Bonex

Bonex make diver propulsion vehicles, and Oyster Diving stocks five of them: the travel-sized Aquaprop, the universal ECOS and ECOS S, and the redundant-battery Discovery RS and Infinity RS. The range runs from easy snorkelling and pool use through to cave and wreck exploration. We dive scooters ourselves, so ask us which one suits the diving you actually do rather than the diving you aspire to.

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Read the full buying guide

The Bonex range at a glance

Every product in this collection is a diver propulsion vehicle: a battery-powered unit you hold in front of you and let pull you through the water. The five Bonex models here are not variations on a single machine. They differ in weight, in how the speed is controlled, in what the tube is made of, and in how much battery redundancy they carry.

Aquaprop: the travel scooter

The Aquaprop Travel Scooter is the entry-level model and the one you can realistically fly with. It weighs 6 kg including battery and trim, uses two-step speed control, and works with a one-handed or two-handed grip. Bonex supply it with either a NiMH battery or a Li-ion battery, and the Li-ion version runs longer and recharges faster. It comes with a charger, a protective bag, a system handle and an instruction manual, and it is aimed squarely at swimmers, snorkellers and divers who want to cover ground on holiday.

ECOS and ECOS S: the universal pair

The ECOS Universal Scooter and the ECOS S Universal Scooter sit in the middle of the range. Both weigh 15 kg including battery and trim and both run a Li-ion battery, but they differ in the details that matter underwater. The ECOS uses five-step speed regulation and a PVC tube. The ECOS S uses stepless speed regulation and a carbon tube, and adds an emergency switch on a back-up circuit plus a boost function. Wreck divers get on with both: light enough to handle around a structure, strong enough to help you make headway in a current.

Discovery RS and Infinity RS: built around redundancy

These two are the exploration machines. The Discovery RS Scooter carries two Li-Mn battery packs you can select individually. The Infinity RS Scooter carries four, each of them selectable from the main switch. Both use carbon tubes and both add an emergency drive switch on its own circuit, so an electronics failure does not leave you without drive. The Infinity RS is the largest scooter in the range and the one to look at when your dives are measured in hours.

How to choose a Bonex scooter

Start with the dive, not the spec sheet

Most people over-buy. If your diving is warm-water reef with the occasional drift, the Aquaprop or the ECOS will do everything you need, and you will actually take them with you. If you are running long dives in an overhead environment, where a failed scooter is a problem rather than an inconvenience, you want the switchable battery packs and the emergency circuit on the Discovery RS or the Infinity RS. The ECOS S covers most of the ground in between.

Weight, transport and travel

Weight is the specification that quietly decides whether a scooter gets used. Including battery and trim, the Aquaprop is 6 kg, the ECOS and ECOS S are 15 kg each, the Discovery RS is 25 kg and the Infinity RS is 40 kg. Think about the walk from the car park, lifting it onto a boat, and whether you are flying. Bonex describe the Aquaprop on its NiMH battery as air-travel friendly, while the larger Li-Mn models need more planning.

Batteries and redundancy

Three battery chemistries run across this range: NiMH or Li-ion in the Aquaprop depending on version, Li-ion in the ECOS and ECOS S, and Li-Mn in the Discovery RS and Infinity RS. Only the Discovery RS and the Infinity RS let you switch between independent packs, and that is the single clearest reason to move up the range. Across the ECOS, ECOS S, Discovery RS and Infinity RS, soft start, temperature control, power monitoring, total discharge protection and a protective propeller cut-off are all standard.

Buying and owning a Bonex

Check the handle and the extras

The system handle changes how a scooter feels more than any other single part, so settle that question before you order. On the ECOS S and the Infinity RS the system handle and tow cord are standard. On the ECOS, the system handle and torque control are listed as optional. On the Discovery RS the system handle is optional. The Aquaprop is supplied with its system handle, charger, protective bag and manual.

Ask before you order

Tell us where you dive, how you travel to get there, and what you are diving with. We will point you at the model that fits, and we will say so if the entry-level option is already enough for the diving you do. A scooter is a considered purchase and there is nothing gained by you owning the wrong one.

Frequently asked questions

Which Bonex models does Oyster Diving stock?

Five, and Bonex is the only brand on this page: the Bonex Aquaprop Travel Scooter, the Bonex ECOS Universal Scooter, the Bonex ECOS S Universal Scooter, the Bonex Discovery RS Scooter and the Bonex Infinity RS Scooter. They run from a travel-sized scooter you can pack in a bag through to redundant-battery machines built for long exploration dives. Our wider Scooters & DPVs collection shows everything else we carry.

What is a diver propulsion vehicle?

A DPV, or underwater scooter, is a battery-powered unit you hold in front of you that pulls you through the water. It saves gas and effort, extends the ground you can cover on a single dive, and makes swimming against a current far less of a problem. Every Bonex in this collection is built around a servo motor, with either stepped or stepless speed control depending on the model.

Which Bonex scooter is best for travelling with?

The Aquaprop Travel Scooter. It weighs 6 kg including battery and trim, packs into its own protective bag, and Bonex list the NiMH version as suitable for taking on aircraft. The ECOS and ECOS S at 15 kg are easy enough to drive to a dive site but are a bigger ask on a plane, and the Discovery RS and Infinity RS are heavier again. Whatever you take, check the current battery rules with your airline before you fly.

What is the difference between the Bonex ECOS and the ECOS S?

Both weigh 15 kg including battery and trim, and both run a Li-ion battery. The ECOS uses five-step speed regulation and a PVC tube, and lists torque control and the system handle as optional extras. The ECOS S uses stepless speed regulation and a carbon tube, and comes as standard with an emergency switch on a back-up circuit, a boost function, torque control and the system handle. If you dive wrecks or caves, that emergency circuit is the reason to choose the S.

Do I need a Bonex with redundant batteries?

It depends entirely on the diving. In open water, where you can always ascend and swim back, a single battery is fine, and that covers the Aquaprop, the ECOS and the ECOS S. In an overhead environment, where a dead scooter means a long swim out on your own gas, redundancy stops being a luxury. The Discovery RS carries two independently selectable Li-Mn packs and the Infinity RS carries four, and both add an emergency drive switch on a separate circuit so an electronics fault does not leave you without drive.

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