FAQ's

What is Diveboarding?

     Diveboarding is an all new behind-the-boat sport and recreation. It1s a slow speed activity that delivers hours of funand adventure for friends and everyone in the family, regardless of athletic ability.
     The Diveboard attaches with a 75' towline to any tow vessel capable of 2-4 mph towing and maneuvering speed.The diveboarder, wearing diving mask, snorkel and fins, grips the Diveboard and effortlessly pilots his flight through the underwater world. The unique, patent pending design gives the diveboarder leverage to control diving, turning and resurfacing actions while conserving his oxygen for prolonged stress less diving time.
     Diveboard design makes control actions completely intuitive, so that nearly everyone knows how to do it from their first ride! Aim the wing down and dive as you wish. Aim it up and you pop to the surface almost as fast as you can think about it. You will learn to relax and allow your body to follow the Diveboard, and you will discover a tremendous feeling of empowerment as your range and down time increase dramatically.
     Although the Diveboard is primarily a recreational product, they are used by professional scientists, fire departments, competition spear fishermen and others for scouting, mapping and searching operations because of their superiority over all other diving planes.

Is it Safe?

     Diveboarding has been accident free since I introduced it in July 1999, and should continue so as long the safety guidelines published on this site in the Owner1s Manual are followed. Diveboarders from age 6 to 83 have enjoyed themselves thoroughly, so please feel confident that any competent swimmer in good health can Diveboard safely.

Do you need special skills or strengths?

     A wonderful thing about Diveboarding is that you can enjoy it thoroughly without special skills or strength. Stronger Diveboarders can go faster and longer than weaker ones, but they can all have a good time together. We suggest that when pairing a strong and a weak swimmer together, you adjust speed and water depth for the comfort of the weaker swimmer. You will be pleasantly surprised to find that the stronger swimmer will thoroughly enjoy Diveboarding even when not working with challenging depths and speeds.

Who should not Diveboard?

     Ear problems from the rapid pressure changes of diving and surfacing are generally avoided through either proper equalization techniques or limiting the depth of dives to shallow waters. Stop Diveboarding immediately at any sign of ear pain or discomfort. Diveboarders should be healthy enough to breath hold dive, and should have good judgment about staying within the limits of their capability. Diveboarders should have good enough vision to maintain their orientation to know direction and distance to the surface at all times.

Where should you Diveboard and where should you not?

     Poor water visibility and conflicting water traffic are two of the largest hazards. Diveboard in waters that are clear enough to see the bottom from the surface where there is no traffic that might jeopardize a swimmer in the water. Also avoid polluted areas, water with dangerous sea critters, or areas that have obstacles like fishing gear or mooring buoys.
Clear warm waters are best, but a properly weighted Diveboarder in a wet suit can thoroughly enjoy cooler waters. Do remember that the Diveboarder is likely to get chilled more quickly than a swimmer in the same water. The Diveboarder generates less body heat than the swimmer because he is hardly working, and he is also exposed to more cooling from the increased flow of water over his body. Stop Diveboarding and warm up at the first sign of shivering!

What kind of tow vessel do I need?

     Small boats, PWC's and dinghies are ideal because they can tow and maneuver in the shallow areas, however you can utilize any craft that can be easily controlled in the 1 1/2 to 4 mile an hour range (walking or trolling speed) where it is most enjoyable to Diveboard. (We have used a wide variety of tow vessel, including sailboats, fishing boats and cabin cruisers.) There should be enough room in the tow vessels for diveboarders, spotters and drivers to all return together.
The tow vessel should also have all the safety equipment appropriate to its size, type and the water conditions. A boarding ladder or other means to bring a fatigued swimmer aboard is also essential.

What do I do if the boat driver decides this is a tube ride and takes me for a terror run?

      Diveboards are designed so that the diver can simply let go at any sign of danger including if the driver decides to be a stupid jerk! Diveboarding is a team activity, and you should make certain all members of the team -- Spotters, Diveboarders and Drivers understand the fun and safety of this low speed sport.

What about other traffic?

     As we said above, stay away from areas of high speed traffic. An important part of the Spotter's job to stay aware of other boats in the area, and to signal if any endangering situation starts to develop.

Can I get the "Bends"? or other diving health problems?

     Diveboarding is intended for breath hold divers. The use of Scuba or other compressed air breathing introduces the risk of air embolism through improper breathing and/or the rapid ascent rates which Diveboards facilitate. Such use is not recommended. Although there are many advanced professional divers using compressed air when Diveboarding for Search and Survey work, They are cautioned to maintain heightened awareness of their depth and ascent rates. CONSIDER EACH SCUBA ASCENT AS AN EMERGENCY ASCENT, EXHALE MORE THAN YOU INHALE!
      Only the most extreme breath hold Diveboarders who accumulate lots of time at great depths need concern themselves about decompression sickness or the bends.

How about my ears?

     I mention your ears a second time because failure to equalize your ear pressure while diving is very likely to cause damage. Know how to equalize and always surface at any sign of ear pain.

Do I need a warning flag and do Diveboarders need Personal Flotation Devices?

     Although Diveboarding is still so new that there are no laws or regulations specifically applicable to this sport, the prudent policy is to carry the Diveboard Down Flag or other sign that a diver is in the water. There should always be Personal Flotation Devices available for all the Diveboard team on board. Approved inflatable PFD's are available and can be worn deflated while Diveboarding. However we strongly recommend that all Diveboarders wear swimming fins and be capable of treading water for prolonged periods without additional flotation.

What's the story about SCUBA or Surface Supplied Compressed Air with Diveboards?

     Don't do it unless you are a very accomplished diver fully aware of what you must do to avoid embolism hazards. Reduced water visibility increases those hazards because it becomes more difficult to monitor ascent rates.