Course Overview
TDI Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) teaches certified divers how to plan and conduct technical dives using scooters while managing the added hazards they create. The official TDI page states that the course familiarizes divers with the skills, knowledge, organization, procedures, techniques, problems, and hazards of DPV use in technical diving. The goal is controlled range extension, not simply moving faster underwater.
This course is suited to certified technical divers who want to extend range and use the benefits of a DPV on appropriate dives. TDI lists minimum age 18, or 15 with parental consent, SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent certification, and proof of at least 25 logged dives as prerequisites. Students should already have reliable buoyancy, trim, gas awareness, and team communication before adding a vehicle.
Training covers DPV motivations, equipment options, components, rated burn time, maintenance, rigging, environmental considerations, low-impact use, turn time, turn distance, turn pressure, gas mix planning, decompression considerations, vehicle failure, towing, gas sharing with DPVs, entanglement, collision avoidance, team separation, parking, and disabled-DPV ascents. In High Springs, Florida, it can support technical range-building in appropriate environments. Successful students should leave with practical DPV planning habits and hazard management.
