pressure in your little bottle. I think that you can find them on E-bay for less than $200. You can pick one up at almost any dive shop for less than $300. Here's a shot of my buddy, Gert, with his scooter. He has his tow line tied off at the front. HE does this so he can tow one scooter, from his butt-ring, and be pulled by another scooter, from his front scooter ring. This comes in very handy while cave diving. You can see how he has his comapss mounted on the shroud. He drilled through and zip-tied it on. He had such a kick when I took him freediving that he was thinking of adding a freediving line to his shop- we'll make this a sport around here yet!
Jon
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Here's a shot I pulled off of a video clip, which is why it's so small.
You can see how the scooter attaches into the ring on my belt so that it can pull me around while I have one hand on my ears and one on the scooter- or, in this case, one hand on the scooter and one hand on the camera.
With my 3mm I wear no lead on my belt and will carry a spare-air on the back of it if diving deeper than 50'.
Jon
You can see how the scooter attaches into the ring on my belt so that it can pull me around while I have one hand on my ears and one on the scooter- or, in this case, one hand on the scooter and one hand on the camera.
With my 3mm I wear no lead on my belt and will carry a spare-air on the back of it if diving deeper than 50'.
Jon
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