Courtesy And Environmental Responsibility:

A DPV can be a bit like a jest ski or a skate board.

It’s a lot of fun, but it can annoy a lot of people if you’re not considerate. Plus, DPVs create some environmental concerns.

To keep you and your DPV welcome among your fellow divers, stick to these four guidelines:

 

 

DPVs make a loud hum that can disturb aquatic life, and buzzing the reef like an F-18 on a bombing run doesn’t help either.

Give other divers a wide berth so you don’t disturb aquatic life they came to see, and so for them, the silent world remains relatively silent.

 

 

You’d do this anyway, but remember that you’re going faster and that means an accidental brush with something has more potential to damage.

 

 

You may not be kicking, but your fins can still do harm to the environment by dragging across the reef or bottom.

Try to stay well above the reef, and ride neutrally buoyant and level.

 

 

Cruising close to the bottom can suck up sand and silt, blast a cloud behind you, and risk pulling in something that jams the prop.

Or, you can cruise along with the prop wash blowing downward, churning up silt as you go.

Either way, your fellow divers won’t appreciate it, and you can harm sensitive aquatic life that the silt settles on.

 

Stay well off the bottom, and dive properly weighted and neutrally buoyant so you don’t have to aim the prop down to maintain your depth.

Make stops well above the bottom because when you’re cruising, the DPV tends to offset being somewhat negatively buoyant.

When you stop, you may sink a surprising amount before you reestablish neutral buoyancy.

By stopping well above the bottom, you have time to do this before blundering into a sensitive bottom.