Diving scooter found on wreck after 20 years!

Two technical divers while diving on the wreck of the German cruiser Blücher found a real treasure – a DPV Aquazepp scooter that had been lost 20 years earlier. As if that wasn’t enough, they also found the owner and surprised him by delivering the device right to his doorstep!

Throughout history, a whole host of objects created by human hands have found their way underwater. Sometimes they were real treasures, works of art and precious artefacts, and sometimes they were just rubbish, used up, unwanted and disposed of under the surface of all kinds of bodies of water. The third group consists of utilitarian objects which were accidentally lost at the bottom during work.

-- Advertisement --

The hero of today’s text – the DPV dive scooter by Aquazepp – can be included in the latter group. The device was lost 20 years ago during a dive on the very famous wreck of the German cruiser Blücher, which was sunk on 9 April 1940 in Oslo Fjord during the invasion of Norway. Today, the vessel sits on the bottom in a depth range of 60-92m and is one of the biggest attractions for technical divers.

Nowadays, conducting this type of diving is much easier and more common than 20 years ago, however a visit to the Blücher wreck is still a serious challenge. To be able to meet it you need a lot of skills, experience in technical wreck diving and the right equipment. Such as the DPV scooter…

The owner of the recovered equipment admitted that when the equipment went from the surface to the depths, both he and his companions were convinced that Aquazepp was lost forever and would never be seen again.

The device was found during a dive by Hans Petter Holthe and Lars Martin Thorstein, who decided to surprise the owner and deliver the lost item right to his door.

“I was very surprised when the scooter I lost 20 years ago to Blücher was seen again on the steps of my house,” – said Tore Emil Lien, owner of the found equipment.

Interestingly, it turns out that the DPV scooter excavated from a depth of 87 metres can probably be repaired and brought back to working order. Although most of the distinctive orange colour is now just a memory and some water has entered the battery, the engine remains intact!

“This scooter will work again. We are talking about very good quality! I’m terribly happy to have it back,” said Lien, while thanking the team that returned his property to him.

^{Source: dykking.no
Photo: Tore Emil Lien}